Why is coolant in my radiator filliing up my overflow tank

Asked by chipsapf1 Aug 09, 2013 at 12:45 PM about the 1990 Subaru Legacy L Wagon AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my subaru starts getting hot after 2 or 3 weeks. coolant goes into overflow tank. Does anyone out there know why? Is it  my radiator cap? Thermastat?

4 Answers
176,035

tenspeed answered 10 years ago

It could be the radiator cap not holding the pressure. If you see bubbles as it fills the reservoir, it could be a blown head gasket.

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

migration_judge_roy answered 10 years ago

I'd look at two things...the condition of the underhood area for evidence of a prior overheat and whether or not "PANIC" plain water was used never to be replaced with proper 50/50 mix...yet~?

3 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • Why is coolant in my radiator filliing up my overflow tank 4 Answers

    my subaru starts getting hot after 2 or 3 weeks. coolant goes into overflow tank. Does anyone out there know why? Is it my radiator cap? Thermastat?

    1990 Subaru Legacy L Wagon AWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • why is my car filling up the reservoir tank? 4 Answers

    It used to over heat only in the mornings after having driven it for about ten minutes and I would take off the radiator cap and fill up the radiator and the reservoir tank would be filled up complete...

    1997 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon AWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • Is seafoam is to put in my gas tank 1 Answer

    I just bought this car used with a 145000 miles. I would like to clean out my fuel system. Is seafoam safe to add to my fuel?

    2014 Subaru Legacy

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • 1996 Subaru legacy spewing coolant/water from overflow, is it gasket or water pump? 2 Answers

    i just got a new radiator (old one was cracked and apparently car was empty on coolant yet the overflow was full of fluid), car had oil, turned car on after the radiator installment andd coolant (&w...

    1996 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon AWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • Why is my subaru still overheating 14 Answers

    I have a 99 subaru legacy 2.5 gt and its been overheating lately... I changed out the radiator bc it was leaking, then changed out the thermostat, only to find out there was a leak in one of the sma...

    1999 Subaru Legacy 30th Anniversary Sedan AWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

Legacy

Looking for a Used Legacy in your area?

CarGurus has 7,059 nationwide Legacy listings starting at $499.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1990 Subaru Legacy

Write a car review

Review another car

Shortcuts

Search Subaru Legacy Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    2,780
  • #2
    Anthony_60
    Reputation
    1,800
  • #3
    Tom Hawkins
    Reputation
    1,500
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Camry
2,091 Great Deals out of 37,807 listings starting at $575
Used Honda Accord
1,513 Great Deals out of 29,433 listings starting at $600
Used Honda Civic
1,371 Great Deals out of 29,067 listings starting at $600
Used Toyota Corolla
1,663 Great Deals out of 24,787 listings starting at $975
Used Toyota 4Runner
1,090 Great Deals out of 19,141 listings starting at $2,000

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Subaru Legacy For Sale
21 Great Deals out of 3,379 listings starting at $23,045
2023 Subaru Legacy For Sale
16 Great Deals out of 200 listings starting at $22,500
2022 Subaru Legacy For Sale
34 Great Deals out of 336 listings starting at $15,198
2021 Subaru Legacy For Sale
34 Great Deals out of 447 listings starting at $15,995
2020 Subaru Legacy For Sale
26 Great Deals out of 378 listings starting at $11,950

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.