forester overheating

[bigboy38]

I have a 98 forester with 150k that I have been having problems with coolant loss and overheating. There is no evidence of an external leak. I see alot of postings on head gasket problems with the subaru's. Is this my likely problem or could i have serious engine damage. I had the car to the dealer and the machanic said if you overheat these cars just once the block will crack. I find this hard to believe because the car runs perfectly otherwise.
Any information will be appreciated

 

[H MURDOCH]

Re : >>I see alot of postings on head gasket problems with the subaru's. Is
this my likely problem or could i have serious engine damage. I had the car to
the dealer and the machanic said if you overheat these cars just once the block
will crack.<<

I just had a head gasket replaced in my 98 Forester at about 130k miles. Had
symptoms similar to what you describe. When the heads were pulled off, no real
damage had resulted other than the gasket. I think you *can* crack a cylinder
or whatever if you let it overheat and kept on driving it for a while, but from
what I gathered from my mechanic, most head gasket jobs hes had on these cars
don't involve cracked blocks, cylinders, or heads.

By the way, the involved cylinder head was very slightly warped, so I had the
heads milled lightly to ensure flatness.

Hope that helps. This seems to be a not unusual problem with the 2.5 engines -
but I have so much fun with my Forester on pavement, dirt, and snow, that it's
worth it. Just be sure to have a reliable Suby mechanic do the job.

Hank M.