Engine overheating

[MikeWoodBooks]

In the past (earlier this year), I have driven my 2003 nonturbo baja 90 mph on 90 degree days with no problems. Recently I thought I smelled radiator fluid. didn't know if it was my car or the one next to me, but since i had a 500 mile trip coming up i thought i'd go ahead and have the radiator fluid flushed and filled (48,000 miles on vehicle and don't believe it had ever been done before). A few days later, we drove from Houston to Guadalupe Peak in west texas. no problems on the way out and speeds up to 85mph. On the way back, speed was again 85 mph. outside temperature was 57 degrees and rainy. But the engine temperature would often go up nearly to the red line, at which point we would back off on the speed to about 70 and it would come back down to a little further below the red line. Or maybe it was just going up and down on a time basis. Not constant, but once again i would occasionally smell radiator fluid. Checked the oil level and it was okay.
When I got home, I took the vehicle to a different mechanic and descibed the problem and how i had just had the fluid flushed and filled, I suggested that maybe it was a sticking thermostat and that that should be changed. they checked the engine, found no leaks in the hoses, no problems with the radiator or the radiator fluid and went ahead and changed the thermostat. When i got the car back, i still noticed the occasional radiator fluid smell. I called the shop a couple days later and told them that i still had the smell. He stated, that there was a radiator drain plug under the car that was covered with dried radiator crud and maybe it had a pin hole leak and every once in a while dripped out a drop which was heating up and causing the smell. He said they didn't want to remove the plug because it was of a different metal that the part which it was screwed into and it would likely strip out which would mean the cyclinder head would have to be replaced (i didn't understand how come if it was in the bottom of the radiator he was now stating that a cylinder head would have to be replaced?!).
All that i could think of at this point was to look at the plug under the car and too clean it up as much as possible. tried to do that, but couldn't find it due to the plasitc engine shield under the engine. Tried taking it to a car wash and spraying high pressure water from the fan area down towards the bottom and hopefully that will help.
Any suggestions?

[YBajaSteve]

well i cant help you with anything radiator, but that plastic shield comes off quite easily with just a couple bolts and screws. They are all easy to get at, I have to do it every time i change my oil.... it would be worth looking at for yourself i would think

[bulwnkl]

The drain plug he's talking about is not on the radiator, but on the engine. It's the plug that one would remove if one installed a factory-type block heater. It can be _extremely_ difficult to remove, or it can come right out. If there's a bunch of crud on yours, my guess would be that it won't come all that easily. Unless it's loose and that's why it's weeping?

Are you low on coolant?
Did the shop that did the flush add the Subaru 'coolant conditioner' (aka expensive Subaru Bars Leaks)?

Anyway, my suggestions are these:

First, make sure there isn't any air trapped in the system. That happens _a lot_ if you or your shop are not familiar with the system. Easiest way to fix it is to find a very steep incline you can point the truck's nose up. With the engine at full operating temp, and with the expansion tank full (to the full mark) of the appropriate mixture of coolant, just put the nose in the sky and let it idle. Won't take long, and has sucked the air bubbles out (of the couple of top-side hoses that always seem to get them) every single time for me.

Second, have the head gasket(s) checked. Despite what some folks say, '03 2.5 Subies (non-turbo) were still susceptible to the head gasket leaks/failures.

Good luck!

[jsingh0072007]

I had the same problem with my 2003 Baja non turbo. If you haven't figured it out yet, my Baja blew a head gasket and exhaust manifold gasket. These engines are pron to these problems. Mine went at 142,000 miles. So i just replaced both heads gaskets and all exhaust manifold gaskets so it won't happen again... hopefully.