Head Gasket leaking?!?

[sowise]

Ok, I got great responses back on the power steering issue I was having and so here is the main issue that I wanted to diagnose a bit better before writing anything up.

1992 Subaru SVX LS-L White/Black, auto
Vin jf1cx3530nh109487 (for those who like to track owners and info on these cars)
139,200 miles
I have no idea about previous mods or maintenance.

Ok I bought the car off ebay lets just throw that out there now. Last minute bid since I was actually going for another SVX which someone out bid me on at the last second or two... hmm wonder if they are registered here?
So I pick up the car about 2 hours away from where I live and probably 15 miles away from the place I bought it, the temp gauge moved up to about 3/4 to redline and climbing. The heat was on and I pulled immediately over on the side of the NJ turnpike (lucky me). By the time I was over the gauge was at redline and so I shut the engine of got out to inspect. Coolant appeared to have come from the over flow bottle. At first I suspected a crack or leaking bottle until I read more on this site. I had to have it towed off the turnpike basically and yes even had it towed to my house. All in all that was like $380 in towing and the place I picked it up from was long closed that night so incase anyone was wondering why I didn't send it back and demand my money back on an 'AS IS Where IS' purchase that was one reason why the other is I will deal with my own stupidity though he will more than likely have to deal with my very negative review... (still have to talk to him about it all).
So today I start the car up and she was doing fine staying in the normal temp zone while I checked for a few other things. I think I can let her idle in the drive way all day long with no problems though. I got in and drove easily around the block (about 1/2 mile) no real problems. So I wanted to see how it felt to give it a bit more throttle and I didn't even a quarter mile before the temp gauge was climbing and I took it real easy and got it back to my place the final quarter and by then she was redlined and you could hear the coolant gurgle in the expansion tank. Plus it was all over the fender by the battery and now in my driveway.
So I let it cool for a few hours came back and took off the radiator cap and was gonna burp her by letting it run and watch the coolant and add to the radiator but as I was trying this the coolant just kept coming up and out the top of the radiator. The only thing I could add to was the expansion/ overflow tank and once I put it to the full mark it didn't really move. I know I lost alot of coolant in the previous two overheats?? So I am considering removing the top coolant tube but don't want coolant constantly flowing out of the radiator if I fill the engine side and there may be no where for it to go if I disconnect from the engine to fill the radiator. ( tips on this?)
While I was doing this stuff I took a moment to snif the overflow tank and I am pretty certain it has a strong fuel smell. I also noticed little flakes of metal in that coolant but not certain maybe someone tried some kind of stop leak at one time.
So here is my thoughts:
1.) I should probably check the thermostat just to make sure but both fans seem to come on and everything is fine (temp wise) at idle causing me to wonder if it is working fine?
2.) I noticed LAN's suggestion in another thread to try blue devil if I don't have the funds to replace the head gasket at this time and I really don't. Besides I would like some time to characterize other possible issues before tearing into the engine to do a head gasket which I don't have a lift or anything to really do it properly. So if I use this Blue Devil stuff is it going to make things worse when I decide later on to replace the gasket? If I plan to do the thermostat anyway it might make sense to try the blue devil first and then do the replacement after.
3.) Not sure if it is related but when sitting in park I notice the car has a shrudders runs rough if I take the idle up to about 1100-1200 rpm's not sure why. That and when driving I fill like there is a back end shimmy wobble feeling in the rear drive train but that may be bad wheel bearings or something else.

Any insight is welcome, thanks.

[SVXRide]

A leaking HG will allow you idle all day without running the temp up, sorry. Running the engine hard will result in a pocket of hot gas forming in the coolant ,which will peg the temp gauge (i.e., you can "nurse" a car with a bad HG along for a while by keeping your foot out of the gas until the leak gets really bad and you have to pull the engine)
-Bill (getting ready to swap engines for exactly this problem...)

[sowise]

So I read somewhere to have a shop do the head gasket it could cost $1500-$3000 I guess it is cheaper to buy a used engine with 6mo. warranty on it from ebay or something and throw that in.

Just curious for those that have done the HG replacement besides the gasket I know they replace other hoses and thermostats and even timing belts how much was the average overal cost of doing it themselves, I wonder?

I want to get the most bang for my buck and I also want to KNOW that I don't have to worry about the same issues over and over as well, starting my SVX wish list.

[TomsSVX]

best bet would be to buy the engine reseal kit from a subaru dealer. Do the head gaskets and reseal the entire engine. Also buy a water pump/timing belt/idler kit off of ebay to compliment it. might as well get it all in one shot rather than buying a used motor waiting for the same thing to happen

Tomn

[sowise]

Yeh kinda along the lines of what I was thinking too. I think I was hoping someone could pop on here and say Nope not your HG it is the thingy ma bobber do hickey just hit it with a 5lb sledge hammer and she'll be right as rain.
Wishful thinkin'? haha

[TomsSVX]

wishful indeed

Sorry man but these engines are getting old and they need to be done right

Tom

[nextse7en]

YOur thermostat could also be stuck in a partially open position, allowing enogh coolent by to cool the engine at idle, but restricting it enough to get it hot under load.


Check the tstat, they are prone to sticking in these cars at higher milage.. I've had mine hot as hell before (stuck shut tstat,) and didn't blow a gasket.

Don't get all stabby with your fundage if the problem is a 5 dollar part.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by nextse7en

YOur thermostat could also be stuck in a partially open position, allowing enogh coolent by to cool the engine at idle, but restricting it enough to get it hot under load.


Check the tstat, they are prone to sticking in these cars at higher milage.. I've had mine hot as hell before (stuck shut tstat,) and didn't blow a gasket.

Don't get all stabby with your fundage if the problem is a 5 dollar part.

Agreed, do not accept the worst at this stage. Most definitely undertake proper checks before accepting that you have a head gasket problem.

The testing should include a compression test, checking the oil for coolant/water and the coolant for combustion residue. These three are all normal diagnostic procedures, well known to any reliable mechanic and are simple to carry out.

[sowise]

well this site was very good for helping me pretty much diagnose that there was a head gasket problem on my car. Because time and money are tight and my future plans for this car are a little up in the air I decided to try something less popular for my head gasket leak.
I used this stuff:
http://www.crcindustries.com/files/P...e%20401232.pdf

Before I couldn't make it a mile before the car would over heat. Last night was the first chance I got after the "cure time" that I got to drive it and well first thing noticed was no more excessive white smoke clouds coming from my exhaust pipes while idling. I brought it up to normal temp at idle and then was ready to drive. I put about 25 miles on it last night with zero issues no overheating or even high temps. I was kind of amazed. I was driving it HARD too because before I take it out on the road for normal daily type driving I want to be pretty confident I won't get stranded. So far though everythings great!

I would not normally use this stuff on an engine as anything other than a bandaid fix. This will get me through until I buy a used engine that I can build up seperately for a future install. But hey so far one hell of a bandaid

[sowise]

For those interested I got over a hundred miles both city and highway with no sign of overheating since using the K&W Nanotech stuff in my cooling system. Seems to be holding up very well. May hold up until time for the engine rebuild or swap.