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01-21-2012, 05:09 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 236673
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Atalnta, GA
Vehicle:2011 Impreza OBS OBP |
cooling system upgrade...overkill?
Hey guys,
My '02 WRX wagon was overheating recently, and I am going to have to do some work on it and replace the thermostat. The car has 177k miles on it so I figure as long as i'm in there I might as well upgrade the cooling system with new silicone hoses, radiator, ancillary hoses etc. My logic is that with that many miles, the stock hoses and such are not far away from dry rotting and rather than chase problems around for the next year or so I should just nip everything in the bud. Is this overkill? Should I just leave well enough alone and save my money for real problems that are around the corner? Oh and here is the really stupid question: do I run the risk of making my cooling system too efficient for my stock motor? Thanks for your help guys. I'm not really looking at modding the car too extensively, I just want to make it bulletproof so that it will last forever, and I figure preventative maintenance is the best way to do this.
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01-21-2012, 08:00 PM | #2 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 78916
Join Date: Jan 2005
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Elizabeth City NC
Vehicle:2002 WRX PSM |
177k, you should have done a timing belt change already, have you? Any Subaru mechanic worth a dam will change the water pump and thermostat along with the tensioner and idlers when changing the timing belt. One of the radiator tanks could be cracked, you may have air in the system, leaking hoses or you may have a head gasket issue. The stock radiator and thermostat, unless clogged or damaged works very well. Check everything before spending too much on a radiator and thermostat. Unless you live in a very cold climate and or go with a much lower thermostat don't worry about the radiator keeping the engine to cold.
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01-21-2012, 08:03 PM | #3 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 78916
Join Date: Jan 2005
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Elizabeth City NC
Vehicle:2002 WRX PSM |
Oh and forced induction and bullet proof don't really go hand and hand....although my 02 WRX has over 160k on the clock and she is solid. Your idea of just taking care of the car and staying on top of the worn parts is a smart way to own a car.
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01-21-2012, 11:56 PM | #4 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 152707
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Western MA
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It's not a bad idea to do that work, especially if you plan on keeping the car after the motor inevitably goes.
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01-22-2012, 10:35 AM | #5 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 40248
Join Date: Jul 2003
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Asheville, NC
Vehicle:2003 WRX Midnight Pearl (black) |
If you haven't blown a stock radiator yet, I don't see any harm in replacing that bad boy. Its days are numbered.
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01-24-2012, 11:07 AM | #6 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 236673
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Atalnta, GA
Vehicle:2011 Impreza OBS OBP |
Well the engine itself was rebuilt about 35k ago so I know the seals gaskets etc are fine. When i changed the oil there wasn't a milkshake of fluid in the engine. And it turns out it wasn't so much a coolant leak as the replacement coolant reservoir couldn't take the pressure of the system and it was blowing the coolant out. Now that I've figured out the problem I think I will save my money for a rainier day. But thanks for your input everyone.
Yeah I know bulletproof is a silly word to use, but I did learn from my last wrx that a little extra money/ work now will save mucho heartache later. |
01-24-2012, 11:13 AM | #7 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 208058
Join Date: Apr 2009
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Norwalk, CT
Vehicle:2005 WRB STi EWG |
When my radiator busted on my 05 STi, i decided to replace everything with the best parts so that i wouldnt worry about anything coolant related for another 30k.
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01-27-2012, 01:16 PM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 45076
Join Date: Oct 2003
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Rockland County, NY
Vehicle:2004 Stg 2 wagon AT 16 BRZ. Both silver |
30K? Original parts on entire cooling system (other than fluids) for 84K and 9 years - no issues. Just did timing belt, water pump thermo, idlers etc. Hoses looked fine. I will replace when I do stock radiator at 100K or so.
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01-29-2012, 03:34 AM | #9 |
*** Banned ***
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:OK buy Nates beans westcoastroasting.com |
my 06 wrx...bought NOV05... has almost 90k and all stock cooling system
but im not holding my breath on it, either |
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