SUBARU OUTBACK LEGACY estate car 2003 OVER HEATING TO THE POINT USES UP ALL THE WATER IN THE RADIATOR AFTER PROBABLY 20 MILES ?

The 2003 through 2008 Outbacks were among the Subaru models impacted by the Takata airbag recall.

• 2003-2006 Subaru Baja.
• 2009-2013 Subaru Forester.
• 2004-2011 Subaru Impreza.
• 2003-2014 Subaru Legacy.
• 2003-2014 Subaru Outback.
• 2006-2014 Subaru Tribeca.
• 2012-2014 Subaru WRX/STI.

Takata Airbag Recall: A list of cars - NY Daily News

www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/takata-airbag-recall-list-cars-article-1.2602999..
or try this link.
What cars are on ntakata recall list Google Search

Hi there must be a cracked hose somewhere in the cooling system if its draining the radiator of water, i would also check the radiator side tanks as the plastic ones become brittle and small cracks appear that are quite hard to see

Hello, mdaniels676 and thank you for asking your question on Fixya!

Here is a simple process that will walk you through a few steps that will pinpoint the overheating problem on your 1995 Subaru Legacy, without even using any tools. It has helped millions of people, and I am certain that it will help you, because I wrote it for people in your exact situation.
How to diagnose your overheating 1995 Subaru Legacy

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Thanks for the vote, and good luck!

i had the same problem with my 1996 subaru legacy grand wagon,which is identical to yours.it had a cracked head,the gasket was fine.not cheap to get done but id get it done now before more serious damage is done.

have you got heat in the car,what im saying is when you turn on the heater inside the car what happens?im not getting your drift,but get the thermostat checked out sounds like its not letting the coolant flow.adrian,,,,

the speedometer/odometer problem sounds like the vehicle speed sensor, which is ususally found on your front wheels, the stalling out sounds like an unrelated problem, but i couldnt tell you where to start for that one

Subaru's boxer engines have a known problem of blowing headgaskets, especially in the 90's (I have a 98 Impreza RS myself and have had mine blow.

Check to see if your oil looks milky? or bubbly at all. Or if there is exhaust dust or or oil in your coolant reservoir. If you have either one of those problems, you probably need to replace your headgaskets.

You should also check out your radiator fans. Notice if they both come on after the car is running for a while. They BOTH should after the engine gets hot. Drive it a couple miles, stop and check. If both fans don't come on, check the fan relays and also make sure you plugged in both connectors on the bottom of the radiator.

Goodluck!

check oil colour(milky indicates water)check radiator,can you smell fumes in there,get it tested with and exhaust gas annaliser,which picks up engine fumes in the radiator if you cant tell for sure,it does sound like you have a head gasket problem,you would need to do both heads not 1

You should clean and flush the coolant and see if that helps. That is the easiest place to start. Hope this helps and have a great day.

I've had the same problem all year. I've had four different mechanics look at this car - 97 legacy with 2.5. I've had the coolant seals replaced, the radiator cap, the thermostat, the water pump - all to no avail. I've realized now that it only overheats shortly after running sustained high rpm's. Recently the last mechanic mentioned the bleeder valve (I didn't know it had one and think maybe he didn't know either - not a subaru mechanic). Recently it overheated again (again sustained high rpm's - apparently more prone to produce air in the system), I sat the vehicle on an incline (raising the bleeder valve to be the highest point) and let the car warm up and run for half an hour. Now 300 miles and no overheat. I went through alot with this car to get to this point. Unbelievable.