How to diagnose a Subaru that overheats after ten minutes of driving

[goldtinium]

Nice video thanks again for the advice

[adamthiel88]

hey bro is there anything to try to fix an internal hg leak any liquid additives ??? 99 outback ej25 4 cyl gen 1 motor.

[briansmobile1]

@adamthiel88 I've seen many products used (then they come to me) but I've never seen any work effectively. They typically just bugger up the heater core, block passages, and radiator. OUCH!

[r8er4everd]

On my mothers Forester she kept complaining she could smell somthing. And of course when I go over and look nothing. well after months of this, I was replacing a CV boot and saw a slight tell-tale sign of coolant ontop of the exaust right uncer the seam between the head and the block. Strange thing is there was no noticable loss in coolant. I guess on her long shopping excursions, it would heat and warp just slightly and allow coolant out-air in and form bubble on the termostat eventully.

[pl2517]

bad piston ring? clogged coolant path?

[odewepe]

I have another question. How hot is to hot. 1980 Trans Am after about 30 minutes of driving it reaches 214 degrees, its the original 301 non-turbo. thoughts? Love your channel..

[briansmobile1]

@odewepe 195-198 is PERFECT! At 220 F gaskets and seals start going melt face.

[odewepe]

@briansmobile1 thanks so much..we have done everything to find out the issye but no luck. I almost give up..

[briansmobile1]

@odewepe How is the radiator on it? Is it full of cat hair, corrosion, stop leak?

[odewepe]

@briansmobile1 You are freaking me out by your fast and nice responces..We have done everything that we can do. new raditor, new cap, new hoses so we know they are not closing up, checked on thermistat 3 times, checked the fan belts, the gear also and we made it spin faster, we had the entire top of the engine to make sure their was nothing stopped up. nowhere to go from here

[briansmobile1]

@odewepe Is the water pump impeller rusted away? If not it's time for a compression gasses check at the radiator filler neck.

[odewepe]

@briansmobile1 Its a new water heater, timing chain, motor oil after driving her for 2,000 miles look clean as it could be. new preasure cap on radiator too. Radiator is also new and does not leak. I am so lost..lol

[briansmobile1]

@odewepe "water heater?" Any who. If the water Pump is good it may be a head gasket. Are both hoses hot?

[odewepe]

@briansmobile1 yes, oil is clean too

[landoftheblueflower]

Great video. had exact same issue and put bar head gasket repair for leak. doesnt leak now, but still over heating. am i going to still have to do head gasket? ideas? money is tight!

[tjweber32]

Brian, you are da bomb bro. Who knew that you could learn so much while being entertained at the same time? You are awesome. Even the simplest of devices are intriguing when you explain them. Peace brother!

[briansmobile1]

@tjweber32 Thanks man! Good timing too!

[easydoz1]

I just replaced my 01 subaru externally leaking head gasket. I found my fan fuse was blown... Don't know Y. But works great now.

[briansmobile1]

@easydoz1 Keep an eye on that. If a fan dies and stops it can do that and then free up again.

[r8er4everd]

Thanks Brian, once again you help us to remember the lil'things that sometimes in the complexidy of a job, we can forget or overlook these things. As far as the other topic. In my opinion(<-and we all know what these are like, and that everyone has one) I think the legality issue began and still rides on sorta the same problem that caused prohabition(Uncle Sam making sure he gets his cut-TAXES). And someone made the comment about "where's the music Brian?" watch the beganing of your clip...lol

[beefystik]

Awesome info as usual Brian. You continue to amaze me with your experience and your opinions.  Keep it up please!

[briansmobile1]

@beefystik Thanks. I'm glad to make videos as long as I know people like you like them.

[contagiousFX]

Great video as always! Can a vacuum guage detect a small head gasket leak?

[ventureelect]

Whers the music brian ..

[ryansauto93]

One very important thing on a Subaru is to ALWAYS use an OEM thermostat when replacing it, the aftermarket ones are a different design and can cause elevated temperatures and other issues. Also, just to add, symptoms of head gasket failure on the older DOHC engines is bubbles in the coolant reservoir from combustion gases (you can also run air into the cylinder in a leak down to check for bubbles) as these ones had internal leaks. The newer SOHC engines had external leaks.

[steevum]

"I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati"

Thanks for the great video. What is the cost to replace the head gasket in this car if it had gone to the shop in your region?

[bdagle]

Brian, love you videos! This is the right way to check a thermostat. However I have to tell you that the spring is not Bi-Metal, it is just a spring. The capsule in the middle is filled with a fluid that expands and contracts at a certain temperature. This is what actuates the thermostat. The spring is what closes it. Keep up the good work!

[binnsh]

I'm a VW Vanagon guy, the water cooled motors are notorious for bad head gaskets. A good tell is to hook a pressure gauge into the cooling system, with a bad gasket pressure will quickly (3 minutes) go to 15 lbs, normal is slowly (10 minutes) build to 7 lbs.. Might work for Subaru too.

[youtubasoarus]

Great video! I like the talk about the future and peak oil and all that. Interesting topic.

[spelunkerd]

Nice review, Brian. It's worth emphasizing to your audience that every time an engine overheats, it runs a risk of causing expensive damage to the head and seals. Once steam forms within the water jacket, engine temp will skyrocket, pressures rise, and cooling capacity goes to ground. So, I wouldn't let a problem like this go for long without a diagnosis, or you could be facing secondary warping of the head, even if the initial cause was an easy fix.

[icandoit20]

Hey Brian, love your videos. I was told putting aluminium foil under you're stove elements will reflect too much heat back towards the element and burn it out more quickly.

[briansmobile1]

@icandoit20 You could be right. And if so I better double the foil! That damn stove is old and decrepit. I want a new one, but can't justify replacing something that works. And I can't resist fixing things just to see if I can. I should just buy a sexy new one and donate this one.

[Bonfield2002]

Lots of great tips. I have one for you, check out "Uview Airlift" and you will never have a hard time getting all the air out,sure beats trying to use the bleeder valve. As for peak oil, syncrude up in Alberta has more oil reserves untouched than all the middle east. Great Vids Brian,well done!!

[briansmobile1]

@Bonfield2002 Good to know- thanks for sharing the wisdom!

[spelunkerd]

@Bonfield2002 That's an intriguing product. It would be nice to see somebody post a video of how it works....

[CoolasIce2]

Are all Subarus a flat opposed cylinder block?

BTW chop up some carrots, potatoes, and celery and make thermostat soup.

[briansmobile1]

@CoolasIce2 I'm a Ramen noodles guy- hold the ethelyne glycol. ; )  Yes. They are all boxer, opposing, pancake engines.

[LRCVWDude]

@briansmobile1 Its basically an overhead cam version of the VW boxer engine

On blown head gaskets/cracked head/cracked block - You forgot the 'mayonnaise' on the oil fill cap, and bubbles on your dipstick, along with an oil level that constantly goes up to the point it overflows out the dipstick tube

[CoolasIce2]

@briansmobile1 OK Thanks.

[ncrdisabled]

Funny thing about corn it costs more to convert it to fuel then it does for oil propane or natural gas. If we started using our corn for fuel it would cause a huge food cost increase.

I no win either way.

[briansmobile1]

@ncrdisabled What if we just make ethanol from weed again?  It grows like a weed.

[ncrdisabled]

@briansmobile1 I did not know you could make it from Mary Jane . I was on it for medical pain when I was in CA now when I moved to NY for better doctors and a few major surgeries. NY and a lot of states do not allow it .

[briansmobile1]

@ncrdisabled It was outlawed NOT because of health, but because it made the DuPont and Rockefeller families super rich to outlaw it.Nylon, gasoline, polyester, and many other products would be worthless/too expensive by comparison and far too dirty to the environment to even consider if cannabis were legal the way it used to be. Trouble is if the leaf becomes legal the stalk will become plentiful. Can't make the stalk illegal because that's stupid-so they went after the leaves.

[seniorjohnl]

@briansmobile1 I forsee it being legalized within our lifetimes. Current inroads are being made at the state level, still illegal at the Fed level. Power games between Fed vs State going on now.

[hp11208]

idol born lol

[briansmobile1]

@hp11208 lol

[PWRSTR0KER2008]

Hahaha that intro was funny man! Good job

[briansmobile1]

@PWRSTR0KER2008 thanks ;  )