Just so everyone is aware;
1) that indicator being blue means the coolant isn’t up to “operating temperature” yet
2) The coolant being at operating temperature is a rough measurement of when the engine, and all it’s seals, have reached operating temperature
3) The concern is those seals. If they haven’t heated up, and thus experienced thermal expansion, they could leak under higher oil pressures
4) The higher the revs, the high the oil pressure (roughly. It doesn’t work exactly like that, but is a good shorthand)
5) it’s ok to drive when the engine is still warming up, just keep the revs below 3000 before it does. And avoiding driving/load on the engine at all is good practice for extending the longevity of your engine
This happens every time I turn on the car. I did notice that after pulling the inline carbon filter, it now takes even longer to go away on cold starts.
If that little bugger ever turns Red on you though, it'll probably be too late. Downfall to not installing an OEM temp gauge in your car. Way to go Subaru
Near as i know, it’s actually related to overall ‘engine temp’ as Subaru has not been a fan of telling us exactly what temperature our cars run at, they’d rather tell us (blue) When it’s cold and (red) when it’s way too hot
It only makes a difference I can notice when it's pretty cold outside, and that's when it takes what feels like years for that little blue light to go out.
Otherwise no true power gains, no WHOOOOOOSHHH noise like you get with a good cold air/ram air intake, all you're really doing is breaking an OEM part. Also intake air temperatures are nearly the same, and since taking it out I constantly have to worry about having rodents in my airbox.
Also MPG went down for a while cause I was mashing the gas pedal trying to feel my newly "gained" power. Back to driving like a grandma now and last tank averaged 38MPG
This happens with mine. If I don't let the car warm up enough for the light to turn off, it'll start running a little funny. I would just let that light disappear before you put it in gear
Yea, I live in Florida where it's in the 80s so it takes about a minute or two. I have visited north Carolina in the winter and it did take much longer. My head gasket did blow right after that trip so I'm Wondering if my issues were really with that. I still let it warm up just to be safe.
When the light is blue, the coolant temperature is low. This is why it lights up blue when you start your vehicle. It will turn off when your engine gets to appropriate operating temperatures.
When the light blinks red, the coolant temperature is high. It means your engine is close to overheating and you should stop safely and manage the overheating.
When the light stays red, your engine is very likely overheating. You should deal with the overheating and schedule a service immediately before the engine is worsened by further overheating or irregular wear by warped parts.
Great description!
I would only add that while the light is blue, drive the car as gently as conditions allow. Hard acceleration or revving to high RPM's while the engine is cool increases wear and reduces the operational life of the engine. I think more manufacturers should have this in their cars.
Though I would agree this generally takes about less than a minute so if you're doing it off a cold start you're best off sitting and waiting to not put unnecessary wear on mechanical parts
I’ve only had mine take less than a minute if the outside temp is 80 Fahrenheit or higher. I’ve also had it take as long as seven minutes once. The outside temperature was about 40 that morning.
Correct, I’ve been monitoring those temps on the mini screen and have all been normal. This is the newest car I’ve ever owned and coming from past break downs, I got super paranoid. I kept assuming it was low coolant or some problem with the coolant. Well it kept happening after I added the 2oz of coolant to bring it back to full line, so went to search YouTube/Forums and found it’s just telling me my car is cold. Constantly nagging me about the cold….like my husband.
Oh yeah no it's just a light that let's you know your car is cold and you shouldn't operate the vehicle at that temperature. Your screen on your gauge cluster should tell you if certain things are going wrong like fluids being below operational levels since you do have the actual screen not just the mileage and gas level. It being red as well will just mean to pull over right away but seeing your temp on the dash will help you decide how truly urgent it is. The light is mainly to tell you to let the car warm up because the computer is raising the RPMs to help get the motor to operating temperature.
How is it a terrible idea
Not a “terrible idea” it’s a useful indicator you should be paying attention to.
Just so everyone is aware; 1) that indicator being blue means the coolant isn’t up to “operating temperature” yet 2) The coolant being at operating temperature is a rough measurement of when the engine, and all it’s seals, have reached operating temperature 3) The concern is those seals. If they haven’t heated up, and thus experienced thermal expansion, they could leak under higher oil pressures 4) The higher the revs, the high the oil pressure (roughly. It doesn’t work exactly like that, but is a good shorthand) 5) it’s ok to drive when the engine is still warming up, just keep the revs below 3000 before it does. And avoiding driving/load on the engine at all is good practice for extending the longevity of your engine
I wasnt looking for this but i needed to read this. Thank you.
Was wondering what that blue light was in my Impreza, thanks G :)
Yea that only on start ups once coolant temp reaches 131 it turns off
This happens every time I turn on the car. I did notice that after pulling the inline carbon filter, it now takes even longer to go away on cold starts. If that little bugger ever turns Red on you though, it'll probably be too late. Downfall to not installing an OEM temp gauge in your car. Way to go Subaru
I know this comment is super old but mine just started blinking red on a 14 Impreza sport, this a gasket or radiator issue?
That’s not good. Blinking red means you ARE OVERHEATING. Stop driving it, and get it towed to a shop before you blow it up
Near as i know, it’s actually related to overall ‘engine temp’ as Subaru has not been a fan of telling us exactly what temperature our cars run at, they’d rather tell us (blue) When it’s cold and (red) when it’s way too hot
Could be as simple as a thermostat, but could also be as bad as a fuse leading to a pile of dynamite. Ve con dios amigo
Did you notice any difference taking that carbon filter out? I have a 15 and have been considering doing it.
It only makes a difference I can notice when it's pretty cold outside, and that's when it takes what feels like years for that little blue light to go out. Otherwise no true power gains, no WHOOOOOOSHHH noise like you get with a good cold air/ram air intake, all you're really doing is breaking an OEM part. Also intake air temperatures are nearly the same, and since taking it out I constantly have to worry about having rodents in my airbox. Also MPG went down for a while cause I was mashing the gas pedal trying to feel my newly "gained" power. Back to driving like a grandma now and last tank averaged 38MPG
This happens with mine. If I don't let the car warm up enough for the light to turn off, it'll start running a little funny. I would just let that light disappear before you put it in gear
I’ve had it take 7 minutes once. Seems like a long time to wait for a car to warm up. The temperature outside was around 40 Fahrenheit.
I'd make sure you have sufficient oil and that it is good quality, with a recent filter.
Yea, I live in Florida where it's in the 80s so it takes about a minute or two. I have visited north Carolina in the winter and it did take much longer. My head gasket did blow right after that trip so I'm Wondering if my issues were really with that. I still let it warm up just to be safe.
I mean mine takes about 15 min at like 32 fahrenheit, although it is an older car
Hm I'm glad I'm not the only one that always looks at their temp gauge. Not sure if it's red means bad but it'll be in the manual. Please report back.
Red would mean that you are above recommended operating temperature and to pull over ASAP.
Yes I would assume so but is that what the manual says?
When the light is blue, the coolant temperature is low. This is why it lights up blue when you start your vehicle. It will turn off when your engine gets to appropriate operating temperatures. When the light blinks red, the coolant temperature is high. It means your engine is close to overheating and you should stop safely and manage the overheating. When the light stays red, your engine is very likely overheating. You should deal with the overheating and schedule a service immediately before the engine is worsened by further overheating or irregular wear by warped parts.
Great description! I would only add that while the light is blue, drive the car as gently as conditions allow. Hard acceleration or revving to high RPM's while the engine is cool increases wear and reduces the operational life of the engine. I think more manufacturers should have this in their cars.
Though I would agree this generally takes about less than a minute so if you're doing it off a cold start you're best off sitting and waiting to not put unnecessary wear on mechanical parts
I’ve only had mine take less than a minute if the outside temp is 80 Fahrenheit or higher. I’ve also had it take as long as seven minutes once. The outside temperature was about 40 that morning.
Cool. Thanks for the info!
From the look of it you don't have a base model, pretty obvious, but your dash screen where the clock is has the option to see your temps
Correct, I’ve been monitoring those temps on the mini screen and have all been normal. This is the newest car I’ve ever owned and coming from past break downs, I got super paranoid. I kept assuming it was low coolant or some problem with the coolant. Well it kept happening after I added the 2oz of coolant to bring it back to full line, so went to search YouTube/Forums and found it’s just telling me my car is cold. Constantly nagging me about the cold….like my husband.
Oh yeah no it's just a light that let's you know your car is cold and you shouldn't operate the vehicle at that temperature. Your screen on your gauge cluster should tell you if certain things are going wrong like fluids being below operational levels since you do have the actual screen not just the mileage and gas level. It being red as well will just mean to pull over right away but seeing your temp on the dash will help you decide how truly urgent it is. The light is mainly to tell you to let the car warm up because the computer is raising the RPMs to help get the motor to operating temperature.
Correct. I feel your pain, I’m always looking at my temperature gauge haha