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Old 07-04-2005, 01:51 PM   #1
subaruwrx420
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Default Coolant question- searched but no answer

Hello all. I have been reading now for a couple of hours and after doing a search for "coolant;" I and cannot find an answer.

Here it is: My dad was cheking under the hood and noticed the overflow tank is slightly below the "low" mark. Apparently, one needs the Subaru additive when changing the coolant and it seems that the OEM coolant is the best. Should I just top it off with OEM coolant and some additive...or just coolant and no additive...or just change all the coolant, including the additive...or just leave it alone. There are no visible leaks and the car is no overheating in any way. My car has about 23K and I have never changed the coolant. I also heavily autocross the car at least once a month.

Also my mods are UP, DP, exhaust, radiator shroud, STI radiator caps on the radiator and resoviour(sp?) thing near the turbo, K&N filter, and intake silencer removal...well, and suspension, but that is not relevant here.

Thank you everyone for the help.
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Old 07-05-2005, 02:05 AM   #2
RexyGirl
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with mods :)

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You should just be able to top it off with either coolant (OEM) or water, depending on where you live...(climate)

You only need the additive when you flush the system, which is not due on your car until 30,000 miles. ( Seeing you auto cross, you might want to change it sooner. )

Make sure when you check the level of the coolant you are :
1. Reading the correct mark. There is a high mark and a low mark
2. Make sure the car has cooled down some so the coolant has a chance to flow back into the bottle
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Old 07-05-2005, 02:11 AM   #3
eltrouble
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You can simply fill it back up with coolant, you won't need to worry about the coolant additive until you do the full flush, as it already comes from the factory when the car is built.

But when you do the coolant flush, typically it's 1 gallon of coolant, 0.98 gallon of deionized water (distilled water will do), and add the entire bottle of Subaru coolant conditioner in there. Purge the system of bubbles and add in some more water/coolant.

And as previously mentioned, since the car sees a lot of autoX days, you might want to do your maintenance services a bit earlier than 30k. Oh btw, you really should remove the STi radiator cap from above the radiator, that thing is known to cause some serious leaks in the coolant system down the road. It's perfectly fine to leave it on the reservoir above the turbo, but not on the radiator itself...unless you have an STi of course. Our aluminimum cooling systems can't handle the extra pressure with the STi caps.
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Old 07-05-2005, 09:10 PM   #4
subaruwrx420
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Default

rexygirl & eltrouble...thanks for your answers. I'll pick up some OEM coolant and top it off. The fluid was definately below the "low" mark and my dad checked it in the morning after the car sat all night. Perhaps I should do the 30K service at around 26K or something. I have been running Mobile 1 since about 15K and changed to Redline synthetic transmission fluid at around the same time, but I think it was the heavy version of the Redline. Perhaps I can fill it with some water since I am in South Florida and it's summer time.

rexygirl...I see you are in the Hurrinace capital of the world...where do you live?

eltrouble...the radiator cap was damaged when I took it off, can I use the cap that was on reservoir on the radiator or should I pick up a new one?

Does any one want a used STI radiator cap?

Thanks again everyone.
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Old 07-05-2005, 09:58 PM   #5
RexyGirl
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with mods :)

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[quote=subaruwrx420]
rexygirl...I see you are in the Hurrinace capital of the world...where do you live?
QUOTE]


In Orlando, technically Kissimmee, 4 miles from the entrance to Disney. We got hit with 3 out of the 4 hurricanes last year and that's only because Ivan went into the panhandle. About 30 miles from hear is where 2 or 3 of the hurricanes crossed in the same piece of land. (not at the same time of course)
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Old 07-05-2005, 10:35 PM   #6
subaruwrx420
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Wow...that sucks. I lived in Gainesville at the time and got hit with 2/4 storms...well, we still felt the effects of the third, excluding Ivan of course. I lost power for one week the first time and then for 4 days the second time. Now I'm in South Florida and there is that tropical storm near Haiti(sp?). Oh well...
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Old 07-06-2005, 12:39 AM   #7
RexyGirl
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Sent you a PM
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Old 07-06-2005, 01:07 AM   #8
eltrouble
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaruwrx420
rexygirl & eltrouble...thanks for your answers. I'll pick up some OEM coolant and top it off. The fluid was definately below the "low" mark and my dad checked it in the morning after the car sat all night. Perhaps I should do the 30K service at around 26K or something. I have been running Mobile 1 since about 15K and changed to Redline synthetic transmission fluid at around the same time, but I think it was the heavy version of the Redline. Perhaps I can fill it with some water since I am in South Florida and it's summer time.

rexygirl...I see you are in the Hurrinace capital of the world...where do you live?

eltrouble...the radiator cap was damaged when I took it off, can I use the cap that was on reservoir on the radiator or should I pick up a new one?

Does any one want a used STI radiator cap?

Thanks again everyone.

Sounds like a good plan, glad we could help.

The STi cap on the reservoir above the turbo is perfectly fine. The danger is when you put the STi cap on the radiator cap on the radiator itself...the increased pressure in the system can lead to leaks. So at best, get a OEM radiator cap on the radiator, STi cap on the reservoir above the turbo. But keep in mind that this makes the STi cap ineffective on the cooling system, it's just bling, but hey! If you've got it, you might as well use it.
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Old 07-06-2005, 07:23 AM   #9
BlackEyeII
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Default Water

Water is more effective at cooling the engine. You want a certain amount of additive in the system to fight corrosion, but in Florida you should run a high ratio of water. I run an 80-20 split. 80% water + 20 percent additive + Redline Water Wetter.

Forgetting about all that, in the future I would just top it off with water.

<HijackWarning>Since I am a recent Floridian transplant are there any good roads at ALL in this state? Help! I am having serious california withdrawls...

These are from my weekend drives, not a staged picture just a shot from the side of the road.


and on the same drive...
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Old 07-06-2005, 04:19 PM   #10
eltrouble
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^^ those are glooorious pictures. are those californian roads or florida roads?
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Old 07-06-2005, 05:51 PM   #11
specialev
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I drove my car home from Fresno when I bought it. On the way I drove through the Shasta mountain range on I-5 during sunrise on a cloudless morning. What an unbelieveable drive. I also did it at a high ROS with very little brakes. It was very agreeable and I would recommend it to anyone.
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Old 07-06-2005, 06:13 PM   #12
subaruwrx420
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BlackEyeII...HOLY CRAP!! That is an awsome road. I have not found one like that here in Florida but if I do, I will let everyone know...thanks for the advise by the way...I'm gonna get some deionized water and top it off.

eltrouble...thanks for the advise again...I have read that those STI caps on the radiator could be trouble...although I have it on there for several months now with no trouble...but hey, I'd rather be preventative than reactive...then again, if the raditor goes then it's just an excuse to get something better

Damn that road looks most entertaining.

rexygirl...never got a PM from you.
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Old 07-06-2005, 06:51 PM   #13
BlackEyeII
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Default California?

Quote:
Originally Posted by eltrouble
^^ those are glooorious pictures. are those californian roads or florida roads?
California...
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Old 07-06-2005, 06:57 PM   #14
eltrouble
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaruwrx420
BlackEyeII...HOLY CRAP!! That is an awsome road. I have not found one like that here in Florida but if I do, I will let everyone know...thanks for the advise by the way...I'm gonna get some deionized water and top it off.

eltrouble...thanks for the advise again...I have read that those STI caps on the radiator could be trouble...although I have it on there for several months now with no trouble...but hey, I'd rather be preventative than reactive...then again, if the raditor goes then it's just an excuse to get something better

Damn that road looks most entertaining.

rexygirl...never got a PM from you.
No problem, yeah they can be trouble, and frankly they don't provide any performance improvement over the OEM caps, so no real point in having them unless you have an STi. But the radiator is PERFECTLY fine for the WRX, but yeah..if you do get a new radiator, you can't go wrong with Fluidyne.
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Old 07-06-2005, 06:59 PM   #15
WimpWgn
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Just use water.
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Old 11-17-2005, 04:59 PM   #16
409Industries
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackEyeII
California...
It has to be california... you need hills to have roads like that, and i know theres not many in in Florida.

On the topic of the low coolant. Since you live where it probably never gets below freezing, you'd be fine just adding distilled water to bring your coolant level up into the normal level.
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