2005 Saab 9-2x. Facepalm warning. Skip to end for question. I was looking under the hood for no particular reason and I noticed the right side of the bay was wet. Definitely isn't oil, it seemed like coolant. I initially thought it could be water from an undercarriage wash but I checked again in a couple days and it was still wet. After googling the engine bay for a 2005 9-2x and there it is...a coolant reservoir that's not there in my car. I've had the car for a little over a month. I got it inspected a couple weeks ago, to get an idea of what needs to be repaired/replaced. I asked them to check the timing belt and drive belts and my guess is they took the reservoir out and forgot to put it back. I can't recall if it was like that when I bought it or if it happened during the inspection. My question: Have I been doing any damage to the car drive it like this? The car has never overheated, the temp always stays around the middle. Anything else I need to do besides get another reservoir and fill the coolant? Is it as easy as just popping the reservoir and hose in? I wanted to do a coolant flush with the conditioner as I was told there's an external HG leak starting so I might get that done.
...can you put up a picture? From what I imagine, you wouldn't have been able to drive it without venting coolant everywhere. Something's weird with your story.
I guess it's the coolant overflow tank? Probably should have done some research before posting. Was panicking. From what I gather the car should not be running if I drove it for at least 2 weeks with low or without coolant so I am assuming (hoping) the majority of the coolant is still in there. Pic below
It's definitely missing. You don't absolutely need.it.to "survive" but it will continue to make a mess. Its purpose is to catch coolant as it gets hot and expands. Then when the motor cools, it draws it back into the radiator via the hose that's in the tank. If you don't have the tank, you'll be losing that little amount of coolant until it gets to a point where there's not enough in the radiator to spew out when hot. However, it doesn't necessarily mean there isn't enough to properly cool the engine. TL, DR. Get a tank from a junkyard.
That is a relief to hear, especially after reading about warped heads and engine rebuilds. Is it as simple as reattaching the hose/tank and topping off the coolant?
Bleed/burp the system of air too. Hook the tank back up, fill the radiator up and let the car run for 20-30 minutes with the heat blasting with no radiator cap on. If you have any air in the coolant system, that will get it out and save you from headaches in the future. After it's been burped, fill the reservoir back up to the full line (or is it labeled as "hot" on the tank... can't remember).
Not sure if joking... I found one at a salvage lot so I'm gonna use that. Is there a certain coolant that I should use? The Subaru one is a little expensive but apparently it is better. I read Peak Global is a good alternative.
You're supposed to use OEM Subaru coolant, and Peak Global is a good alternative as well. I'm sure you'd be fine with another brand if you're in a pinch, but I can't imagine that the cost difference is more than a few bucks. You'll also see recommendations about using the little blue bottle of Subaru radiator conditioner - you do NOT need that stuff unless you have a leak (besides your missing overflow tank).
I was told that the engine had started an external "seep" a couple weeks ago. I asked/read around and it seems like some people recommend the conditioner and some don't saying it'll mess things up even more. But if it's in the manual, it's probably a good idea right? Do you think I should add a bottle of conditioner? I'd like to delay the HG repair as much as possible.
I'd say don't do it. Start saving up to repair the headgaskets the correct way and WATCH your temp gauge!
You can ask different people and get different opinions. I've had parts guys at the dealer recommend against the conditioner. But I think if you have the start of a leak, it might not hurt. But as phill said, start budgeting for the hg repair. It's inevitable on all 2.5 NA's until about the 08 or 09 models. Maybe not even until the 10s. It's not too expensive if you go to the right reputable shop.
Yeah I'm definitely gonna have to start saving some $$ right away (was quoted $2k by JM). If I could get another year out of it...maybe 2, I'd be done with school so that'd make it much easier on the wallet but I'm definitely aware of an inevitable HG failure so I guess that's a start
Good ol Turbo Tim's based on a couple referrals and their great reviews. They did give me a refund which covered the new bottle and most of the coolant so that was good. Don't plan on going back any time soon though.
Seems like one of those things that is so blatantly obviously, that it's hard to actually notice it missing. In any case, the hg failures suck, and it's a fact of life with older 2.5 NA subies. In the future when searching for used subies, ensure that the hg has already been replaced, and been replaced with the updated (or gasket from turbo motor I believe is good) gasket. Otherwise negotiate it down, or walk away. And for cost of repair, I thought you could get it done for closer to $1,500, but it depends on what else needs to be done. It can be a good time to do the clutch and timing belt job, which would add to the total.
You might always want to talk to NF, or Pat Doyle at DG auto repair and service. Pat did my new block install and he did an awesome job. Very clean shop, organized, and he was a former head mechanic at a subaru dealer. His prices are very reasonable. NF has done a lot of work for me in the past as well... Always good work and fair prices.
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely do my research before getting it done. Thankfully it isn't urgent so I should have some time. I spent quite some time searching for a car and it's hard to find a good Subaru that isn't way overpriced, especially in MN. I remember texting some people that had imprezas for sale with good prices that literally sold within the hour of posting the ad. Good thing no one was looking for a Saab