My 2004 Subrau Forester

[Bustit!]

It is running hotter than normal and I just replaced the thermostat hoping that would fix it. It didn’t! I replaced the water pump about 50,000 miles ago when I replaced the timing belt. It had 240,000 miles on it and it leaks a little anti freeze around the heads. I also replaced the radiator above a year ago because the plastic tank started leaking. Is there something I’m missing or is my Subaru about done unless I rebuild the motor?

 

[Shaggy]

It is running hotter than normal and I just replaced the thermostat hoping that would fix it. It didn’t! I replaced the water pump about 50,000 miles ago when I replaced the timing belt. It had 240,000 miles on it and it leaks a little anti freeze around the heads. I also replaced the radiator above a year ago because the plastic tank started leaking. Is there something I’m missing or is my Subaru about done unless I rebuild the motor?

Antifreeze leaking around the heads at 240k is the classic 2.5 head gasket story, so I would not blame the new thermostat. A cheap block tester from the parts store will confirm it, and make sure the system got burped good after the swap since these hate air pockets. Does the overflow tank bubble when it gets hot?

 

[Bustit!]

No bubbles no oil contamination no loss of anti freeze except for the usual once a month top off! I’m going to check the heat sensor out because it’s the only thing that I have not checked! I don’t want to rebuild the motor mainly because I don’t want to spend the money and I have two many vehicles but I do like the Subaru my wife bought it new! I replaced the valve cover gaskets and every oil ring on the motor which stopped most of the oil leaks. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Bustit!]

No bubbles no oil contamination no loss of anti freeze except for the usual once a month top off! I’m going to check the heat sensor out because it’s the only thing that I have not checked! I don’t want to rebuild the motor mainly because I don’t want to spend the money and I have two many vehicles but I do like the Subaru my wife bought it new! I replaced the valve cover gaskets and every oil ring on the motor which stopped most of the oil leaks. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Shaggy]

No bubbles no oil contamination no loss of anti freeze except for the usual once a month top off! I’m going to check the heat sensor out because it’s the only thing that I have not checked! I don’t want to rebuild the motor mainly because I don’t want to spend the money and I have two many vehicles but I do like the Subaru my wife bought it new! I replaced the valve cover gaskets and every oil ring on the motor which stopped most of the oil leaks. Thanks for your reply.

No bubbles and barely any coolant loss is actually good news, that sounds more like a sensor or fan problem than a dying motor. A slow weep at the heads is something plenty of these run with for years, so I would not even think about a rebuild yet. While you are checking the temp sensor, watch that the radiator fans actually kick on once it warms up, a lazy fan will make it run hot in town but fine on the highway. Does it run hot at highway speed too or mostly sitting in traffic?

 

[Bustit!]

When the temperature hand starts moving from the center of the gauge it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s at highway speeds or driving through town. It hasn’t gotten into the red yet but I’m thinking it’s going to every time! I have check engine light that stays on because of evap problem so I periodically check with my scanner just to be sure everything is ok and it doesn’t show a code for the heat sensor. But I’m thinking I’m going to replace it anyway! It’s a good little car with 230,000 miles. No smoke and it uses about 1/3 of a quart between oil changes. I’ve also been trying to figure out why my A/C periodically quits working but starts back again cooling fine but seems to quit when it really hot and it always cools good the next time I drive it. From what I have discovered the heat sensor can cause the ECM to turn off the A/C when it thinks the engine is getting hot! Thanks for responding.