What have you done to your car today?

The rear end of the forester had been sagging ever since I got my Subaxtreme Rear Bar (added weight) so I swapped out the 1" Spacers in the Rear with a 2.5" Spacer, and the rear end is sitting much nicer then before
 
I did a thing!
(well, I didn't a bloke with a welder did...)
bJ4YTI1h.jpg

Before:
ChrEVgll.jpg
 
Ratbag said:
That will help your cooling system no end, Ben
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not much difference at all. maybe a degree or too, still getting warm at 100kph (102deg C+)

I think I've finally found a mechanic up here! very approachable, used to work for nolathene designing bushes for WRXs. seems to know his stuff.
Got it booked in for Wednesday to do some stuff.

Did another thing too, took my baby to the doctor.
MML7md9.jpg

First impression is it's electrical apparently, which would be a relief.

But.. they've had it all day and haven't rung to tell me anything. I'm not sure if this is good or not.
I did tell them there wasn't a rush. probably the wrong thing to say.
They've worked on them before (another guy up here has a couple and he had one of his fixed by them) which is a good thing. The owner of the shop wants to buy one.
 
For every degree C over 100°C engine temperature, oil viscosity drops quite badly.

If I were you, I would prioritize fixing this problem. Specially if you are running less than 4 5/10W-40 FS oil.
 
Last edited:
Ratbag said:
For every degree C over 100°C engine temperature, oil viscosity drops quite badly.
Click to expand...
Ouch. It's over 100º quite regularly.
If I were you, I would prioritize fixing this problem.
Click to expand...
I am! nobody yet has been able to offer a solution. The bloke I was speaking to today seemed to think it might be a blockage somewhere, more than anything else (e.g. water pump or cheap radiator)
It's had a couple of high pressure flushes through it, with no change though - but that was by a mechanic that did crappy things to the car (like forgetting to put the radiator cap on properly once).

I really hope this mechanic I'm taking it to on Wednesday finds something.
 
For what it's worth... turning the heater on works a treat for bringing the heat down on the gauge. Which is a bit annoying in the Tropics, but to be honest with the the windows down it's pretty cope-able.
 
@Ben Up North What troubleshooting have you done so far?

Considering that the heater only uses the equivalent of a bypass hose, that's where I would be looking.

I don't even know if there are these sorts of bypass hoses in Subarus ...
 
Ratbag said:
What troubleshooting have you done so far?
Click to expand...
Taken it to lots of mechanics...
Last one (and he was arrogant so didn't like him) went through the electrics and changed fan relays. Heads have been done by a previous mechanic. A couple of cooling system flushes by the one before that left the radiator cap off - this is the one that changed the radiator a few years back and also timing belt (and theoretically water pump). According to the guy who did the heads, he bodged that too, had to replace the timing belt when I did the heads, about 25,000kms later.

Really not sure what I can do in the way of troubleshooting.

The bloke I'm taking it to on Wednesday's first thought was that the fans aren't spinning up enough, and that it should be pretty noisy when they're going for it. They don't seem anywhere near as noisy as the SVX when its fans are flat out.

It cools down pretty quick when I slow down and also when I turn the heater on. Which is why I was thinking radiator/water pump/fans. Justin from Bonza (the guy I'm taking it to Wednesday) doubts it's the water pump or radiator.
 
Maybe check the loom connections near the fans? Possibly loose or corroded. Doesn't sound as if the fans are getting the amperage they need to get to their proper speed.

Also check their earth connections. Remove. Check visually. Check that star washers are in place. Reassemble with vaseline (petroleum jelly).

Nothing like dodgy earth connections to bugger up any electrical system.
 
You can also plug in the diagnostic plugs under the dash to force the fans to cycle between the three modes: Off, Low Speed, Fast Speed
 
SquiresSquire said:
You can also plug in the diagnostic plugs under the dash to force the fans to cycle between the three modes: Off, Low Speed, Fast Speed
Click to expand...
The green ones? I've never understood what they do/how to use them.

I've got an OBD2 dongle and torque pro, can I do the same with that?


edit: Found out how they work. I've been on this darn internet since bulletin boards and I still forget to use it at times!
 
Last edited:
Well, plugged in the diagnostics plug and it went through the three stages of fan, low high & off. High is nothing like the high on the SVX, but noticeably faster than low.
 
Ben Up North said:
I've got an OBD2 dongle and torque pro, can I do the same with that?
Click to expand...

Not with those I believe, but if you have a Subaru Select Monitor it can run those sorts of diagnostics. I'm pretty sure the OBD2 Protocol is a 'read only' data feed, but don't quote me on that
 
What coolant do you have at the moment? We found that off-the-shelf coolant products may not be up to spec. We put Penrite blue on my brother's BP5 and the temperature fluctuated significantly - new thermostat and flushed everything properly before. We then drained the Penrite, put the genuine coolant and the cooling system has been ultra stable even under load.
 
ABFoz said:
What coolant do you have at the moment?
Click to expand...
Off the shelf. Thermostat replaced not long ago with OEM. Might try put some genuine in it tomorrow when I change the oil. Do I have to get it from the stealer?
 
Ben Up North said:
Off the shelf. Thermostat replaced not long ago with OEM. Might try put some genuine in it tomorrow when I change the oil. Do I have to get it from the stealer?
Click to expand...
Haha. Looks like it's the only place to get it from. I looked at PartSouq and they do not have a listing at the moment. The Subaru blue coolant is manufactured by either Motul or Idemitsu. There is a low chance that a Motul dealer has some in stock. Cheers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top