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Old 01-21-2012, 05:09 PM   #1
tdedmon
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Member#: 236673
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region: South East
Location: Atalnta, GA
Vehicle:
2011 Impreza OBS
OBP

Default 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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Old 01-21-2012, 08:00 PM   #2
flash02
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Member#: 78916
Join Date: Jan 2005
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Elizabeth City NC
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2002 WRX
PSM

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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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Old 01-21-2012, 08:03 PM   #3
flash02
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PSM

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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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Old 01-21-2012, 11:56 PM   #4
Pinned
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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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Old 01-22-2012, 10:35 AM   #5
billzebub
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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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Old 01-24-2012, 11:07 AM   #6
tdedmon
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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.
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Old 01-24-2012, 11:13 AM   #7
bfedorov14
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EWG

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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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Old 01-27-2012, 01:16 PM   #8
Ernest
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Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: Rockland County, NY
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2004 Stg 2 wagon AT
16 BRZ. Both silver

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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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Old 01-29-2012, 03:34 AM   #9
Uncle Scotty
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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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