legacycentral bbs

Man it has been forever since I posted on here.

Hello guys This might have already been discussed elsewhere (and I hope I have posted in the correct section) but after searching I couldn't find it. What options are there for the radiator caps? Specifically, I would like to replace my cap (which I think is gone bad) with an Sti one. Would there be a difference? Are they compatible? I read that ours are 13lbs caps but can someone confirm that they are all standard that way and dont switch between models and years.

FYI my baiby is a 1991 Legacy RS.

Yup, get an STI OEM Subaru cap. Only cap you should use.

That I have to disagree with.

If your car is actually making enough horsepower that a lack of cooling system pressure is causing it to overheat (which I doubt), then yes, you need a high-pressure STi radiator cap.

But if you don't have that problem, then all a high-pressure radiator cap is going to do is put more stress on your cooling system (your radiator, radiator hoses, water pump gasket, etc.) and give you no other appreciable benefits.

If you're not having any problems with it now, don't replace it. If you are, replace it with a plain OEM Subaru radiator cap from the dealer.

I whole heartedly agree with Michael's recommendation above. There's no need to over-tax the cooling system by bumping up the pressures unless you need to.

My bad. I was told to use one and have been for a long time but my engine isn't stock so perhaps that was why.

The only reason to have a higher pressure cooling system cap is if you regularly exceed the boiling point of the pressurized water in your system. Higher pressure will raise the boiling point.

I would bet your engine would be just fine with a stock radiator cap too, Kimo.

I see. So I should go get an oem cap?

Thanx guys. Went to the dealer and got to see both. Noticed the difference in pressures in the caps so I took the stock one.also noticed that they look the same! Thought the sti one would look cooler

Got a bigger problem now though, my pals bl5 legacy just refused to start. I checked it out and the coolant and oil levels were low. Also found a small pool of coolant in the area behind the power steering pump!!! Car sounds like its turning over but slowly and won't pick! Any ideas, I am aware that this is the wrong place to post this but kinda needed to vent. Its out now

If its turning over slowly it could be something as simple as not enough voltage at the batterymake sure to top off all the liquids first.. You need about 12 volts to start your car.

Hey Kimo,

Thank you for the quick reply. Been going through your build thread for a while now (Thats a lot of pages but a whole lot of motivation). Got the service parts for my car and I will prolly be working on her this weekend plus doing the mesh grill mod. Can't wait.

As for the bl5, i finally got it sorted out. Had enough voltage so it wasn't that but after cooling down I figured the "weird" turn over was due to lack of compression. So got into it the next day, checking the timing mechanism and it had slipped two teeth!! The tensioner had failed (prolly during engine shut off) and most of the bearings were well worn. Picked those up from the dealer, did the timing and voila "She is alive". Lucky to have no damage to the valves . Feel so satisfied

Oh cool. Glad its fixed and I'm glad you like the build journal.