So i have a 97 subaru legacy that started overheating a couple days ago. at 1st check, oil was low coolant was fine but i threw a little cold water in to cool it faster. topped the oil as soon as i got in town, still over heating.

tested thermostat today, opened when water boiled, closed when i took it out. any other ideas.

 

My wife had a 99 Outback. The water jackets in the heads plugged up on ours causing it to overheat.

 

head gaskets, known issue

 

Okay I'm having the same issue with my wifes 97 Legacy Wagon. 2.2L engine.

I've only experienced it once driving the car, so most of what I'm going by is word of mouth...

Her Subaru is overheating. Seems to happen randomly. It started this past winter. On her way home from work, it overheated and she said the heat was blowing cold air.

I went down to pick it up, ran it, and it overheated. Yes the heat blew cold air. So I pulled it over, popped the hood to take a peek. I didn't hear any bubbling, nor see any fluid leaking. figured the coolant was low. Opened it up, yup it was low.

Topped it off with coolant, and it was pretty bone dry. Checked the overflow tank for signs of oil, or exhaust smell, there wasn't any... And noticed the overflow tank wasn't "filled".

It drove a good few weeks before overheating again. Again, I checked the fluids. Coolant was low, oil was clean and topped off, overflow tank was clean. No signs of leaks from above the hood. So I crawled under this little thing to assess the water pump. I noticed a very small weep from the radiator hose/water pump. Though I couldn't tell if it was the hose, or the seal around the pump. It was dry as well. So no visual "wet leaks". The radiator is loosing coolant, this I know. I just don't know from where.

I would say the hose itself was in good shape. No dryness, or dry rot. Was firm when squeezed. Clamp was good. Wondering if this leaking area is a common problem. Or any input?

 

Agreed. Those pesky 2.5's were a bust..

 

Sounds like maybe blockage in radiator, hoses or heater core. Have you done a system flush?
Anything besides oil in oil? Mixing fluids would be indicator of cracked head.

 

Nah I found the issue.

Loosing coolant through the water pump gasket. Yes it's a gasket, no rtv.

 

Good that you found the problem and it wasn't major. But, adding cold water to a hot engine is NEVER a good move. My ex-wife did that and it cracked the block. I have also seen others do the same thing and it causes more problems then they originally had.