EJ22 Water temp out of control

[Gary_in_Orygun]

I remember a while ago discussions on water temperature going high because of a bubble in the water system causing the thermostat to not do its thang.

Well, I just replaced all the antifreeze in my system at maintenance time. Now my water pump doesn't engage and the water temp shoots through the roof if I don't shut down. I have tried squeezing the hoses to try and get all the bubbles out. But it is not working.

How can I tell if I have bubbles or if my water pump or thermostat actually quit?

[Scooter]

Had the same thing happen a couple of times. Sometimes they get an airpocket and it's hard to get out if the pump won't pick up. All thermostats don't have a bleed or weep hole. I drilled a 1/8" hole in one side of the stat and it's worked fine ever since.

P.S. I tried that squeezing stuff too, didn't work.

[Gary_in_Orygun]

What is a stat and where is it? How did you plug it up?

How long do water pumps and thermostats last? My machine sat for 4 months before I finally changed out the fluid. I wonder if something rusted.

[Scooter]

I just got lazy and didn't want to type thermostat again.
Can't tell you how long anything last. It just depends.
Given the location of the thermostat and if it has no weep hole (which some do not) it is easy to trap air.
Best is to pull the thermostat, put it in a pan of water, heat to a boil, if it opens, it works, if it doesn't open, it don't work. It should be wide open at boiling point or what ever degree it's made for, 180 or 160.
If you need a new one, buy a high quality one, not PepBoys, WalMart, AutoZone or such. Best from Subaru if you can.

If your thermostat works, check to see if it has a place where some water will get though when closed. If it doesn't, drill a little hole to one side of the part that is suppose to open.

If you want to check the pump, run the engine without a thermostat. If it still overheats, then it can only be one of three things, pump, no water, stopped up system somewhere.

But, I'll bet it's just trapped air. Making a weep hole is the surest way of fixing it and it won't make any noticeable difference in the cooling operation.

[Gary_in_Orygun]

Dang, I guess I'll have to go read a manual. (I write 'em, but I don't like reading them.) I don't know how all that stuff comes off the engine and whether or not I need to remove the engine to get to it.

[Gary_in_Orygun]

Well, it looks like I solved the problem with just some good "burping". I drained out enough fluid to just clear the filler tube, and then started squeezing different hoses. I refilled as needed until I could finally run it without overheating.