Radiator/hoses etc

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stiglogic
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Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

I was looking to upgrade my cooling system and found that the GDA/GDB WRX stuff almost works, except for the placement of a few hoses. The most inconvenient being the top rad hose, which is in the center on the WRX. After looking some more it appears that the GC8 aluminum rads as well as the hoses are very similar. Anyone use these? I would like to have a full aluminum rad and silicon hoses throughout the engine bay.
cj91legss
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by cj91legss »

It seems alot of fellow board members are having some serious problems with all aluminum radiators. It's been recommended to just stick with an OEM turbo legacy radiator.

As far as hoses, If you want to go with silicone make sure you stay with a reputable brand. Yes most of the GC8 stuff will work.
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
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93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
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stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

Any reason why people have problems? Short of bad installation, I can't imagine a larger, higher quality radiator would cause a problem. Were people forgetting to compensate for the additional volume?
mike-tracy
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by mike-tracy »

No, it is poor build quality of the Koyo's and Mishimotos. If you have concerns about your current radiator, a brand new oem one will, at this point, outlast your car and have more cooling capacity than anyone on this forum could utilize (now that I said that, I'm sure someone will prove me wrong ;)). The SS radiator is the same part as the JDM GC8 STI/WRX use.

Legacy777 has close to 300whp on an NA radiator.

-Mike (former owner of an aftermarket koyo radiator that failed)
1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
cj91legss
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by cj91legss »

search for the koyo radiator failure
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
92 SS Prefaced, GD dash swapped, 22T/205 Hybrid 20 psi - BEAST!
93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
94 TW Bone Stock Gone!
91 SS 4EAT Sold!
98 LGT 4EAT
98 LGT Wagon 4EAT
PhyrraM
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by PhyrraM »

As far as hoses go, most of them will cross with a '92-'96 Impreza WRX. A silicon kit meant for a '92-'96 WRX (Version 1 or Version 2) will work. Not all the hoses on the manifold, but for the radiator and heater hoses.
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Legacy777
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by Legacy777 »

Yeah, to give you an idea, I had been running the non-turbo radiator in Houston, TX (HOT ass summers) without any cooling issues.

Since I couldn't upgrade to a turbo legacy radiator (it's taller and I would have to cut out the lower radiator support) I found out that the 2nd gen Legacies with a 2.5 liter engine had a dual pass radiator that was the same dimensions as the first gen Legacy non-turbo radiator.

This thread has more info if you're interested.
http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48162
Josh

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1990 Legacy (AWD, 6MT, & EJ22T Swap)
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stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

So is this true of all aluminum radiators, or just the koyo?
mike-tracy
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by mike-tracy »

1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

Alright, I read through all of that, and so koyo is definitely out. I would assume that even using another brand from another model would fail as well? There is an 02 WRX in the garage(not mine) that has some ebay knockoff aluminum radiator in it, and it has worked fine for a few years. What exactly makes these cars so prone to destroying aftermarket radiators?
kimokalihi
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by kimokalihi »

Its not the car is the companies that make the aftermarket radiators. Why is it you want to upgrade the radiator? As has been said already, the stock unit works very well, even heavily modded under harsh conditions.

The silicone hose upgrade is great but make sure you use tbolt clamps and not crappy auto store clamps because they're tear up your nice silicone. I have gc8 silicone radiator hoses and they're excellent and last forever.
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stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

I'm in the middle of a 5 speed swap, and the auto rad needs to go
Legacy777
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by Legacy777 »

There's absolutely no reason to swap the radiator unless it's bad.

Pull the AT cooler lines out of the car, clean out the AT cooler lines with some brake cleaner and cover them with a rubber cap.
Josh

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1990 Legacy (AWD, 6MT, & EJ22T Swap)
2020 Outback Limted XT

If you need to get a hold of me please email me rather then pm
stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

Theoretically, could I run oil through the AT cooler section as a sort of make shift oil cooler?
Legacy777
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by Legacy777 »

Yeah, I think you could do that.
Josh

surrealmirage.com/subaru
1990 Legacy (AWD, 6MT, & EJ22T Swap)
2020 Outback Limted XT

If you need to get a hold of me please email me rather then pm
cj91legss
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by cj91legss »

It could prove to be inconvenient at times tho. Like if you need to replace the radiator again in the future or if you pull the engine out.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
92 SS Prefaced, GD dash swapped, 22T/205 Hybrid 20 psi - BEAST!
93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
94 TW Bone Stock Gone!
91 SS 4EAT Sold!
98 LGT 4EAT
98 LGT Wagon 4EAT
kimokalihi
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by kimokalihi »

Its unecessary so why go to the trouble?
98 Metro Hatch Daily Driver :)
91 SS EJ20G Engine/Tranny/Diff Swap Build Thread Here
"Your testes are close to your bottom but you still play with them all the time." Jeremy Clarkson
stiglogic
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Re: Radiator/hoses etc

Post by stiglogic »

I've run oil coolers in almost all of my cars. I usually have it right before the oil feed in to the turbo.
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