serious long term overheating problem

Discussion in 'Modifications & DIY how-to' started by bjtyson3, Oct 15, 2009.

  1. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    ok i'm getting aggrevated with it so i'm finally making a post..ok so about a year ago my car got in a mood where it wanted to overheat but i could rev it or drive it and it would almost drop from close to redline to operating temp in a split second,almost made me think the gauge was faulty..the car didn't do it for about a year until about a week ago my car starts doing the same exact thing so i decided to flush the system and put in a new thermostat while i was changing the oil and blah blah.. later on that night the car did something it never had before..it started getting hotter and the heater quit working and would not cool down until i pulled over and loosened the cap and let off the presure,so i sat and let the car cool and drove it about a half mile back home and re bled the system and the car ran great for a couple of days until today when it did the exact same thing again twice today..i found a broken sensor which was the fuel tank vent solenoid which i think has nothing to do with it but i am pretty much clueless..any help would be appreciated :) really wanting to get this fixed before i get my tune for my top mount and meth :)
     
  2. Doug@DBW Motorsports

    Doug@DBW Motorsports Active Member

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    Sounds like air in the system.. are you sure the coolant lines from the top swirl tank are connected right? Its common for someone to get those backwards... which will cause the car to loose coolant when it gets warm and suck in air. It repeats that until the car starts to overheat.
     
  3. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    i'm pretty sure they're right..i dont know of me ever taking them off for any reason..any way to tell?
     
  4. Doug@DBW Motorsports

    Doug@DBW Motorsports Active Member

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    yeah the line from the top cap should t into the lower cap and overflow. Then the top of the swirl should goto the passanger top side of the radiator.
     
  5. Matt

    Matt Think before you post
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    my car did that at one point...the thermostat went bad
     
  6. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    yea i'll try that doug thanx
     
  7. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    and i've already changed the upper and lower radiator hoses,radiator,and thermostat btw
     
  8. Jake

    Jake Active Member

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    possibly a headgasket if not those other things??
     
  9. Trey

    Trey Active Member

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    What does the fuel tank vent solenoid look like? I think mine may be faulty as well.

    Thanks!
     
  10. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    i dont think its a head gasket because the car runs perfectly when its not doing this crap..and no water in oil or any other signs of a head gasket..beleive me i know,i have a 1g dsm project car i'm trying to build for drag racing and it likes head gaskets lol
     
  11. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    fuel tank vent solenoid [​IMG]
     
  12. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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  13. nsvwrx

    nsvwrx Active Member

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  14. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    yes much better how do you post it like that?
     
  15. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    You do this in front of the url [​IMG]

    Or you just click the insert image button (button with the mountain in it) and paste the full url in that.
     
  16. Trey

    Trey Active Member

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    Thanks!

    Okay, is that under the hood or near the tank? :)

    I have the 2004 WRX/ STi service manual and can't find it
     
  17. AXLEJOHNSON

    AXLEJOHNSON Member

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    It's under the hood mounted to the intake manifold right behind the ps pump. I think in that manual it's called the Purge Control Solenoid Valve. I know this because I broke the nozzle on mine earlier this month putting in a new ps pump.
     
  18. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    is this valve neccesary? i got a cel light for lean on bank 1 and i plugged it off and the car seems to be running and idling better now
     
  19. Kokopelli

    Kokopelli Active Member

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    I have mine wired up just so I don't get a cel but the lines are capped so I don't run lean.

    With the fuel rail and intake I have two of the three lines to the valve didn't connect to anything.
     
  20. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    i'm camping in stone mountain right now about 2 or 3 hours from my car but ill check what doug said as soon as i get home tommorow..how hard is it to change a water pump on an 05 sti if thats the problem?
     
  21. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    car ran good for two days and as my turbo timer was counting down for about 2 minutes i came back to the car and it was running hotter than operating temp but not too hot..i dunno what the hell is wrong with it but i'm ready to find out
     
  22. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    one thing i've noticed is that the car really only tries to overheat when i'm driving really slow or parked..i checked the fans and they both are working
     
  23. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    I still think it's trapped air. I'd let the car cool all the way down, pop swirl cap off and let it run with the heat on full blast for 30 mins. That will allow any trapped air bleed out. That is how I bleed my car and never had issues.
     
  24. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    ok i can try that..which cap should i pop off? the radiator or the upper one?
     
  25. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    The upper one....that's the swirl pot.
     
  26. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    and do you pop the cap completely off or just loosen it?
     
  27. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    oh ok got ya i'll try it in the morning
     
  28. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    I take mine off completely so I can watch and add if needed.
     
  29. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    wouldnt it try to blow out the cap after running that long?
     
  30. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    It will some but since the pressure can't build up it won't just blow out....it'll overflow. When you turn the car off you then fill up the rest and drive it. Really 10 mins should be ample time though.
     
  31. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    ok cool i'll try that..i compared my coolant lines to my cousins 05 sti and they were the same..so i'll try bleeding it like that now
     
  32. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    going to try coolrex's idea..maybe it'll work
     
  33. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    Maybe it'll work....who knows.
     
  34. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    just got finished i done it for at least thirty minutes..got a lot of air out..guess i'll find out when i drive it soon..when i was almost finished i revved it with the cap off a little and it blew a hell of a lot of bubbles out along with a little antifreeze..it blew at least 2 to 3 inches high of bubbles out every few times i revved it
     
  35. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    Did you turn off the car and top it off?
     
  36. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    Also is it tiny bubbles or is it like burbling bubbles? Lots of tiny bubbles is an indicator of blown head gasket (at least on a DSM it is and I don't see why the same won't apply to Subarus).
     
  37. K. Marx

    K. Marx Member

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    Just double checking...when you bleed your coolant system, are you running it with the heater running wide open? If not, you should... no amount of burping will compensate for the air trapped in the heater core.

    If so, nevermind.
     
  38. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    I told him to. Lets hope he did.
     
  39. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    yes i ran the heater wide open..and the car did perfect for about an hour but then i parked and let it run and it started heating back up again..it heated up really quick but once i started driving it dropped back down to operating temp in a matter of seconds..and the bubbles were pretty big
     
  40. Cool_____

    Cool_____ Banned

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    I dunno man. If the bubbles only happened when you revved it that normal....you are suddenly making the water pump spin faster.

    Sounds like air still or a faulty thermostat even though you just replaced it.
     
  41. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    i may try another one..its not too expensive..and the bubbles were only when i revved the car hard
     
  42. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    i'm gonna let the car cool and check my coolant levels and bleed it some more i guess
     
  43. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    doesn't it mean air in the system if when i turn the car off i hear water gurgling around? i just noticed it but it does it everytime i shut the car off even if its not trying to run hot
     
  44. bjtyson3

    bjtyson3 Member

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    doesnt make any sense..i've driven the car the past few days a lot and it doesnt even try to run hotter anymore..i guess i wont complain lol
     

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