Overheating

[subyroo]

Be aware that the temp gauge is pretty much worthless as far as actual temp goes, in most cars today. I put an OBD2 display on my car way back, and I have seen readings from 83C to 97C, while the gauge does not move at all. If you see the gauge move AT ALL above its normal place (just below half scale), its time to stop and investigate.

jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon

And very quickly too.

[Manaz]

Be aware that the temp gauge is pretty much worthless as far as actual temp goes, in most cars today. I put an OBD2 display on my car way back, and I have seen readings from 83C to 97C, while the gauge does not move at all. If you see the gauge move AT ALL above its normal place (just below half scale), its time to stop and investigate.

jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon

The needle basically has three positions.

Bottom - engine cooler than ideal range.
Middle - engine in ideal range.
Top - engine hotter than ideal range.

[outbackyarder]

An update on my own head gasket problems after getting them changed ,the heads crack tested ,etc and alot of new internal and external parts installed.

I have had the car back for about 3 weeks` now and it runs rough. It flatspots , idles with a little bit of a miss and it stutters and kangaroo hops when trying to accelerate. It is at it`s worst between 1800 rpm and about 3000 rpm before it smooths out.I took it back to my reliable mechanic and the coilpack was found to be faulty. With another one fitted , i get 60 seconds into the drive and it starts playing up again. The engine check light stays on and the code it reads is #32 for the c02 sensor. But it doesn`t tell me which one. Apparently there are 2 or 3 c02 sensors and the front one is $480 from Subaru .

My mechanic doesn`t have a proper scanner to read the codes of a car this age and can`t do a diagnosis ,so i have another bloke trying to source a scanner. The car didn`t run rough before i took it in to have the head gaskets changed ,so why would it be doing this now ? They have assured me 2 people checked the timing belt and cam positions before it was ready to be put back in the car . The tappets in the 2.5 litre are noisier than my 2.2 liberty and i`m told they can`t be adjusted ,just fitted with different shims. Could having the heads shaved make a difference in these motors ? Can the catalytic convertor be blocked from the overheating ? The car was overheating since i got it in july last year and there was always a sulpher smell when driving with the windows down and there still is.

Any suggestions are most welcome.


Thankyou.


Outbackyarder

[gyroo]

Make sure they didn't pinch the 02 sensor wire between the motor and bell housing, I have seen that before (don't ask) and look for damage to the wire (maybe check for continuity) They may have pinched the wire, done up the bolts... found the wire... undid the bolts and free'd the wire, but it might be damaged internally. Check they didn't forget to connect any earth wire/strap from the block to the body or battery.... the exhaust being insulated by gaskets and rubber hangers might not be connecting to the ground properly? Does your 02 sensor have one wire or 2 (or more)?

Disconnect the battery and un plug all of the connectors to the engine, inspect pins in connectors and re plug in clean with some electrical grease.... un plug everything and re connect it.... you are looking for any pins that have maybe 'fallen over' .... if any plugs unplug too easy, try gently bending the pins so they make better contact..... unbolt the coils and clean the bolt/earth points with sandpaper so it is getting a good earth.

Also, check they have earthed everything, connected all vacuum hoses for leaks (stick a bit of garden hose in your ear and poke the end around potential vac leaks while engine running), check the nipples on the end of the spark plugs are tight.... I have had a miss in an engine and found the spark plug nipples were loose.

Before reconnecting the battery, may as well do a computer reset....

I would also be getting the mechanic to sort it first.... before doing too much.... if you change a whole lot of stuff, he will just say you have been playing with it and stuffed something.... but to me, if it went in running good (but over heating) and they have done the timing right, it has to be a small peripheral that has been left un plugged or connected badly. Run the car at night and look for plug wires sparking/leaking on something metal

[outbackyarder]

Thanks , Gyroo.

I will check all of those things. I know the ground from the chassis to the engine is ok because the alternator was dodgy and i thought that may have been why.

I`ll carefully look at the connections and the plug nipples ,but will be cautious not to bust anything and void the warranty on the repairs , otherwise they may refuse to honour the warranty.

I`ll keep you updated on what i find or fix.


Thanks again.

Outbackyarder

[outbackyarder]

Another possible problem i discovered is the throttle position sensor can apparently exhibit the same symptoms as i have described. Can the throttle position sensor be incorrectly fitted , wrongly adjusted or easily broken ? How do i test it to see if it working properly or not, please ?

Sorry, i`m getting off the original topic of an overheating engine.


Outbackyarder.

[gyroo]

Yeah, the tps can affect things... why would they have moved it? I think it has to be set with an ohm meter.... one of the computer geeks might know how

I am too old to know anything about computers.... I have trouble turning on a pc

[outbackyarder]

They may have moved it , i don`t know ,yet. Who knows what mechanics get up to when you aren`t looking ?

I have been too busy at work and the weather has been too hot to look at it this week. I`ll have a go at it tomorrow .

One electrician that was supposed to have a scanner has let me down ,so i`m going to try another bloke this week. It`s hard for me to get to an electrician or mechanic at the moment because of time and travel distance restraints . I work longer hours than the sparkies and can`t get time off work ,but i`ll get there eventually.

Thanks for the advice and i`ll update you when things progress.

outbackyarder

[outbackyarder]

No obvious faults in the wiring or vacuum hoses or the co2 connection ,so i tried the black and green connectors again to diagnose the problems and i still get the code 32 with the black connectors connected ,but the trick with the green connectors where you turn the ignition on after the car is warm,press the accelorator to the floor and release it half way for 2 or 3 seconds ,then start the car, gave me no codes on the dash at all. A mate got a Launch CreaderV1 ,but the plug doesn`t fit my car. There are 9 pin adaptors available for them , but i don`t see one on the internet that fits the same plug i have on the car. Any ideas where to get one ,please ? Below is a picture of my diagnostic plg on the car . Thanx.

[Surge]

This might work:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/For-Nissan-1 ... 1253070680

[outbackyarder]

Thanks for trying ,Surge. Unfortunately it has to be 9 female pins ,but the shape of that plug is spot on .

I`ll keep looking for one.

Thanks.

Outbackyarder

[outbackyarder]

I found a bloke with the right scanner during the week and he plugged it in and ran a quick scan which found a code 32 C02 sensor fault like i had previously found,but it appears it may be something else making the sensor faulty. He didn`t have time to do a full diagnostic check ,so i took it back to my mechanic and there is a misfire on #4 cylinder. The coil,plugs,alternator and leads have all been changed and tested ,so we will investigate this further during the course of next week. No obvious wiring or vauucm issues have yet been found ,but hopefully we will stumble upon something. The heads were crack tested,so the problem shouldn`t be the head. We`ll all be peeved off if it is. The carb bogs down during acceloration ,even while just sitting in the driveway revving it up. We`ll get to the bottom of it one day.


Outbackyarder.

[outbackyarder]

An update on the outback problems. Turns out it was just 2 broken brand new spark plugs . I used a different mechanic to source the problem and it was a straight forward and easy diagnosis for him. Disappointed it wasn`t found previously ,but what do yo do ? I couldn`t get into the tight spots to check the plugs myself and exhausted all avenues with the original mechanic. Could have been worse , i guess . Life goes on and it is only a car.
Thanks for all the advice .


Back to the original topic , How did you go with your head gaskets ,Soul ? Get it all fixed or is it still off the road ? I replaced all the pulleys , tensioner ,seals ,clutch etc while they had the engine out doing the heads gaskets ,just incase they were on their way out , but there was nothing wrong with any of the old parts and i reckon i have wasted a great deal of money replacing stuff that didn`t need replacing. I could have bought another car with the money, so be aware that Subaru engine parts can really add up when replacing vital components that last forever and don`t need changing.

outbackyarder