Monday, September 19, 2011

Why didn't replacing the water pump and thermostat on my 1996 Subaru Outback solve the problem?

My car was leaking water because of a leaking water pump. Yesterday I had it replaced with a new water pump and a new thermostat. It ran well afterwards. But since disassembly caused some transmission fluid to leak; I took a drive to the parts store afterwards to pick some up. On my way back to the house from the parts store, less than 录 mile, it got really hot, and quickly got to the limit. Since I had only 2 blocks left I drove it to the house and then shut it off.



I called the mechanic to come back, we started it a few times, the temp was normal at first. But after letting it run for a while, or revving the engine a little bit; it got hot again. Each time, about 3 times, when the indicator was 戮 way up on the gauge, we shut it off.



We let it cool for the next 5 hours, and the mechanic came back to investigate the situation. The car would not start. And based how the water was churning with the radiator cap off, he concluded that the head gaskets needed to be replaced.



I would appreciate if someone can tell me what happened and why this parts replacement did not go off without a hitch.



Right now I am looking at replacing the head gaskets, $54.99 X 2, or replacing all of seals, known as a headset for $283.00.



I am fortunate that he is only charging me a minimal amount for the labor.



What caused the head gaskets to become damaged? Was it the heat or that with the new pump and thermostat there was better water flow and therefore more pressure?



The following links might tell some of the story. I can not tell who is best informed.



http://www.google.com/search?hl=en%26amp;q=subaru+outback+overheats+after+changing+water+pump+and+thermostat%26amp;btnG=Google+Search%26amp;aq=f%26amp;oq=



http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/showthread.php?s=6b7bd15c88b83d482202580d70ca4dcf%26amp;postid=158875#post158875



http://answers.edmunds.com/question-98-Subaru-Outback-overheating-Water-radiator-cool-hot-engine-Thermostat-replaced-fans-working-38030.aspx



http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081130050024AA0jNKD



http://www.fixya.com/cars/t645025-1997_subaru_outback_legacy_overheating



(the car had only overheated slightly sometimes while the old water pump was in the car and leaking)Why didn't replacing the water pump and thermostat on my 1996 Subaru Outback solve the problem?96-99 2.5 Subaru engines have a HUGE head gasket fail rate, I've seen so many fail to count. Subaru temp gages do not move once the car is warm, if they do, something is wrong. If it overheated slightly before, they were already leaking. You put the water pump in, didn't get all the air out of the system, overheated it, and blew them the rest of the way out. IMHO, you need to have the heads machined, and use only genuine Subaru gaskets. At that age, I'd replace all the seals, timing belt, etc.. Also, since the thermostat is on the bottom of the engine, no water is allowed into the engine until its warmed up, so you have to fill the block with coolant (like thru the upper hose) as well as the radiator before you start up, then add more coolant as it starts to circulate.Why didn't replacing the water pump and thermostat on my 1996 Subaru Outback solve the problem?I would suggest you dump that %26quot;mekanik%26quot; before he gets all your money. You need a RADIATOR SHOP to solve your problem.Don't try flushing the radiator it will not help.

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