Changing A radiator?

[jjs316]

The other day i was driving across town and noticed my temp gauge was getting pretty high. started steaming out of the hood so i stopped and my car was pouring anti-freeze out the bottom. I got to looking at it and it appears that it is coming out the passenger side of the radiator. I didnt get to look at it much cause it was dark and there was hot anti-freeze pouring out of it.

I was just wondering that if it is the radiator, how hard is it going to be to change and what tools will i need? im up here at school so ill have to change it in the parking lot and i have to tell my friend to bring me the tools that i need from back home. Thanks

[Huffer]

A socket set and new hoses and clamps should be all that you will need.

It's fairly easy to change out the rad

[Reason]

It might be the head gaskets. Mine did that, plus my upper radiator hose exploded.

[jjs316]

It might be the head gaskets. Mine did that, plus my upper radiator hose exploded.


would that have anything to do with the coolant coming from the passengerside of the radiator though? all my hoses are still intact with no holes or dry rot or anything.

[Reason]

Where is it coming out? Maybe the radiator has a hole from corrosion and lost the coolant to cause the over heating.

[jjs316]

like i said, couldnt really look at it good due to it was night time and the hot coolant going all over the place, and today its pouring the rain, but it looked like it was coming from the passengerside towards the outside of the fins. thats why i was assuming there is just a hole in the radiator.

[Huffer]

Drain the radiator, pull the hoses off, chuck a water feed in the top inlet, run the water and see where it leaks.

[jjs316]

Anyone know exactly where the drain cock is?

Someone said that could be my problem but its pouring the rain so i was just going to run out there and check real fast if i knew exactly where it was...

[ProdriveDreams]

Your petcock will be on the bassenger side of the car, if you can get up underneath the car there will be a plastic splashguard in the corner which goes from the lower radiator support to the right side of the frame. The petcock is right above this on the rear part of the radiator. It has a little "wing nut" type screw, and a bleed nipple on the bottom. It would help if you remove the plastic piece. There is only one screw holding it on, if i remember correctly its in the passenger side wheel well or just next to it, look around there.

As far as tools youll need bring a real long phillips head screw driver and a stubby one if you got them. Might be nice to have a flat bladed screwdriver to for prying and if you have to get any new hoseclamps most new ones are not phillips head. Youll need a ratchet and a 10 and 12 milimeter socket and atleast one 3/8ths drive socket (The bleed plug at the top of the radiator on the passenger side will have a sqaure the same size as the ratchet head on a 3/8ths ratchet, assuming this is not an after market radiator. so use the socket to remove this plug before draining and filling.) additionally you will need something to drain collant into. that should be all the tools youll need. unless you have acess to a special radiator funnel called a "spillproof". if not, dont sweat it, it just makes bleeding the radiator easier.

As far as bleeding goes, since youll be doing this with the engine cold the thermostat will be closed. So remember that when it was run with low coolant its likely that a lot of air got into the block. After you fill the radiator run it with the radiator cap off till the fans come on. Once the fans are on you know that the thermostat has definitely opened. Likely you will get a bunch of bubbles when it does, keep topping off the coolant as this occurs. It also helps if you rev the engine a LITTLE bit and squeeze the uper radiator hose GENTLY. I say this because if you do either one hard coolant will shoot out the radiator filler neck. Just keep revving and squeezing till the bubbles stop then put the cap on run it for a minute and let it cool. Likely after it has cooled off a little more coolant will need to be added.

good luck! i just did this job myself and its not terribly difficult the upper radiator support bracket is really the only thing holding the radiator in, the bottom has two little nipples that fit into bushings in the frame. Take your time and keep hose clamps around as these old ones like to rust and then break when you try to remove them(Dont worry if the new hose clamps are different from the old ones, the screw type ones work just fine). P'Blaster is your best friend here!

You should have seen my radiator, its a miracle my car drove AT ALL. Especially considereing i was driving it everyday over 175 miles with 5th gear broken on the highway doing like 65-70, in the middle of the summer while its like 85-95 degrees here. and it would RARELY overheat. Granted my A/C wouldnt work most of the time, but the car drove. Quite a testament to subaru's ability to run while severely crippled.

[jjs316]

How much coolant should i put in it once i go to refill it?

[ProdriveDreams]

as much as it takes. Even when you drain it there will be coolant in the blcok that doesnt drain out. Its nearly impossible to ever fully drain a coolant system. It should take less than one premixed gallon of antifreeze though. If you want to play it safe get one undiluted gallon and mix it 50/50 with water yourself.

[jjs316]

Got around to taking it out today, there is a crack in the passengerside tank of it....

[jjs316]

Anyone have to get a radiator for their BD here lately? It seems as if they are changing all the radiators to fit both an auto and a manual. My car is a manual, but the radiator i can get for it has an oil cooler built in, Do you think this would hurt anything? ive tried getting one from a couple different places now but they all have this oil cooler (2 extra taps coming out). they all tell me i would just leave those unhooked and it would work. anyone got any info on this? Thanks

[Huffer]

you'd be fine. The universal replacements have an Auto Transmission Cooler built into it. The coolant doesn't go into the AT cooler section, it just cools the AT in/out lines.

[oskar_subaru]

my outback did this when the HG went, it just started building up pressure in the water system and finaly blew out one side of the radiator...

[jjs316]

it seems to be fine now, no over heating or anything. So i doubt it is my headgaskets. They were changed right before i bought the car about 10,000 miles ago maybe.