[MikeoftheMikes]

TL;DR: Engine is overheating after installing Mishimoto intercooler hoses.

Hey guys,

Yesterday a friend and I installed new Intercooler hoses on the 2006 Forester XT. I took it out for a spin, and everything seemed ok. No more boost leak. I took it out for another ride about 10 mins later, and noticed the thermostat was going past the mid-section once I drove down my street. I did the crawl back home, and by the time I parked, the gauge had hit the red zone.

Today, I take a look and examine my work and tried to figure out what was going on. All the hoses look fine. I see nothing wrong. I tried burping the system from the expansion tank on top just in case, but it didn't fix the issue.

What could have happened? I have only had the car for a couple hundred miles, so I don't have much history on this thing.

Some other factoids:

• Radiator and thermostat replaced about 2K miles ago. Coolant was replaced with unknown brand.
• Lower radiator hose leaks slowly - I was going to replace this today actually.
• Head gaskets seem ok. I don't detect bubbling in the coolant, the engine oil looks like engine oil, there is no oil leak under the engine,
• Radiator fans turn on right away once the car starts, and engine is cool.
• Engine only starts overheating while being driven, almost as soon as I seem to put it in gear.
• Engine cools down pretty quickly once I park and idle.

Some theories:

• Turbo is overheating for some reason
• I "broke" the intercooler

What do?

 

[Jah2mon]

Double check for any pinch lines or leaks.

 

[MikeoftheMikes]

Double check for any pinch lines or leaks.

Apparently I ran out of coolant in the top reservoir. I added about half a pint and now the engine is doing just fine. The strange thing is that I had checked this earlier in the week, and it was good. I should be changing out the radiator hose tomorrow morning, so hopefully the long term fix will do the trick!