Three Reasons Your Subaru Might Be Overheating, Even After a Head Gasket Replacement

A blown head gasket is a common cause of overheating in vehicles. Replacing one is an involved, expensive process, so it can be disheartening when you've had this service performed only to discover that your engine still overheats. If this has happened to you, chances are that there's another issue. Here are three things to look out for.

3. The Coolant Is Low

When the head gasket in your vehicle's engine fails, coolant leaks into the engine. In addition to overheating the engine, this also means that the coolant levels in the cooling system will be low. It's possible, however unlikely, that the mechanics who replaced the head gasket didn't refill the coolant high enough. Though this isn't a common occurrence, it's easy to check coolant levels. The coolant tank is usually translucent, so you can easily see how much is in there. When the engine isn't hot, take a look at the tank and make sure that the coolant level isn't lower than the minimum line (or higher than the maximum line, for that matter).

2. There Are Other Cooling System Issues

A head gasket replacement service at an authorized Subaru dealership will involve a thorough inspection of the entire cooling system. If you've taken your Subaru elsewhere, they'll often do the same thing. However, certain shops may overlook this inspection and not look over the radiator or water pump. The coolant itself could even have contamination.

1. The Engine is Damaged

If the head gasket has been replaced, the coolant is at the right levels, and the cooling system has no problems, it's time to look elsewhere in the engine. Overheating can be caused by engine damage. This isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds; it could be due to something simple like a damaged thermostat. However, it could also indicate a more serious problem like a cracked engine block. Digging around in the engine looking for problems is no easy task, so it's best left to the experts who have trained to know the SUBARU BOXER® engine inside and out, like the technicians at Capitol Subaru.