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do i need subaru coolant?

181K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  JesusoChristo 
#1 ·
or can i go to napa or autozone for some coolant?
 
#8 ·
The subaru coolant only cost about $10 more so I would use it just to be safe even though it is probably the same as others.You should be safe as long as you defenantly use the subaru cooling system conditioner.Also better use distilled water.The conditioner and distilled water prevent corosion, thats why they are important.
 
#12 ·
Dude anything off the shelf is good. Though brands differ slighty in solution Coolant is essentially two things, distilled water (free of minerals that cause corosion) and a conditioner (to better control temp/ maintain purity). Whether or not you decide to put them in seperately or buy them premixed from Subaru or Discount auto parts THEY ARE THE SAME THING. Coolant performance only becomes relevant in high horsepower applications. Think about it, the cooling system has only ONE moving part (the pump) so whats the need for all the additives? In my opinion buying high performance coolant is like getting high performance wipers or something...
 
#13 ·
Not all coolants are the same at all, you never ever want to put Dex Cool in a system that came with the standard "Green" coolant. There are many types of engine coolant, colors range from the old standard green to the new blue coolant in the new Mercedes and BMW cars. All engine coolants help guard against corrosion and over heating if maintained properly. Some of the main differences between the green coolant and the newer mixes is the chemicals made to create the coolant. The new Red, Blue and Yellow coolants are more environmentally friendly and designed to last longer between services. All engine coolants are highly toxic and should be kept away from animals. You should not mix the different coolant types, if your engine came with red coolant then you should add red coolant only.

The manufacturers of Dexcool (red) have had a problem with the coolant lasting as long as it should, depending on the climate and driving conditions the coolant can decompose causing coolant passage blockage in the radiator and engine block.
 
#16 ·
what is the flaky shark chum looking stuff in it ?
The conditioner is an anaerobic sealer and the chunks are additives that dissolve when your engine heats up. The purpose of the conditioner is not to seal serious leaks (those require professional attention), but rather to prevent minor seepage. This was an issue in some 2.5 L SOHC engines in 1999-2001. In an effort to solve this problem, Subaru did a study and found that the conditioner (when used on vehicles with external headgasket seepage) proved effective in sealing those small leaks in most cases. As a result of this study, there was a recall to add it to those engines. Subaru was so confident in the conditioner working that it stepped up the warranty on external headgasket leaks to 100,000 miles on those vehicles that had the conditioner put in it and now recommends the use of the conditioner in all of its vehicles every time the coolant is changed. You can actually use up to two bottles if you want to too. So you might as well just use the conditioner because it only costs a couple of bucks and it could help prevent problems in the future - and if you can show Subaru that you followed the proper scheduled maintenance, they might be more likely to help you out on warranty claims if you have any problems with your cooling system.
 
#22 ·
Whats up Guys!

I had just about the same question with my car. I just recently bought it and im getting a complete cooling system upgrade and I was wondering about the coolant as well

I was thinking about getting Prestone Flush and running it through the system for about 20 minutes on idle then drain, then filling it with just water let it idle for 5 minutes then drain and removing my radiator, fans, upper and lower hose and running a garden hose thru it until it comes out clear. then install all my new parts (Yonaka dual row rad., new fans, Shroud, mishimoto lower and upper hose, perrin overflow tank, mishimoto thermostat, and the mishimoto coolant and PVC hose kit then running Subaru coolant with Distilled water, Purple Ice and the Subaru Coolant conditioner.)

I think this would maybe be the best combination but if anyone has a better idea please let me know
 
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