Radiator Fluid - Subaru special type and conditioner ???

[Dave_Mountain_Man]

Hey folks. As I work near a Subaru Dealership that is still in business unlike the gigantic, now abandoned Chevrolet / Hummer dealership nearby, I hit it up yesterday.

After I got finished drooling all over a newish Outback with a 6-speed manual (I sure would love one of those ... back to reality of living the California dream - SITKOM - single income, two kids, oppressive mortgage) I grabbed a gallon of the Subaru Radiator Fluid and the little bottle of the conditioner. I've used this a bit in the past but not all that often.

Are there any risks to switching to the Subaru fluids from the normal NAPA or Kraegen stuff? I know with some older cars, if you switch later in the car's life from conventional to synthetic oils, they can leak like crazy so I wanted to just ask if there is something similar here.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

David

p.s. They quoted me $3500 for a new transmission but that was for a mid-nineties Outback. That's more than the value of my whole car!

[green97gt]

yeah..subaru is pretty "proud" of there transmissions(aka they want alot of dollars)

i have never heard any issues with switching coolant/conditioner types in high mileage cars.

unlike the switching to synthetic issue, i tried it in my van, and every little leak that was there, turned into a big leak, switched back, everything is now a small leak again.

its not like it DAMAGES anything, it just makes small leaks known.

[Dave_Mountain_Man]

Thanks. Yes, that's what I've heard about the oil. It's doesn't hurt anything, it just leaks a lot.

OK. Well, I'll just do the radiator this weekend.

Cheers, David

[B's Legacy Wagon]

Hey i had been following this thread over on legacy GT.com maybe give you some ideas. i personally think i am going to spen the few extra bucks and get the OEM coolant and the special sauce/conditioner.... http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... 90389.html (http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/coolant-change-90389.html)

[Airgne]

dont use the conditioner unless you are a 3rd gen legacy. 3rd gens can get subaru to paay some cost when the headgaskets go out.

other than that the conditioner is just a blocker. it will clog passage ways. if you do have a 3rd gen have the dealer put it in. after that flush and install new coolant. i use amsoil coolant. i really like it. my cars runs about 3deg cooler than with the subaru coolqnt.

to answer your first question is no it will not hurt to change to subaru coolant.

[rougeben83]

any regular green ethylene glycol based coolant (not the pink "long life" stuff for GM/Fords/Mazdas) is fine. You can go with the OEM coolant if you want but not necessary. You can put some water wetter or other additive to increase the heat transferrance of the coolant if you want; either way the stock subaru cooling system is robust enough for n/a cars, if youre running hotter than normal its because something is mechanically wrong.