Help me diagnose some car problems?

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
07/01/2019 at 23:24 • Filed to: None

The car in question is a 2008 Subaru Outback, 4 cylinder. My old one in fact, that I sold to a neighbor.

Said neighbor knocked on the door saying that he r heater hadn’t worked today, and when I pressed her a bit mentioned that yesterday when stuck in traffic for awhile, she started hearing belt squeal, which was new. She said it went away when she got out of traffic and started moving again.

I went to look at the car and noticed a small trail of coolant on the pavement immediately. Popped the hood and the coolant cap was loose. Checked the overflow tank and it was below the “low” line. Also checked the radiator and overflow tank for damage, but they both looked fine. All hoses were on tight and the rubber was supple.

I Filled the overflow tank up t o “full” , tightened the cap and started her up, after 5 minutes didn’t see any leakage. Heater still wouldn’t work though, it just blew cold air.

I told my neighbor t o check the coolant level in the morning and if it’s good, drive to work, if not, knock on my door.

Thoughts?

DISCUSSION (28)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:29

1. It probably needs a new radiator cap, common problem.

2. I have no idea why there is no heat maybe the thermostat is stuck open.

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/01/2019 at 23:39

Okay, I'll add radiator cap to the list. Gracias

DipodomysDeserti > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:40

I think the main issue is your neighbor is running the heater in July.

PatBateman > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:42

Has she had the belt stretched in the past 12,000 miles (once every few oil changes)? If she hasn’t, that might cure the problem.

Chuckles > DipodomysDeserti
07/01/2019 at 23:42

This. For all I know, my heater is broken too, but I won't find out until October.

AestheticsInMotion > DipodomysDeserti
07/01/2019 at 23:44

Ha! That was the first comment I made, but I was told it gets a bit chilly in the early mornings. 50 degrees maybe? I get up at 10 nowadays so....

AestheticsInMotion > PatBateman
07/01/2019 at 23:46

I don’t know what the s pec is for the Outback but there was very minimal deflection when I handled the belts.

Probably a good idea though, I'll adjust the tensioners if she mentions it squealing again.

lone_liberal > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:47

The heater not working would make me suspect the water pump might have issues. You might check that it’s turning and not seized which would have made the belt squeal and see if it’s leaking.

wafflesnfalafel > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:48

My wife’s old 92 Honda Acord coupe did something similar a couple times. Coolant would get a little low and the heater would stop working though everything else seemed fine.

His Stigness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/01/2019 at 23:49

Without looking at it this obviously an educated guess:

There’s no heat because there’s an air pocket in the system. This is why when I’m filling a coolant system I use a tool called an airvac. Using shop air you pull a vacuum on the whole system, then shut it off. There’s a pressure gauge on the unit that displays the vacuum. You now leave it for a minute and check for leaks. When there are none you insert the tools fill tube into your bottle of coolant and open the valve and coolant will then be sucked in.

In the old days you had to "burp" the system. You'd fill it up while running and have the heater on. Slowly bubbles would work themselves out. And overnight the system would suck in coolant from the reservoir tank.

His Stigness > AestheticsInMotion
07/01/2019 at 23:49

Without looking at it this obviously an educated guess:

In the old days you had to “burp” the system. You’d fill it up while running and have the heater on. Slowly bubbles would work themselves out. And overnight the system would suck in coolant from the reservoir ta nk.

AestheticsInMotion > lone_liberal
07/01/2019 at 23:53

That sounds reasonable. I'll check it out

AestheticsInMotion > wafflesnfalafel
07/01/2019 at 23:54

Hmm. Well hopefully everything will return to normal. For a car that “needed a new engine” 5 years ago according to dealership techs, this subie has been damn near unkillable.

66P1800inpieces > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 00:01

The belt squeal is the odd one here. If the trail of coolant was from the loose cap, then why the squeal? You may want to get down and look for any leaks, possibly where the timing cover is, to see if the pump is leaking, if it got wet that could cause a squeal. Or, the a/c kicking on if the a/c button was pressed could cause a little belt slip (would work even if the heat as also on on).

If the squeal was just a red herring then you might just need to bleed the air out. Feel around the heater core inlet and outlet hoses to see if they are warm. I hear it can be tricky on Subarus. Here is a link I found that may help.

https://strongforsubaru.com/resources/subaru-coolant-bleeding/

AestheticsInMotion > 66P1800inpieces
07/02/2019 at 00:07

Thank you! I know the cooling system is at least tangentially related to the heater, but the details are beyond me. Could air in the system potentially cause the heater to fail..?

There was a bit of coolant on the underside of the hood. I wonder if the cap popped and coolant sprayed up, eventually dripping down onto the belt and making it squeal. She said it only lasted for a minute or two

66P1800inpieces > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 00:14

Yes, if there is air in the heater core (imagine a little radiator inside the heating system), then the hot coolant won’t go through and the heat wont work. On normal cars you can let the car run with the cap off (bring it up to temp with the cap off) and squeeze the hoses that go to the heater core or larger hoses which will start the flow if there is an air pocket.

Never open the cap of a hot system as once up to temp , they become pressurized to reduce the boiling point of the coolant. The coolant will spray out and burn. Read the other article for the best way to do it on a Subaru.

Dogsatemypants > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 00:23

I would check the 3/4 inch coolant hoses going into the firewall close to the center or passenger side, those lead to the heater core, a tiny little radiator that sits above the vent fan ducting. If the hoses aren’t feeling like they’re under pressure you can try the intermix switch that controls the flow into that subsystem.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 00:31

Off the top of my head:
1) Is the heater core plugged? What is the condition of the coolant that is remaining?
2) Low coolant could cause the heater to stop working, it might make it through the heater core eventually now that you filled it . I think they usually are isolated with baffles from the interior, but knowing Subaru weirdness, it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a solenoid valve in the line (because it sounds like something they’d do)...
3) Water pump due to the squeal and low coolant. It might be a slow leak (or no leak) until it is hot and pressurized. When the pulley it’s running on isn’t moving as it should, it may squeal.
4) The squeal might be a red herring. It has been hot/dry and if the belt is dirty and it is dry out , it’ll make noise.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > His Stigness
07/02/2019 at 00:36

Given the loose radiator cap this is very likely.

His Stigness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/02/2019 at 01:13

Yeah if the cap was loose and it was spitting it out then it could get some air bubbles.

pip bip - choose Corrour > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 05:42

heater core leaking?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/02/2019 at 06:58

Bad cap, can’t build enough pressure to flow coolant properly through the rest of the system, no heat.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > 66P1800inpieces
07/02/2019 at 06:59

The squeal was from the belt getting covered in anitfreeze when it bubbled out of the cap.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 07:02

1. Bad cap. Caused coolant to spray out, soaking the belt, causing the squeal. Lack of heat can be due to 2 things in this instance, lack of coolant and lack of pressure in the system due to the bad cap. Both things can create air pockets.

2. Head Gaskets. Pressurizing the system causing the cap to relieve pressure, hence losing coolant. Head Gaskets will cause no heat issues as they pump exhaust into the system.

Old-Busted-Hotness > AestheticsInMotion
07/02/2019 at 07:27

Always check the coolant level in the radiator. The overflow tank is just that, for overflow. If it’s leaking bad enough to leave a trail, you need to fill more than just the tank. You can have an empty cooling system with a full tank.

66P1800inpieces > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
07/02/2019 at 09:28

Unrelated but are you going to post on the new Voyager?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > 66P1800inpieces
07/02/2019 at 09:59

I posted on the article about it.

It’s a fucking joke IMO, ruining the Voyager name.

MattHurting > His Stigness
07/02/2019 at 10:48

This is correct. The flat boxer engines are very prone to this. I have the H6 and use my sloped driveway to burp the cooling system whenever I open it.