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Hey everybody, I was driving down 95 on friday night and my car started smoking BADLY* out of the rear. I pulled over in stafford and opened my hood and there was a large hole that i realized had been patched on the underside of the Top Radiator hose by the previous owner i am guessing. The Radiator was also spewing coolant all down the side and the bottom has a huge hole in it and leaked every last drop of coolant out. I purchased a new radiator and silicon hoses for the upper and bottom but when i took my car to subaru for a check up they filled my coolant breather tank with coolant. Is this supposed to be filled? If so i never knew about this and i am just worried because i dont want any more problems any time soon. Any info appreciated! Thanks

How full is the overflow tank?

If it is more than half full.... probably overfilled.

Is the rest of the coolant system properly filled?

I am not sure exactly what is properly filled, i always filled my overlow tank to the line that says "F" and then the radiator i have never filled because subaru always filled it during check ups and tune ups... Since i am about to install the new radiator tomorrow or thursday, is there any specifics i should know to fill the radiator? Like water filling and coolant filling? just wondering

Here is a link to the Subaru factory PDFs for flushing the coolant system. It should show you everything you need to know about fill points and drain points.

FYI, if it is over full, when your car gets in some hot weather, the excess will just over flow a little onto the ground As long as it's on F though, you probably won't over flow it.

Quick Question, i installed my new radiator yesterday, I run about 180 degrees on the highway which is excellent but when i sit at a red light for more than a minute my temperature goes up to about 126-132, what could be the problem? all the hoses are brand new silicon hoses as well... I dont like the car getting hot like this so what can i do to fix the problem? 50/50 mix was used with subaru genuine long life coolant and distilled water. I just dont understand, my old radiator ran a constant 210 on highway or in city!

Sabre wrote:FYI, if it is over full, when your car gets in some hot weather, the excess will just over flow a little onto the ground As long as it's on F though, you probably won't over flow it.

Ding! If there is excess coolant, the car knows what to do with it. It's better if it happens on the freeway than in your garage, though.

02SilverWRX wrote:Quick Question, i installed my new radiator yesterday, I run about 180 degrees on the highway which is excellent but when i sit at a red light for more than a minute my temperature goes up to about 126-132, what could be the problem? all the hoses are brand new silicon hoses as well... I dont like the car getting hot like this so what can i do to fix the problem? 50/50 mix was used with subaru genuine long life coolant and distilled water. I just dont understand, my old radiator ran a constant 210 on highway or in city!

My guess is air bubbles in the coolant lines.

yeah there was definitely air in the lines so i burped the system again and now i run 185 average anywhere. I am thinking about upgrading to a 160 or 170 degree thermostat. Which is the best route to go and which brands are better than others?

In short... there's no need unless you are regularly tracking the car, or you're making more than 500awhp.

OEM is more than fine for now. Promise.

Save your money for other things.