overheating problems on 02 wrx new radiator
 

just recently change my radiator that is designed for EJ20 model wrx 02 manual, and after filling coolant in it etc.

It seems to be overheating and starts having a burning smell from the car engine bay from being on for 3mins or less.

the hoses are really hot and the radiator top plastic and i dont know what the problem is any help is much apreciated.

and the fans are plugged in and arent working too*

cheers:D

are the fans plugged in?

Probably an air lock, try squeezing the top hose quickly a dozen times or so then take the cap off & fill, repeat this until the hose is too hard to squeeze, works for me. The smell will probably be from spilled coolant sitting in the exhaust covers......or a loose hose clamp.

yep the fans are plugged in and the smell is like a rubbery one.

cheers guy

Sounds like air in the system...did you burp the system at the filler nearest the turbo on the left side and not at the radiator ?

How did you go?
If you are still having problems i can PM you the correct procedure for bleeding the cooling system of air.
And as Rexy03 has pointed out you should be filling/burping the system of air from the coolant filler not the radiator.

hey nah dont really get what to do with the "burping" bit as u guys mentioned, and i also have filled it in the funnel cap nearest to the turbo.

Can one of use pm me the procedure when ur free and steps for me to take, as i started the car up it seems to be the same as b4... with the hose are really hot and heat from the radiator, from the car being turned on for 3mins

thanks much appreciated:D

What does your dash gauge indicate when you say "it's really hot"?

Fans kick in @ 92-94 degrees.

To see if the fans are working: start the car & switch the a/c on, the fans should run with the a/c on.

Option 3 is that the burning smell is the timing belt slipping on the water pump pulley (it's driven off the smooth back of the belt), if the pump has partially seized.

Needed:

Recommended premixed Subaru coolant for your model car.

Burping:

Think of it like you burping to release the gasses from a fizzy drink, when you're filling up your radiator fluid sometimes 'most times', you will get air pockets. In order to releases these air pockets you need to get rid of them 'burping'. The way you get rid of them from an engine perspective is by placing your hand around the top radiator hose and applying pressure.

Process:

Step One) Fill coolant up as much as possible through the cap you previously mentioned;
Step Two) Place hand around the top radiator hose and apply pressure 'you will notice the coolant level decrease in the top canister;
Step Three) Repeat the above numerous times till you can't put anymore coolant in the top canister;
Step Four) Start engine and repeat the above process until you cant put anymore coolant in the top canister;
Step Five) Slowly take your car for drive up and down the street 'making sure to keep an eye on the temperature gauge on your dash 'it may spike, stop car if you see your temp gauge move a quarter of the way up from the middle line and repeat step Four;
Step Six) You should be good to go now (you may want to repeat step five a few times, picking up speed every time to ensure you've got the coolant to optimum level.).

Try not to spill any coolant on the engine as when it heats up it will smell like you have a leaky hose 'this will pass'.

Make sure to keep excess coolant in the boot; as mentioned above by other posters you may have airlocks, so you'll need to top up once they're released also keep an eye on your temperature gauge over the next few days.

Optimum needle level on your temperature gauge should be at slightly less then half level.

[QUOTE=Rossco;624374]What does your dash gauge indicate when you say "it's really hot"?

Fans kick in @ 92-94 degrees.

To see if the fans are working: start the car & switch the a/c on, the fans should run with the a/c on.

[/QUOTE]

This, if the fans aren't kicking in, then its not even at operating temperature.
THe gauge doesn't even move till temp reaches 50degC.
Assuming the fans are working.

The way I do it is this:
You need to wedge a funnel in the header tank to fill with coolant.
Fill the system with genuine Subaru coolant till it starts filling the funnel, allow the funnel to fill half way.
Start the car and let it run, it will suck coolant in so keep an eye on the level.
You will see bubbles coming up through the coolant, this is the air in the system bleeding out.
Bring the revs up to about 1500rpm, you can wedge something in the throttle cable cam on the throttle body to do this.

THats about it, just watch the level till the fans kick in, that way you know the thermostat is open, it opens at 86degC and the fans kick in at 96degC.
Let the fans run and turn off, take your wedge out of throttle cable, give it a few revs, then switch it off.
Suck the coolant out of the funnel, put the rad cap on, take it for a drive.
You need to over fill the coolant reservoir as it will suck coolant in as the engine cools down and the coolant contracts, so you should recheck the reservoir in the morning.