Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Well, I am getting it checked out by my mechanic today. Here's hoping that the thermostat is in there and stuck open.

I have to say that the car transmits road noise. On rough pavement it can get loud. Those concrete highway sections are noisy. It makes it tough to distinguish between road/tire noise and bearing noise.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Have you checked to make sure all the tires are matching?

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

When I took my teal to the road for the first time I immediately thought, whoa... tire noise?! Nope.

I hope it's just that your tires have a very aggressive tread.

dcb

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

They are directional tires, which tend to be a little noisy. And the noise level varies greatly depending on road surface. But, hey, it is a minor issue relative to the potential head gasket problem.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

It's not just a river in Egypt...

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

You can be a funny, funny man!

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

You know, I think some of you are simply sadistic and want to see other people in pain. Nothing funny about that. If you want to be helpful, how about giving me an idea of what the cost should be IF I need a gasket replacement. Since so many of you have had them done, there should be plenty of data.

The mechanic said the car looked solid and ordered a new thermostat and radiator cap. The flush and thermostat change will happen tomorrow. Then I will know for sure if there is still a thermostat in there and if it was the issue.

Thanks to those who have given good advice and well wishes.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Good on you for calling a spade a spade. I have been watching this thread with concern and am pleased that you have relied on common sense and have not become wrongly influenced.:)

There has been an ongoing tendency within the technical section, for the worst scenario to be given maximum space, when the logical approach is to first eliminate what could be simple inexpensive issues. It would appear that some are intent on only exploring the most complicated possibilities, on the basis of illustrating their alleged know how. As a result they achieve the opposite and more importantly the thread becomes detrimental to the member asking for genuine assistance. :(

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Here's to hoping it's just the thermostat...:o

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

No one here is being sadistic.
We all share the pain of potential head gasket failure.
As far as the cost of a head gasket replacement, the Subaru gasket kit alone is about $250.00 now.
The machine shop cost of milling, pressure testing, and cleaning the heads could be about $200.00.
Depending on what your shop charges, you might have fifteen hours of labor.
I am sorry that you are having a problem.

Sarcasim is a vent for frustration.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Maybe you are different than I on this, but as long as multiple ideas are explored, and other possibilities mentioned at least once, I would MUCH rather expect the worst and then find out that its not as bad as I thought.... than thinking oh its minor and finding out I need to have the engine yanked and get a massive repair bill.

A lot of differing ideas were mentioned up front, along with suggestions he TEST for a HG leak also, so I dont think anyone was trying to scare him or be a "spade" lol. Given the amount of HG failures experienced nowadays, and the symptoms that clue in on this as a cause, it wasnt out of line to suggest this as a likely culprit.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

I don't have a problem with people suggesting that the head gaskets may be leaking. I just think it was strange that some people seemed convinced of it and made jokes of being in denial if I thought any other causes could be possible. I talked to three Subaru dealers this week, including the largest in the country, and they all said head gasket jobs on the H6 engine were rare and, in some cases, they never even did one. To me, the worst case scenario is that the previous owner or the dealer that sold the car for him removed the thermostat to hide the problem. That would be very upsetting.

Otherwise, I still find it odd that the temp runs low, not hot.

svxfiles,

You mentioned head gasket hill. With a perfectly fine engine, with no head gasket issues, if you climbed that hill on a 90 degree day would you expect the gauge to move off its normal spot even a small amount or is the temp setpoint on the thermostat so high that the engine should never exceed that temperature with the thermostat fully open regardless of conditions?

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Up till about 2 years ago, HG's on this engine were somewhat rare. It seems that age is showing it's ugly head and HG's have been failing more often lately. I wouldn't classify it as a common problem like the transmission, and if they are done properly. The HG's will most likely last another 20 years.

Hopefully the thermostat fixes your problem.

It used to be that I would warn a new member to start saving for a bad transmission. Now it seems that new owners should be warned to save for a transmission and HG's?

edit; And the only time that my gauge has varied from it's normal spot was when my HG's went. In my case it was an external coolant leak, leaking out the bottom of the head between the oil pan and exhaust manifold. Even while lying on the ground under the car on ramps with the engine running at 4k, I was never able to spot the leak. It was only identified when the heads were pulled.

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

With a properly running SVX, on a 90°f day, the gauge will not rise at all over its normal fully warmed position.
Once they get up up to temperature they stay glued right in the middle.



Of course it takes several hours for that 700lb block (engine and trans)of aluminum and steel to cool down to where you can touch it.:rolleyes:

Re: Finally picked up my 96 SVX. Temp gauge moves around a little.
 

Where is the normal fully warmed position based on your experience? I have heard it is about 45% or just below horizontal.

I just read that thermostats can also get stuck in partially open positions as well. Annoying little buggers. I should know later today if there even is one in there. Man, what do I do if they took it out to hide a head gasket problem? Am I SOL or do I have recourse? I live in NY and the dealer and owner live in TN.