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  #1  
Old 08-23-2004, 12:32 PM
ilsegretosvx
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thermostat or water pump?

Has anyone had either or both go out and what were the signs??
Driving back from the bay area my temp gauge went wacko and rose above the red line. I imediately pulled over. The coolant overflow was boiling over. I waited until it cooled down and luckly enough a fellow svxer driving his truck pulled over and gave me a coolant bottle. I then started back up and pulled into a gas station to figure out WTF. Here's the thing the fan was working and there is not any coolant in the oil, but my radiator was low. I was able to drive back to San Diego with out it over heating. this morning I again checked the coolant level in the radiator and it was low. The one thing I did notice when I was at the gas station was that holding the gas at 3k rpms for over a minute that is when the overflow started boiling over but at idle over 10 minutes it was fine. So what gives? Water pump or thermostat?
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Old 08-23-2004, 10:00 PM
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There must be a leak somewhere.

When my radiator cracked the antifreeze level got so low that the engine temperature started to get dangerously close to the red.

The weird thing was the engine would heat up if I was moving and would cool down if I was idling. It didn't even help to let the car coast in neutral.

You shouldn't be losing fluid due to a bas pump/thermostat. You will know there is a problem with either if your top rad hose is cold when the engine is hot (no circulation).

With my experience, then a thermostat goes bad it sticks meaning it goes hot->cold->hot->cold

With a bad water pump it will not cool down.

Yes, bad head gasketsor a cracked head will also cause overheating.
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Old 08-24-2004, 01:12 AM
ilsegretosvx
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its diff not a blown head gasket. No water in the oil. I filled it up this morning and drove back and forth about a total of 27 miles with no probs
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Old 08-24-2004, 11:57 AM
ilsegretosvx
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could this be a blown head gasket? So far I checked all around the heads and no apparent signs, and the coolant level has stayed the same. I did add water (all that was available to me at the time) and was told that the SVX needs 100% coolant.
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  #5  
Old 08-24-2004, 12:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by ilsegretosvx
I did add water (all that was available to me at the time) and was told that the SVX needs 100% coolant.
As in, 100% antifreeze? If someone told you that, they're mistaken. That said, as you've added plain water, you should next pour-in approximately the same amount of straight antifreeze to bring the mixture proportions to roughly 50/50.

If the thermostat is stuck closed, the lower radiator hose will be relatively cool while the upper hose and radiator top tank are boiling. And yes, this can crack the plastic.

dcb
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  #6  
Old 08-24-2004, 12:49 PM
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Find the problem soon, because my car would start to overheat going up any incline, i saw a hairline crack on my radiator...thought it was the culprit then one day while doing new rotors i started it and it pissed a stream of coolant from the water pump, i figured i had over filled it the night before, drove it, all seemed well, next morning 50 degrees out, car overheated not to red, but near it, everytime i would go WOT it would go below middle, then i decided to get off the highway, it went up near red again, i whipped into a gas station, bone dry...........

gave it a gallon to get on the tow truck, had it taken to subaru.......1000 for water pump, radiator.........
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Old 08-24-2004, 12:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by tancred


gave it a gallon to get on the tow truck, had it taken to subaru.......1000 for water pump, radiator.........
ouch ....did they kiss you first?

I'm so glad I can do my own repairs....or I couldn't afford a SVX.....
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  #8  
Old 08-24-2004, 12:58 PM
tancred
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I dont touch the suby for repairs......i just dont like it......

I do all my own work on my rotaries..but, I refuse to touch the EG33...
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Old 08-24-2004, 09:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by ilsegretosvx
its diff not a blown head gasket. No water in the oil.
You don't necessarily need to see oil in the water/water in the oil... My SVX had similar wacky overheating... Random, unpredictable overheating...

If you aren't seeing the normal signs, but can't figure it out (after replacing the thermostat), have your shop stick a gas analyzer in the radiator filler spout (not sucking coolant, mind you, as that is bad)... If they see HC in there, bingo. I stuck the analyzer in my radiator filler spout and got HC readings. A quick 5 second test... After pulling the heads, it was proven upon inspection of the gaskets... Had the heads milled (ever so slightly) and new gaskets, and she is back on the road without issue...

Replacing the thermostat is trivial, give it a shot first. But don't dismiss a bad head gasket because of lack of the 'signs'.
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  #10  
Old 08-25-2004, 12:53 PM
ilsegretosvx
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it just came to mind that it seems that my radiator cap doesnt seem to hold any pressure as I release it. Just checking to make sure it is rated at 13lbs?
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  #11  
Old 08-25-2004, 01:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by tancred
I do all my own work on my rotaries..but, I refuse to touch the EG33...
That's sort of funny to me. I'm not laughing at you - I just think the EG33 is mostly a breeze to work on, but a rotary is totally alien.
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  #12  
Old 08-25-2004, 03:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by The Deviant


You don't necessarily need to see oil in the water/water in the oil... My SVX had similar wacky overheating... Random, unpredictable overheating...

If you aren't seeing the normal signs, but can't figure it out (after replacing the thermostat), have your shop stick a gas analyzer in the radiator filler spout (not sucking coolant, mind you, as that is bad)... If they see HC in there, bingo. I stuck the analyzer in my radiator filler spout and got HC readings. A quick 5 second test... After pulling the heads, it was proven upon inspection of the gaskets... Had the heads milled (ever so slightly) and new gaskets, and she is back on the road without issue...

Replacing the thermostat is trivial, give it a shot first. But don't dismiss a bad head gasket because of lack of the 'signs'.
Same signs with my car and same problem.

How does your coolant overflow bottle look? Any black gunk in it? How does it smell? Get the hydrocarbon test done to verify.

In my case the gasket failed, though the heads and block were flat and true. Dealership wanted $1800 to do the job. I did it myself.

Good luck, but I think it's your head gaskets.

Todd
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Old 08-25-2004, 06:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by ilsegretosvx
it just came to mind that it seems that my radiator cap doesnt seem to hold any pressure as I release it. Just checking to make sure it is rated at 13lbs?
That doesn't mean the cap is defective...just that there is definitely a leak in the system preventing proper pressure from building.
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