# Subraru Overheating **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** legacy, suspension, subaru\ **Created:** [March 10, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125 "2014-03-10T19:43:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JimmySkis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JimmySkis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimmySkis)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/1 "2014-03-10T19:43:26Z")
My son’s turn of the century Subaru Legacy Outback what overheating here in Spokane a month ago when it was in single digit temperatures for a few days. He put a couple of quarts of coolant in, which was a slow process. He put in a new thermostat suspecting a problem there. A couple of days later he was on the freeway and overheated again. He stopped and pulled off the radiator cap. There was a fountain of cold coolant. He suspected a blown head gasket. We have removed his engine and drained the oil. Oil looks good with no obvious coolant in it. He can blow through the radiator without a pressure buildup. The water pump bearings seem good. Before pulling the head and going through all that we are wondering if we are missing something. Any advice would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![knfenimore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@knfenimore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/knfenimore)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/2 "2014-03-10T20:23:09Z")
Are you sure the water pump is good? Is there flow? A leak down test on the cylinders would prove it. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/3 "2014-03-11T00:13:26Z")
If the car overheated and the radiator had cold coolant in it, than the coolant is not circulating. Unless he installed the T-stat backwards, than either the water pump has failed totally (I’ve never seen one fail totally) or there’s a blockage, perhaps a collapsed inner hose liner. This I HAVE seen. And since it was a “slow process” adding a couple of quarts of coolant, which should have taken less than a minute, I STRONGLY suspect a blockage. Just because the water pump bearings seem good does not mean the impellars are not worn to a nub. And I would not remove the heads until I did a pressure leakdown test on the cylinders. If you have no leakage, the headgaskets are not blown and removing the heads can only add to your problems. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/4 "2014-03-11T01:46:31Z")
Wow ! From over heating straight to pulling the engine. That’s ambition. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 6:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/5 "2014-03-11T06:14:16Z")
I am a little concerned by the phrase 'put a couple of quarts of coolant in it" I know you don’t get a lot of really cold temps in Seattle and I wonder when, if ever, the strength of the coolant was checked. If the radiator had ice in it , this could happen. ---
**Author:** ![JimmySkis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JimmySkis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimmySkis)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/6 "2014-03-11T18:36:59Z")
Thanks all. PvtPublic, he wanted to replace the clutch anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subraru-overheating/84125/7 "2014-03-11T18:49:02Z")
Ah yes. New clutch and head gaskets. Shop would charge $$ to do that work. More than car is worth.