A Subaru’s cooling system needs repairs if it fails as soon as possible. Any failure in the cooling system can cause the engine to overheat, if a modern Subaru with an all-aluminium engine overheats, in most cases it causes major damage to the engine itself. Some examples of these failures caused by overheating we regularly see are:

• Head gasket failure
• Cracked cylinder heads 
• Cylinder block and piston ring damage

Any of these failures will result in thousands of dollars in repair costs. At Subie Doctor we have developed a range of measures to effectively maintain, monitor and test cooling systems to help avoid unnecessary and expensive engine damage. Some of these measures include:

• Complementary Cooling system assessment every service we do when vehicles are over 5 yrs. or 125,000kms. 
• Fatigue Testing of radiators so they can be assessed and replaced before they burst.
• Installing a heater bypass to prevent overheating caused by a blocked heater core.

At Subie Doctor we also recognise and diagnose the most common issue encountered with older model Subarus, Head Gasket Failures.

 EJ25 SOHC Head Gasket Experts  (1998 – 2011 EJ25 SOHC)

The Subaru Four Cylinder, 2.5Litre, Naturally aspirated, Single overhead cam engine is a wonderful engine, it has been a part of the Subaru range from 1998 right up until 2011 but unfortunately now that these engines are starting to show their age, we find that they tend to leak oil, which may not sound like a big deal but in this particular case it sure can be. The head gasket will slowly start to break apart over time. This will be first identified by a slight oil leak/ oil stain along the bottom edge of the head gasket on either side of the engine. This leak will slowly worsen over time, until it gets to a point where the vehicle will either no longer pass registration or will start to leak coolant which now will mean that the engine can overheat and quickly become undriveable. The solution is simple, remove and disassemble the engine and then replace the head gaskets, however there are some tricks to repairing this problem to make sure it never returns.

We have developed a range of measures to ensure the head gasket leak is repaired once and for all. Some of these measures include: 

• An ungraded Multi-Layer Steel head gasket, this upgraded head gasket is far more durable and will not break apart over time. 
• Resurfacing the cylinder block, to ensure we have a perfect surface for the gasket to seal. When the old head gasket breaks apart, it tends to wear a trench into the cylinder block surface. If this is not corrected oil will be able to leak around the gasket and in a short space of time the head gasket leaks will return. Our cylinder block resurfacing guarantees a perfect surface so the leaks will not return. 

If you are experiencing any issues with the cooling system on your Subaru and require repairs contact Subie Doctor today and get back on the road.