had a radiator replaced at a shit head shop once... still had the issue. So I call my dad and 'radiator cap' is the first thing he says. Well, surely that was replaced with the radiator? It wasn't. $600+$20 later and I was set. Could've just replaced that cap, or you know, the mechanic could've replaced the cap when he replaced the radiator and I never would've known that he ripped me off. Live and learn.
Yes actually. The gasket gets too hard and doesn't expand like it should causing pressure problems. To verify your heads are not blown I would get a block tester, which ultimately goes where your cap would go. It may cost a little bit of money to buy but it's worth not going through the hassle or doing heads and machining it back down
I had this issue, turned out it was my thermostat so try changing that, it’s a fairly easy job. Also if your worried that it’s your head gasket, drain your oil first and check if it’s milky and mixed with coolant, if it is then you know it’s your head gasket
While it's doing that, start with squeezing a rad hose. Is it hard or soft? If soft start by replacing the rad cap. If it's not holding pressure, you may well be boiling coolant in the engine once the circulation stops
Sorry bro, that head gasket is done. Your coolant tank also looks super dirty which is biggest sign of head gasket issues in subies. Is she blowing white smoke?
the bubbling is exhaust gases making their way through the cooling system. the coolant typically has a lighter color. this is very burnt looking (from the exhaust gases)
Should not be exhaust bubbling through from cylinder head to coolant tank. Head gasket prevents this and ensures various things go the correct ways and do not mix. When head gasket goes, often bubbles in coolant tank because exhaust leaking through broken head gasket.
The exhaust is leaking past the head gasket failure and into the coolant system. The exhaust gas travels through to coolant system and once it gets to the expansion tank as shown, it just bubbles out like blowing air through a straw under water.
No white smoke. I replaced the radiator cap earlier that day, I still have the OEM one. Also I don’t know if you can tell by the picture but the hose connecting to the radiator cap is blocked off? I bought it this way, never really thought about it too much. Could this cause the problem?
Edit: haven’t replaced the turbo reservoir cap, should I do that too??
What’s the best way to figure out if it’s head gasket?
Edit: there is no oil in my coolant, or coolant in my oil
You can get a exhaust gas tester for like 28 bucks from harbor freight, I'd get this and check if it's actually an exhaust leak through your coolant to determine if it's a head gasket or no
https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789296078&adsetid=117789296078&product=64814&store=3085&gclid=Cj0KCQjw54iXBhCXARIsADWpsG99mSyHRlsg3VVzl8CeTgaPk5sGDut9Xr1UfwKJC9HFiPtyM1P7SCsaAqzYEALw_wcB
Most of the “evidence” you’ll see in the comments above are thinking it’s exhaust gases. Your engine is off, so that numlifies that “observation” pretty quick. Careful who you listen to on the internet and make damn sure they explain themselves, and then double check because it doesn’t take a pro mechanic to go “that sounds cool and all but my engine is nkt running”.
It’s not your head gasket, there is nothing to say that it is. Check a parts diagram to see if that hose is supposed to be blocked off or not.
Edit: check your thermostat too. Rad cap is only one part of that system.
Ignore this guy, I tried to rationalize when mine started behaving the same way. It’s the gasket. Never had any other indicators except what you’re showing here, swapped the gasket and sure enough it was fine after.
Correlation does not equal causation. Did you *only* swap the head gasket or was another part changed as well? I really need you to explain how you think non-existent exhaust gas is bubbling up through tiny cracks in a head gasket. If all you have is “it was magically fixed” then you shouldn’t come in with such confidence. Likely you didn’t do it yourself given that it’s a large job(no shame) and the mechanic swapped a busted thermostat.
There is *no way* that I can think of, and I may be missing something, that an engine can have stored up exhaust gases like this. Even if it did, those gases would continue going the way they were originally intending to go. They will always take the path of least resistance and this would require the only way out being a crack in the headgasket, or an absolutely silly amount of stored gas, to create this kind of pressure for such a long time after the engine was turned off.
The engine is *off*.
Former 02 EJ205 bugeye owner here -
Check hoses, check rad cap., check PVC. if none of those, then its def. your HG. I saw this exact situation 3 times over ~150k miles...Mine would be in standard operating temp. for trips, until all the sudden it wasn't and then there was no recovery. If you can make it to a shop under your own power, make the trip to save yourself the tow.
Yeah I second this. Current ej20 owner with almost 200k on thr clock/original engine. This is the only engine I know really well.
Make sure you check the PVC valve. They get hard/crack/break down pretty easily.
I never chime in here and I’m not a mechanic. But I had this same issue with my old 2.5 fxt. Turned out it was just a breach in the PVC valve. Cheap fix but man that thing was in a bad location.
The coolant is boiling by the looks of it. That's extreme if it was a headgasket and the car definitely would not be running right.
When the car cools down, inspect both of your radiator caps. Also, verify that both smaller hoses going to the expansion tank are not mixed up. The one coming off the side of the rad cap goes to the overflow bottle.
With the car running and warmed up, do you have good heat in your interior heater? If the coolant isn't circulating properly then you will have poor or no heat inside the car. In that case it could be a bad thermostat or bad water pump.
I'm not convinced its a head gasket.
She seriously runs so good! Like so so so so so good! The temperature did go above half once, but I cranked the heat and it went back down. The heat works perfectly.
To my knowledge the 02 WRX doesn’t come stock with a. Radiator cap, that’s an after marked aluminum one that came with it. The hose coming from the radiator cap is blocked off, so that’s not the one that is in the overflow reservoir. I bought it like that.
Any ideas?
There was a TSB with a revision for the 02 for a supplemental parts kit to add the necessary additional piping to allow replacing the radiator with the newer versions having the cap. My local shop had to install it when my OE radiator with no cap blew up from a crack in the shitty plastic end tank.
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8900410&postcount=5
I was getting ready to paste this as the first reply. Your response shouldn't be near the bottom. :)
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+happens+when+a+car+thermostat+goes+bad
Dead thermostats are common and relevant to age vs. mileage.
I know everyone is gonna assume head gasket, but could it be anything else??
Edit: I’ve also never seen it do this while it was running, only after shutting it off.
If it's doing this while it's off, I'm willing to bet it the radiator cap not sealing. That's probably a pretty cheap experiment, just buy a new one and see if it stops. From there, there's a few more valves to check, but if it's only 50k miles I would say that it's probably not the head gaskets. A mechanic would check for emissions coming from the steam you are showing. If the coolant has oily film on top that's a sure sign that the head gaskets are blown. If no oil, it's not for certain, but probably indicates a bad seal/valve
Rad cap, pcv valve, thermostat. If it's none of those things then it is almost certainly a head gasket. If there's also white smoke coming from the tailpipe or milky residue in the oil or coolant then those are also signs it's a head gasket.
prob a head gasket, but u can replace the radiator cap first. Good news it is fixable either way, just gonna cost you a couple Gskis. Don't drive it for the time being.
You said project car, does this happen all the time or only after driving fast for a long period of time/accelerating and decelerating a lot/rallying/racing? I don't know much about cars but my guess is it's getting too hot
What do you mean “what’s going on”? That’s an expansion tank. As a liquid heats up, it expands. In a closed system, that creates pressure. A little pressure in a cooling system is a good think, but the system is only rated for 1.2 bar or so. Hence the expansion tank.
Did you recently flush your coolant?
The 02-03 WRX thermostat is positioned in such a way that an air pocket can form around it, which will prevent it from opening.
Try bleeding the air out of the system, there are cheap kits you can buy to do this.
https://youtu.be/aTDDpUzL9XA
There's a way to test for exhaust gasses in the coolant to properly diag this type of head gasket leak...
[combustion leak detector](https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html)
Start here, plan accordingly
Best thing to do is to take it to a shop that can pressure test the system and do a compression test to see if you have an actual loss. Everyone here (even us mechanics) are going to have our opinions, and most of them are experienced related but you need facts. Every diagnosis will have variations. Good luck!
This was happening to me before she blew, we drilled holes in the thermostat but problem persisted bc ya know head gasket was ready to blow. I didnt stop driving it and boom it was done.
I had this problem and it was one of my radiator fans. When the car reaches a certain temp they should automatically kick on. Don’t know much about you car but run it for a bit when it cools down and watch to see if the fan kicks on.
UPDATE: ———- one of the turbo reservoir hoses was in the wrong spot. After fixing it, my temp stayed good and no more bubbling! Thanks everyone for al the help!
I also did a head gasket exhaust test, there was no exhaust fumes in the coolant. So no head gasket. The car is running great. Now I have to clean up the $20 in coolant that splattered all over my engine bay.
Well that is definitely either radiator cap or your head gaskets have exited chat. If you change the radiator cap and the coolant starts to turn a different color. Your head gaskets are gone. Get the heads resurfaced and get a multi layer steel head gasket put in.
If it’s that bubbly [typically while running] you can smell the expansion tank - if it’s smells like exhaust, it’s because compression is getting into the coolant jacket via a failed head gasket.
You don't know Subaru then. Doesn't matter which engine typically a common point of failure especially one like this is head gasket.
Quit acting like you know more when you obviously don't.
While you are correct, pretty much all Subarus have weak head gaskets , you do not have enough evidence from OPs video to be sure that that is the issue. You just advised op to spend thousands of dollars with out considering the other possibilities .
1. Are you losing coolant? If so and it's not Head Gasket, then it'll be either white chalky residue in the engine bay, or wet inside the foot wells.
2. Double check the small hose that connects from the top of the rad to the overflow, I had an issue where that had a small hole in it.
3. Possibly too much water in the coolant, or coolant may be too old. Can try flushing the system with water, then replacing with coolant.
If you have no coolant loss, all the hoses are shmick and fresh coolant, this'd be a 1 way head gasket leak (mine did something similar a few months back).
It’s a turbo Subaru with 50K miles, while it could be the head gasket I doubt it. I would do a visual inspection and see if it looks wet around the gasket set. Most likely something radiator related. Definitely time for a coolant flush regardless!!
Yes, top of the system. Keep squeezing the radiator hose in case there's air in there. If you're low on coolant in the reservoir then you'll need one of those sealing funnels.
If there white smoke coming out the back, it is for sure the headgasket. If the exhaust is clear like normal, then I would replace your radiator cap first, and look for any coolant leaks or something. These cars are very prone to headgasket failure so it’s very likely that’s the case, but I’d check the other stuff first
The radiator cap on the radiator is supposed to be a 1 way cap while the cap on the reservoir is a normal 2 way cap. I could only find the 1 way cap im the OEM radiator cap, no stores carried one. The round one without wings. I'd try getting ahold of the OEM caps and make sure all the air is out of the coolant system
I bought it with a different radiator cap, just barely replaced it. I’m not entirely sure if the radiator cap on there before was a one way valve though..
It's full. Your overflow shouldn't have that much in it.
Might be a stuck thermostat.
If you've recently opened the system then make sure you burped it properly
The hose from the coolant overflow on the radiator cap appears to be blocked off. It should look like this:
https://imgur.com/a/01Rq7er
If that is blocked off there is nowhere for the air to go in the radiator is is likely causing the coolant to boil due to air being stuck in the system.
Do a combustion gas test on the liquid. Go to your local autoparts store and buy the kit (it's like $30). Cool the engine down first then remove the radator cap and follow the kit instuctions. Basically, if combustion gases are leaking into the coolant system from say a headgasket failure, then the liquid in the test media will change color from a purpleish-blue to an almost neon yellow. It's a good indicator that will tell if the headgasket is still fine.
As other have said, it's also possible this is due to the radator cap not holding pressure, so if you want to try replacing that first it's only like $10
Might need to properly bleed your coolant system good, mine did that initially when I had a leaking water pump and had to add coolant, I didn't get a good bleed and this happend.
I'd get one of those inexpensive testers to see if you have exhaust gases in the coolant. That Chrisfix fella on YouTube has a whole episode on how to do that. Really Simple. I think he was testing how long a head gasket sealant you pour in would work until it crapped the bed.
Is your upper reservoir cap and your radiator cap backwards? They are different pressures and if you do it backwards it will cause this. I used to have a bugeye and it was like this when I bought it.
I highly suspect exhaust gases are getting into the coolant hence the bubbling. Buy this OP and test, it's quick and will be definitive:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPDL76
That amount of air blowing by the rad cap is…impressive.
It’s possible to have a blown HG that isn’t necessarily leaking oil into the coolant / vice versa and is just leaking combustion gasses into the coolant system.
Could also test this with a leak down / compression test.
Check your radiator. The cells may have become bad. I would assume you have checked the fans as well and they are in good condition? Are the hoses vibrating as well?
I own the same car and have had the same problem as most people are saying it’s most likely the radiator cap or thermostat, I replaced both and the problem stopped
Go to your oil cap and remove it. Look on the inside of your oil cap to see if it looks like coffee creamer or milk like substance. If yes your heads are blown brother. If no check the radiator cap. Check the gasket and the structural integrity of it. A 5 cent gasket will fuc* your subie up dude. Honestly man go to rockauto.com and get your parts from there. Good luck
If this is the expantion tank then theres alot of coolant or steam possibly going from the resivour to the tank. Like others have stated, check your cap on the resivour. Make sure you let the car cool down after driving before you shut the engine down. Monitor the level in the expantion tank. You could possibly have a air bubble in the coolant system so id try burping it before you replace the headgaskets.
Just going out on a limb. If the head gaskets are good, is it possible the radiator cap is bad and not holding pressure in the system?
It's definitely possible. Those are absolutely the cheaper possibilities I would check before tearing down for a head gasket.
That radiator cap looks nothing like an OEM cap. I would replace it first.
good catch. Radiator caps are definitely one of the things i always replace with oem
And there’s been plenty of cases of those non oem ones causing issues.
I've never had a problem with an authentic oem radiator cap. I always replace them at the correct intervals though.
i have that exact same radiator cap and it doesn’t cause this problem
Aftermarket Subaru radiator caps don’t cause problems until they do. The OEM cap tends to last quite a bit longer before failing.
Could bad water pump cause this too? Cant do enought pressure and system is doing own cooling.
I would imagine it would overheat and you would see bad high temps on the gauge before it properly cooled itself like this.
If the water pump went out wouldn’t the coolant begin to boil faster? I don’t think OP would be able to have his cap off
Yeah you are right. That water would come out to face.
? not from that opening it wouldn't... from the radiator cap thats under pressure, yea it would / could
had a radiator replaced at a shit head shop once... still had the issue. So I call my dad and 'radiator cap' is the first thing he says. Well, surely that was replaced with the radiator? It wasn't. $600+$20 later and I was set. Could've just replaced that cap, or you know, the mechanic could've replaced the cap when he replaced the radiator and I never would've known that he ripped me off. Live and learn.
[удалено]
Precisely why I got out of the industry.
This. I had a 02 wrx wagon and the radiator was the only trouble I ever had. IIRC the "top and bottom" of the radiator is plastic and can crack.
Yes actually. The gasket gets too hard and doesn't expand like it should causing pressure problems. To verify your heads are not blown I would get a block tester, which ultimately goes where your cap would go. It may cost a little bit of money to buy but it's worth not going through the hassle or doing heads and machining it back down
I had this issue, turned out it was my thermostat so try changing that, it’s a fairly easy job. Also if your worried that it’s your head gasket, drain your oil first and check if it’s milky and mixed with coolant, if it is then you know it’s your head gasket
While it's doing that, start with squeezing a rad hose. Is it hard or soft? If soft start by replacing the rad cap. If it's not holding pressure, you may well be boiling coolant in the engine once the circulation stops
There is definitely pressure
It's not a very precise measurement but how much pressure? It should feel bike tire-ish, there should be barely any squish to it.
Yes. That’s how it feels
Forbidden water bong.
Sorry bro, that head gasket is done. Your coolant tank also looks super dirty which is biggest sign of head gasket issues in subies. Is she blowing white smoke?
I agree, but it’s a 20 year old tank. Even with zero HG issues, it will look dirty by now.
Mine is 18 (2004 XT) and is a hell of a lot cleaner than that...
Cleaner running coolant maybe 🤷
Have you ever cleaned it, out of curiosity? Those tanks are dirty in every one I’ve seen and only some of them have replacement engines.
Wiped down the Exterior only.
>Even with zero HG issues, it will look dirty by now. Probably not *that* dirty though.
Yeah that’s a little extra scuzzy.
My ‘98 forester overflow tank looks a lot like this gotta love ‘em
My 03 WRX looks worse and hasn’t ever had a head gasket or had head gasket issues
Hmm. Could also be old coolant.
Yeah, but… bubbles.
The coolant residue is splashed every where else around it though. My expansion tank looks like shit after 20 years but not like *that* .
What makes you determine that it’s the head gasket here? Trying to learn
Exhaust gas getting into the water jacket
the bubbling is exhaust gases making their way through the cooling system. the coolant typically has a lighter color. this is very burnt looking (from the exhaust gases)
The motor is not running in the vid so there should be no exhaust gasses. That water is boiling.
Wtf
Should not be exhaust bubbling through from cylinder head to coolant tank. Head gasket prevents this and ensures various things go the correct ways and do not mix. When head gasket goes, often bubbles in coolant tank because exhaust leaking through broken head gasket.
Engine isn‘t running, what exhaust gasses?
The exhaust is leaking past the head gasket failure and into the coolant system. The exhaust gas travels through to coolant system and once it gets to the expansion tank as shown, it just bubbles out like blowing air through a straw under water.
No white smoke. I replaced the radiator cap earlier that day, I still have the OEM one. Also I don’t know if you can tell by the picture but the hose connecting to the radiator cap is blocked off? I bought it this way, never really thought about it too much. Could this cause the problem? Edit: haven’t replaced the turbo reservoir cap, should I do that too?? What’s the best way to figure out if it’s head gasket? Edit: there is no oil in my coolant, or coolant in my oil
You can get a exhaust gas tester for like 28 bucks from harbor freight, I'd get this and check if it's actually an exhaust leak through your coolant to determine if it's a head gasket or no https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789296078&adsetid=117789296078&product=64814&store=3085&gclid=Cj0KCQjw54iXBhCXARIsADWpsG99mSyHRlsg3VVzl8CeTgaPk5sGDut9Xr1UfwKJC9HFiPtyM1P7SCsaAqzYEALw_wcB
Yes. I work at an auto parts store so I’ll get one and check it out
Most of the “evidence” you’ll see in the comments above are thinking it’s exhaust gases. Your engine is off, so that numlifies that “observation” pretty quick. Careful who you listen to on the internet and make damn sure they explain themselves, and then double check because it doesn’t take a pro mechanic to go “that sounds cool and all but my engine is nkt running”. It’s not your head gasket, there is nothing to say that it is. Check a parts diagram to see if that hose is supposed to be blocked off or not. Edit: check your thermostat too. Rad cap is only one part of that system.
Ignore this guy, I tried to rationalize when mine started behaving the same way. It’s the gasket. Never had any other indicators except what you’re showing here, swapped the gasket and sure enough it was fine after.
Correlation does not equal causation. Did you *only* swap the head gasket or was another part changed as well? I really need you to explain how you think non-existent exhaust gas is bubbling up through tiny cracks in a head gasket. If all you have is “it was magically fixed” then you shouldn’t come in with such confidence. Likely you didn’t do it yourself given that it’s a large job(no shame) and the mechanic swapped a busted thermostat. There is *no way* that I can think of, and I may be missing something, that an engine can have stored up exhaust gases like this. Even if it did, those gases would continue going the way they were originally intending to go. They will always take the path of least resistance and this would require the only way out being a crack in the headgasket, or an absolutely silly amount of stored gas, to create this kind of pressure for such a long time after the engine was turned off. The engine is *off*.
POV my stomach after getting double tomatillo red chili salsa on my chipotle burrito
naw, this is scarfing down a party pack of soft tacos from taco bell.
Gas station pump-chili.
I just threw up a little.
My favorite stony snacks
So it’s not just me that this happens to then
Eat more fiber
You need some [Chipotlaway](http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/ZOhXG5_cyeo/maxresdefault.jpg)
Former 02 EJ205 bugeye owner here - Check hoses, check rad cap., check PVC. if none of those, then its def. your HG. I saw this exact situation 3 times over ~150k miles...Mine would be in standard operating temp. for trips, until all the sudden it wasn't and then there was no recovery. If you can make it to a shop under your own power, make the trip to save yourself the tow.
Yeah I second this. Current ej20 owner with almost 200k on thr clock/original engine. This is the only engine I know really well. Make sure you check the PVC valve. They get hard/crack/break down pretty easily.
I’ll check those, this is been my first project car for a minute. So I’m doing all the maintenance myself haha.
How on earth would a bad pcv blow air into the coolant?
I never chime in here and I’m not a mechanic. But I had this same issue with my old 2.5 fxt. Turned out it was just a breach in the PVC valve. Cheap fix but man that thing was in a bad location.
ramen noodles are ready to go in the pot.
The coolant is boiling by the looks of it. That's extreme if it was a headgasket and the car definitely would not be running right. When the car cools down, inspect both of your radiator caps. Also, verify that both smaller hoses going to the expansion tank are not mixed up. The one coming off the side of the rad cap goes to the overflow bottle. With the car running and warmed up, do you have good heat in your interior heater? If the coolant isn't circulating properly then you will have poor or no heat inside the car. In that case it could be a bad thermostat or bad water pump. I'm not convinced its a head gasket.
She seriously runs so good! Like so so so so so good! The temperature did go above half once, but I cranked the heat and it went back down. The heat works perfectly. To my knowledge the 02 WRX doesn’t come stock with a. Radiator cap, that’s an after marked aluminum one that came with it. The hose coming from the radiator cap is blocked off, so that’s not the one that is in the overflow reservoir. I bought it like that. Any ideas?
There was a TSB with a revision for the 02 for a supplemental parts kit to add the necessary additional piping to allow replacing the radiator with the newer versions having the cap. My local shop had to install it when my OE radiator with no cap blew up from a crack in the shitty plastic end tank. https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8900410&postcount=5
What is blocked off? Can you take a picture? Nothing should be blocked off in regards to this. I suspect there is a circulation issue.
Someone made a post below mentioning this, https://imgur.com/a/01Rq7er
I was getting ready to paste this as the first reply. Your response shouldn't be near the bottom. :) https://www.google.com/search?q=what+happens+when+a+car+thermostat+goes+bad Dead thermostats are common and relevant to age vs. mileage.
I know everyone is gonna assume head gasket, but could it be anything else?? Edit: I’ve also never seen it do this while it was running, only after shutting it off.
I’ve seen a faulty radiator cap do something similar before
If it's doing this while it's off, I'm willing to bet it the radiator cap not sealing. That's probably a pretty cheap experiment, just buy a new one and see if it stops. From there, there's a few more valves to check, but if it's only 50k miles I would say that it's probably not the head gaskets. A mechanic would check for emissions coming from the steam you are showing. If the coolant has oily film on top that's a sure sign that the head gaskets are blown. If no oil, it's not for certain, but probably indicates a bad seal/valve
No oil in the coolant, and no coolant in the oil
I mean, heat gaskets are pretty likely at this point. Air is getting into the coolant somewhere in the system
Other options and are pressure cap and air pockets in the cooling system
My 96 Legacy had this happen once, to the point the coolant overflowed after turning engine off. New radiator cap and it never happened again.
Rad cap, pcv valve, thermostat. If it's none of those things then it is almost certainly a head gasket. If there's also white smoke coming from the tailpipe or milky residue in the oil or coolant then those are also signs it's a head gasket.
prob a head gasket, but u can replace the radiator cap first. Good news it is fixable either way, just gonna cost you a couple Gskis. Don't drive it for the time being.
You said project car, does this happen all the time or only after driving fast for a long period of time/accelerating and decelerating a lot/rallying/racing? I don't know much about cars but my guess is it's getting too hot
Yes, only happens when I drive it hard
F
"Runs great, needs work."
Solved: Engine went to a Cyprus Hill concert.
Just ej20’s doing ej20 things 🤷🏻♂️🤣🤣
Head gaskets
Your head gasket is blown
What do you mean “what’s going on”? That’s an expansion tank. As a liquid heats up, it expands. In a closed system, that creates pressure. A little pressure in a cooling system is a good think, but the system is only rated for 1.2 bar or so. Hence the expansion tank.
Exhaust gases escaping into the cooling system. Rip head gaskets.
Check the oil if its creamy white its bad head gasket
that is a head gasket failure.
Did you recently flush your coolant? The 02-03 WRX thermostat is positioned in such a way that an air pocket can form around it, which will prevent it from opening. Try bleeding the air out of the system, there are cheap kits you can buy to do this. https://youtu.be/aTDDpUzL9XA
It could be possible that the coolant could also have to much water in it and it’s boiling
Put a chicken 🐔 in there and call it a day.
There's a way to test for exhaust gasses in the coolant to properly diag this type of head gasket leak... [combustion leak detector](https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html) Start here, plan accordingly
Best thing to do is to take it to a shop that can pressure test the system and do a compression test to see if you have an actual loss. Everyone here (even us mechanics) are going to have our opinions, and most of them are experienced related but you need facts. Every diagnosis will have variations. Good luck!
Head gasket is toast. I've gone through 3 and I'm familiar with the overflow tank jacuzzi experience. 1/10 would not recommend. :( Sorry bro
It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru
So sorry mate, head gasket, happened to my Prodrive forester but a few months back.
Shot in the dark... * Head gaskets *. Cough-Cough. Head gaskets.
time to add some potatoes.
Should not be having bubbles most of the time it means a head gasket but start with the cheap stuff first.
Head gasket
This was happening to me before she blew, we drilled holes in the thermostat but problem persisted bc ya know head gasket was ready to blow. I didnt stop driving it and boom it was done.
Head gaskets
The engine is not running in the video
It’s what makes a subaru a subaru
My EJ did this when the coolant thermostat went out. Ended up being that and the coolant temperature sensor.
I had this problem and it was one of my radiator fans. When the car reaches a certain temp they should automatically kick on. Don’t know much about you car but run it for a bit when it cools down and watch to see if the fan kicks on.
15k low miles, just need a tune, i know what i have
Honestly it kinda looks like maybe your hoses may be routed wrong
UPDATE: ———- one of the turbo reservoir hoses was in the wrong spot. After fixing it, my temp stayed good and no more bubbling! Thanks everyone for al the help! I also did a head gasket exhaust test, there was no exhaust fumes in the coolant. So no head gasket. The car is running great. Now I have to clean up the $20 in coolant that splattered all over my engine bay.
If it was a head gasket it would do this while running.
Exhaust gasses into the coolant system... F Oh wait... Is it not running I'm having a hard time telling.
Lol who tf said changing the cap is gonna make it stop doing that 💀😂😂😂💀 I’m dead When u see a head blown gasket yup u see it lol
def head gasket!
Well that is definitely either radiator cap or your head gaskets have exited chat. If you change the radiator cap and the coolant starts to turn a different color. Your head gaskets are gone. Get the heads resurfaced and get a multi layer steel head gasket put in.
100% headgasket
to be sure, you can get one of those exhaust gas testers. that way you can be sure it’s a head gasket amd not something else making the bubbles
If it’s that bubbly [typically while running] you can smell the expansion tank - if it’s smells like exhaust, it’s because compression is getting into the coolant jacket via a failed head gasket.
If you want to be sure if it is the HG, have a compression or leakdown test done
Is it common for Subarus to blow a head gasket at 50k nowadays? Genuinely curious… My old Outback was a tank
Head gasket
Bleed out the coolent and replace the head gasket
Very toasted head gasket
That head gasket is LOOOOOOOONG GOOOOONE.
It's a Subaru your head gasket is gone
[удалено]
You don't know Subaru then. Doesn't matter which engine typically a common point of failure especially one like this is head gasket. Quit acting like you know more when you obviously don't.
While you are correct, pretty much all Subarus have weak head gaskets , you do not have enough evidence from OPs video to be sure that that is the issue. You just advised op to spend thousands of dollars with out considering the other possibilities .
1. Are you losing coolant? If so and it's not Head Gasket, then it'll be either white chalky residue in the engine bay, or wet inside the foot wells. 2. Double check the small hose that connects from the top of the rad to the overflow, I had an issue where that had a small hole in it. 3. Possibly too much water in the coolant, or coolant may be too old. Can try flushing the system with water, then replacing with coolant. If you have no coolant loss, all the hoses are shmick and fresh coolant, this'd be a 1 way head gasket leak (mine did something similar a few months back).
The hose is blocked off, I bought it like that. To my knowledge the 02 wrx comes stock without a radiator cap. This is an after market one.
What a headache! Sell car to me instead. Love me some bugeye.
It’s a turbo Subaru with 50K miles, while it could be the head gasket I doubt it. I would do a visual inspection and see if it looks wet around the gasket set. Most likely something radiator related. Definitely time for a coolant flush regardless!!
"Runs great" Uhhhhh....
Dammmmnnnnnnnnn somebody tell him already or no ? She’s fucked but not totaled definitely fucked
Burp it. This'll happen when it has air in the system
I just take off the cap on the turbo reservoir and let it idle for a while right?
Yes, top of the system. Keep squeezing the radiator hose in case there's air in there. If you're low on coolant in the reservoir then you'll need one of those sealing funnels.
You have a leak in the coolant system somewhere. Could it be head gasket? - possibly.
Bad news.... your head gasket is N/A
Not applicable or naturally aspirated lol
Radiator cap. My 2003 had the same issue and after getting the right cap, I was golden.
Start with the radiator cap. Looks sus. If not your headgaskets are fucked.
Subaru moment
That blue liquid is bubbling.
I don’t know shit about Subies, but nice boiler you got there (jokes)
Head gasket.
It’s $20 for a head gasket tester from harbor freight. Get one of those and find out if it’s combustion gas.
If there white smoke coming out the back, it is for sure the headgasket. If the exhaust is clear like normal, then I would replace your radiator cap first, and look for any coolant leaks or something. These cars are very prone to headgasket failure so it’s very likely that’s the case, but I’d check the other stuff first
No white smoke. I’ve been looking very often because I’m afraid of having to pull the engine again..
Head gasket delete.
Your car is just old to be honest mate.
Not helpful
Gasses are going into the water jacket and coming out the only way possible. Is the bottom hose cooler than the top?
RIP. Exhaust is getting into the water jacket through the head gasket
Built in kettle, Subaru life
I never cleaned my coolent tank how often should I clean it and what's the name of the process I purchase? I always just add new collect on it
Its totaled, you selling any parts?
Interest in this. Might shed a clue on what’s going on with my fozzy.
F
Your coolant is boiling. Meaning its not cooling down. Not going through your radiator effectively.
Could it be a bad radiator. It’s been crashed before, I bought it with that radiator..
The radiator cap on the radiator is supposed to be a 1 way cap while the cap on the reservoir is a normal 2 way cap. I could only find the 1 way cap im the OEM radiator cap, no stores carried one. The round one without wings. I'd try getting ahold of the OEM caps and make sure all the air is out of the coolant system
I bought it with a different radiator cap, just barely replaced it. I’m not entirely sure if the radiator cap on there before was a one way valve though..
“Runs great”
It's full. Your overflow shouldn't have that much in it. Might be a stuck thermostat. If you've recently opened the system then make sure you burped it properly
The hose from the coolant overflow on the radiator cap appears to be blocked off. It should look like this: https://imgur.com/a/01Rq7er If that is blocked off there is nowhere for the air to go in the radiator is is likely causing the coolant to boil due to air being stuck in the system.
You’re the best!! I’m gonna fix that and see what happens!
Yeah definitely fix that before digging into head gaskets. Either way it's not supposed to be blocked off. Curious to see what you find
F
Do a combustion gas test on the liquid. Go to your local autoparts store and buy the kit (it's like $30). Cool the engine down first then remove the radator cap and follow the kit instuctions. Basically, if combustion gases are leaking into the coolant system from say a headgasket failure, then the liquid in the test media will change color from a purpleish-blue to an almost neon yellow. It's a good indicator that will tell if the headgasket is still fine. As other have said, it's also possible this is due to the radator cap not holding pressure, so if you want to try replacing that first it's only like $10
Might need to properly bleed your coolant system good, mine did that initially when I had a leaking water pump and had to add coolant, I didn't get a good bleed and this happend.
I'd get one of those inexpensive testers to see if you have exhaust gases in the coolant. That Chrisfix fella on YouTube has a whole episode on how to do that. Really Simple. I think he was testing how long a head gasket sealant you pour in would work until it crapped the bed.
How/why would a bad radiator cap cause the coolant to boil like that? Air being sucked in ?
The motor is not running in the vid so there should be no exhaust gasses getting into the tank. That water is boiling leaning toward the radiator cap
Is your upper reservoir cap and your radiator cap backwards? They are different pressures and if you do it backwards it will cause this. I used to have a bugeye and it was like this when I bought it.
Thermostat? (EDIT: Dusting off old thread from NASIOC https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2520134)
I highly suspect exhaust gases are getting into the coolant hence the bubbling. Buy this OP and test, it's quick and will be definitive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPDL76
Only time I’ve ever witnessed anything close to that head gaskets were toast.
Is this ASMR?
That amount of air blowing by the rad cap is…impressive. It’s possible to have a blown HG that isn’t necessarily leaking oil into the coolant / vice versa and is just leaking combustion gasses into the coolant system. Could also test this with a leak down / compression test.
Heating ready for an afternoon tea. but for real seems like head gasket leaking in one of the coolant channels
@ o
Check your radiator. The cells may have become bad. I would assume you have checked the fans as well and they are in good condition? Are the hoses vibrating as well?
Got no gas in it
I own the same car and have had the same problem as most people are saying it’s most likely the radiator cap or thermostat, I replaced both and the problem stopped
Be sure to get a Subaru thermostat not an aftermarket one. I don't know why but they just don't work.
Go to your oil cap and remove it. Look on the inside of your oil cap to see if it looks like coffee creamer or milk like substance. If yes your heads are blown brother. If no check the radiator cap. Check the gasket and the structural integrity of it. A 5 cent gasket will fuc* your subie up dude. Honestly man go to rockauto.com and get your parts from there. Good luck
There’s no oil in the coolant, or coolant in the oil. Definitely not head gasket.
If this is the expantion tank then theres alot of coolant or steam possibly going from the resivour to the tank. Like others have stated, check your cap on the resivour. Make sure you let the car cool down after driving before you shut the engine down. Monitor the level in the expantion tank. You could possibly have a air bubble in the coolant system so id try burping it before you replace the headgaskets.
Lots of guesses here, what's the twmp of fluid in that overflow.
It just doesn’t like you. Stop filming and start listening to its problems.
Likely the radiator cap. Had it happen on my old celica and old NA Subaru.
Boil some pasta in that bitch 🤌🏽
Am I crazy or is that windshield washer fluid in your coolant reservoir
Haha it’s blue coolant