Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You guys are reading too much into the "thermostat froze" statement.
STUCK thermostats are a common problem with all makes. It refers to a tstat that sticks in the full open, or full closed position.
It's less of a brand issue, and more of an issue with the subcontractor tasked with supplying the thermostat, or, in the case of a used car, the brand used as a replacement. A lot of times the cheap tstats at the parts stores fail open. I've seen this happen with all sorts of makes and models. Certainly not a failure worth falling into a brand war debate over.
Uh, No. For whatever reason, the OE Subie T-stat is an exceptionally trouble-free item, hence rarely replaced even when water pumps are routinely replaced at 105,000 miles per timing belt replacement.
I have no doubt that a small percentage of Subie OE t-stats will fail. But I just haven't seen them. Nor is it a common problem area as you assert when you look into the repair databases of shop info sources such as gathered by M1 or similar shop management//repair systems. These guys get to compile the repair data/labor/parts used by thousands of shops across the USA as they utilize the shop diagnostics/repair order/direct link parts ordering/shop management & diagnostics tickets. The database collection has been in service for years now and reports on the actual customer concern, labor, and parts as invoiced by millions of repair orders. This is an industry "insider" tool which allows participating shops to quickly pinpoint problem/repair areas on all makes & models across the USA every time they write up a repair order and complete a repair. Few folk outside of the automotive repair industry know that this database is part of the shop management software available for a nominal monthly fee to the shops. Note that it's not a voluntary reporting ... it's an anonymous compilation of the labor and parts as invoiced on the shops' repair orders.
I've seen these OE t-stats consistently in service for well over 250,000 miles without any issues. Personally, I've had used Subies that I bought with blown head gaskets at 150-200K miles on them, replaced the head gaskets ... and have not replaced the t-stats. The last I saw of the cars, they were running over 300,000 miles on the OE t-stats if the service records that came with the cars accurately reflected that it had never been replaced. I've had the plastic t-stat housings fail (seep due to warpage) and still not needed to replace the t-stat.
That's why I recommended that a t-stat replacement in the Subie use the OE item rather than the usual "name brand" ones available in the aftermarket. It's an item that hasn't been changed in the Subie product line for decades ... because it works reliably and is durable.
PS: I've never seen or heard of a Subie OE T-stat failing stuck closed since I started working on these cars in 1995. Just for giggles ... I called one of my old buddies in the biz ... who used to specialize in German cars (MB and BMW, he was a friendly competitor to my shop) for years and changed over to a Subie specialty shop in 1998. He says he's never had a Subie OE T-stat fail to open. Not keeping the coolant at the normal run temp ... typically a few degrees cooler than normal ... is what he's seen for a failure. In our climate area (Rocky mountains) ... a cooler t-stat temp means an lesser performing heater, which is the usual customer concern.
Just today,12/24, daughter and son in-law stopped by,first explanation,still do not understand thermostat problem other than it was stuck closed.
He said plastic frame around radiator blew out in places and new radiator is all metal.His Legacy has 205,000,engine still reliable.He said he viewed it.
Uh, No. For whatever reason, the OE Subie T-stat is an exceptionally trouble-free item, hence rarely replaced even when water pumps are routinely replaced at 105,000 miles per timing belt replacement.
The car in question has 205,000 miles. Who knows what anti-freeze was put in nor what brand of thermostat was put in previous.
Just today,12/24, daughter and son in-law stopped by,first explanation,still do not understand thermostat problem other than it was stuck closed.
He said plastic frame around radiator blew out in places and new radiator is all metal.His Legacy has 205,000,engine still reliable.He said he viewed it.
But did the radiator fail because the thermostat failed and caused the motor to get really hot?
Or did the radiator fail causing the contents of the wax pellet in the thermostat to leak out due to excessive heat?
Or did it lose coolant for some other reason -- possibly passage of time or h gasket problem which Subarus are notorious for -- and then got so hot both the radiator and thermostat failed?
I am not familiar with Subaru,I have been in car maybe once,he said when red warning light came on he pulled over and shut down engine.When he replaced hose he used 50/50 Prestone.
I was surprised that expansion tank was plastic or fiberglass.Still a mystery.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
