legacycentral bbs

I had something rather weird happen this morning.

I got to work, and went to arm the alarm, and it gave me a 4-beep warning signal......it does this when the alarm is armed and not all the input sensors are ready.

I tracked the issue down to the hood pin connector. I don't have it connected right now, but the reason it was goin nuts was because there was coolant spewed all over the passenger side of the engine bay. It's like it just sprayed the hell out of everything on that side....including the bottom side of the hood.

I went out during lunch....and can't for the life of me figure out what is going on. It was not dripping when I went out there......coolant level was down a little, and the overflow tank was low. I topped it off with water.

I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on things on my way home and see what happens.

Anyone have anything remotely similar happen to them?

The only thing I can think of is the body shop damaged the radiator when they were fixing their bumper screw up. That or the radiator just sprung a leak or something......I don't have a clue.......

sounds like you have a pin hole puncture in a hose. it probably is only spraying a mist when your at high speed etc (anywhere but idle). Definately check it out more closely before you get stuck with a blown hose.

Mike

I've got a coolant leak as well. I replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses roughly 6 months ago. I think the coolant is coming out somewhere on the drivers side near the bottom of the radiator. I still have yet to track it down, but it's on my list of things to do.

-Brian

Check this out http://pub1.ezboard.com/fultimatesubaru ... 6831.topic

That may be my problem.......I need to get a pressure tester and see if I can find out where the leak is.

Where can I get a pressure tester? My mechanic buddy keeps saying I need one to pinpoint where the leak is coming from. Any ideas?

-Brian

Well I just went around to three parts stores.....autozone had one for rent.......not sure if it'll even work....cause it's for the larger US radiator cap.

Another place had one for sale....but at 125 bucks......no thanks.

I had that problem too... It was split on the passanger side at the top... I took care of that with some marine type JB Weld! I am notorious for "Ghetto Rigging" my car and this is just another case. I understand the risk involved with having such a repair. It could start to leak again any day now and leave me stranded on a deserted stretch of road, but it hasn't leaked for over a year now... and i've got quite a bit of water in my trunk. but yeah... if you have the $130 for a new radiator, i would just get a new one... but right now i've got an extra $130 that I didn't have to spend on a new radiator!!!

Yup, that's exactly where it's leaking.

I borrowed a pressure tester today.

I'm just goin to buy a new radiator.....goin to call a place on monday.


Wonder why they leak at that spot.......seems really weird.

I can't even see any JB weld in that picture. Could someone circle it for me or explain it a little better? I think the turbos have different radiators as well, which could make tracking down my leak a little more complicated. Josh, what do I need to look for in regards to a pressure tester? I'll probably have to rent one as I don't know anyone that has one.

-Brian

i outlined it for you...

Don't feel bad Brian, I was having trouble seeing it too, but didn't want to say anything.

Mike

Thanks for the extra effort! Much appreciated! I still need to figure out what kind of pressure tester I need to find the leak. Hopefully Josh can shed some light on the subject for me

-Brian

What you need is one of these guys

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/TTW388.html scroll down towards the bottom....you'll see the testers.

You just need to get an adapter to fit the radiator fitting, pressure up the system to about 10-15 psi, and you should see coolant coming out and/or air hissing.

More info to throw in here......I've been debating over using the copper/brass radiator over the aluminum.

The stock aluminum radiator runs about 300 bucks. Copper/brass runs $115. Price wise...copper/brass has aluminum by a long shot.

However the corrosion issue between dissimilar metals ie. aluminum & brass has the potential to cause problems in the long run. Yes with proper up-keep of the coolant system, it shouldn't be bad......but I just had a bad feeling about things.

edit: autoparts store on the net, carpartswholesale.com shipped me a copper/brass radiator.....it's not aluminum.....despite the fact they told me it was. To their credit, they are fully refunding my money, and paying for shipping back to them.

Did some more searching, found a very knowledgable and extremely helpful place.

The name is Trans Pac Motor Parts. You can call them at 1-800-922-1983. Don is the one who helped me. Extremely nice/helpful guy.

Here's their page http://tpmpinc.com/

The aluminum radiator ran me $175, which isn't bad. Brand is koyo.

Josh, just to clarify, was this radiator aluminum? Also, was that $175 with shipping? Their site shows the radiators at like $300 or so

-Brian

i purchased my radiator from performance radiator 2 years ago. haven't had an issue - ever.[/url]

Damn, that one's $340 for my little turbo .

-Brian

yes,

it was aluminum. I don't remember if that price was with shipping or not. Shipping don't cost much, if it's not.

The prices on their site are just suggested retail. Call them if you want the actual price.

I just ordered a radiator from PerformanceRadiator.com and it was only $243. That included shipping as well. Their site listed $338 which also included shipping, but I just called them and acted like I hadn't even seen the online price. They said it is aluminum with plastic endtanks. Thanks for the advice guys We'll see how it goes.

-Brian

As I mentioned in my earlier thread, I got mine for 175 and it's aluminum with plastic end tanks.....

I know, but the Turbo radiators are thicker and more expensive.

-Brian

did you get a quote from the place I got mine? was it the same?

I didn't. I just wrote them an email to check it out though. The radiator that I'm getting is aluminum wiht plastic endtanks as well though. Not sure on the brand. I'll let you know when it gets here.

-Brian

Apparently Leggy's all let go there, eventually. I had owned mine two days and a crack opened up right at that spot and dripped stinking green coolant all over my driveway
(SH!T, methinks, let the $pending begin !). The radiator shop boss that replaced the plastic end tank on my car says they do roughly 10-14 legacy's A WEEK! His advice was that because the hose from the engine joins at the back of that tank, when the thermostat opens the front wall of the tank goes from ambient temp to approx 90 degrees C (200F) virtually instantaneously, and after 12-13 years and thousands of temperature (and pressure) cycles they finally crack and let go. The RHS (as you stand and look at the engine) is much less prone to failure, apparently, cause the temp climb through the core is much less severe. So to all you BC-BF owners who haven't replaced your Rad's or LHS end tank be aware, this is VERY COMMON.

So...I got the one from Performance Radiator. It's a Koyo, just like the one Josh got. It was $243 with shipping included from Reno. Performance Radiator has a bunch of locations, so it should be the same price no matter where you're located. The place that Josh suggested wanted $250 plus shipping (not sure how much that'd be). So it looks like Performance Radiator is the place to go to get your new Radiator. I'll be putting it in this week as I haven't had much free time lately.

-Brian