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OEM Rad or better

3K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  pzr2874 
#1 ·
Well my suby has 160k on the clock. her Radiator is leaking like a SOB on the top and i need to replace it. advance auto is failing me hardcore with not even apparantly having my car in there system (i call BS)

long story short i need a new radiator oem or better doesnt matter. to be clear i have a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan. 2.0 with turbo. manual gearbox if that matters. the plat eont he car says it was manufactured in Mar 01 (which makes it one of the early wrx i think)

some guy mentioned that they had different rads throught out the years and im confused. something about a cap on the rad itself.


PLEASE point me inthe right direction. this is my only car and i need it for work and school. school being an hour south of me. i cant afford to be out of my car for much longer


sorry if its in the wrong section i figure a radiator is bolt on so yea....
 
#3 ·
Mishimoto radiators are good.

ARC, Blitz, Fluidyne, Gimmick Motorsports, Griffin, Koyo, and PWR are also some popular radiator companies that you might want to do some research on before you buy one.

If you choose to buy a stock replacement radiator, you probably want to avoid using an aftermarket radiator cap. Reason being, the endcaps on the stock radiator are plastic and if you increase the pressure in the system, you increase the boiling point of the fluid and the plastic endcaps have been known to crack. If you want to use an aftermarket radiator cap, you should probably buy an aftermarket radiator that has metal endcaps and is made to hold the extra pressure.

Also, it is recommended that you use a bottle of Subaru's Coolant System Conditioner as well as Subaru OEM coolant, although you could probably get away with using whatever kind of coolant you want as long as it complies with the recommended type in your owner's manual or it's a universal coolant that claims to be able to mix with anything. Also, a cooling system additive such as Redline's Waterwetter, Royal Purple's Purple Ice, etc. is also a good thing to use.

If you haven't already checked it out, this link contains some more great info about your cooling system: Cooling System FAQ: Read if you want coolant information! - NASIOC
 
#5 ·
well i have combed oevr most of the city junkyards today trying to find a a suby. i found many. all 2.2 , 2.5, 1.8 - no 2.0

does anyone know if the radiator from one of those will work for my suby? i know mine has the OG version 1 since it was made in March 01
 
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