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hi, i am having overheating problems with my 1999 impreza rx,
it is fine when continuously driving but then when it comes to start and stopping the temp guage starts to rise right before my eyes, the fans work fine, i rev the car and about 20 seconds later the temp guage falls to the normal half way mark, not sure if the is air in the cooling system because today i changed the radiator, i have also changed the thermostat and the problem still persists, the thaughts i am left with are faulty water pump or if i am wrong correct me, an internal leak which will result in head gasket ??

Is your coolant discoloured or bubbling? If not then it's probably not a headgasket.

Is the thermo fan on the radiator switching on? It should turn on well before your temp gauge starts moving towards 3/4.

i do recall seeing bubbleing in the overflow, and the overflow overflows, but no discolouring
i have checked the oil cap and oil dip stick but the oil seems fine
the fans do work, the first fan kicks in when the temp is at the normal half way mark and then the second one kicks in at about 3/4 i suppose, but both fans are definetalty working

sounds like air in the cooling system.

make sure all the hoses are okay, theres a whole bunch of small water pipes under the throttle body which are pretty prone to getting pin prick holes (making them extremely hard to spot as the water can evaporate instantly) have a look for any kind of wet spots or a hot sweet smell which is what burning coolant smells like.

your car is at the age where its not uncommon for afew hoses to need replacement.

alex