Check the cooling system for leaks. The coolant light might of came on because there was no coolant in the engine. The first thing you should do is lift you car up or something and put some card board or something under the engine of the car so you can see where the coolant drops from. Find the leak. When the coolant leaked out of your car your engine heated up because it needs coolant to cool down so this cause the engine temperature to increase. Another thing that could happen is that your headgaskets might be failing. If your headgaskets fail the engine sucks in air through the cyclinder and the air will be inside of your cooling system (the pipes and everything else) which will push the coolant out if there is no room. If your coolant spills out while the engine is still hot after driving this might be the problem. If your engine is cooled down and you put coolant in and it pours right back out then you might have a leak. If it doesn't leak right away when you fill it up then drive your car around until the engine gets kind of hot and see if coolant spills out then. If it does then this means the engine was sucking in air out of the wrong hole and the air is pushing out the coolant which means it is probably your head gasket. Also when your headgasket leaks your coolant might "bubble". This is because the air bubbles are escaping. The only other thing left that you should check is if your radiator is working and if your cooling fans are working because sometimes if the coolant gets too hot it might be because they are not working. Do a leak down test to make sure your headgaskets are leaking. But before all that look under the car and see where the coolant is pouring out from.
Hello. I purchased a1998 Subaru Legacy Outback the other day. Test drove it, etc. Quiet engine, no smoking, Smooth gear shifting, accelerated accordingly. New radiator, new water pump, brakes and timing belt. Drove it home approx 30 miles... Car lost power and stalled . Thermostat was 'H'. Got coolant and oil. Added coolant..leaked out the front. Does it sound like the head gasket can be an issue? Are there any signs (other than the leaking coolant ) that could have alerted me?