keish Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 First off thanks to everyone here, I've learned a ton searching through here. This weekend I'm doing some prep for yet another trip cross country and back New York to Cali via Alabama for Christmas/Winter Vacation.......218,000 on the Loyale, timing belt and other belts just replaced along with plugs..... Below is a list of what I'm planning on doing this weekend What I'm asking you guys is what am I forgeting.... Changing filters oil/fuel/air Fluids oil/differential/power steering Checking battery fluid levels Rotating Tires One thing I can't make my mind up on is the cooling system, I'm leaning towards replacing the radiator....I've never done this but it seems pretty straight forward, what else should I be doing to the cooling system while replacing the radiator? I was going to replace the thermostat as well..... Also I've read about many issues with the crank pulley breaking. Is welding that the only solution to preventing that from happening? Thanks for any info/opinions....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeke Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 If you aren't having cooling issues now then don't worry about the Rad. if it has good flow. Pop off both hoses. stick the garden hose in the top. If the water flows out the bottom at the basic same speed, then you're good to go. Change T-stat....use subaru OEM from dealer. and all the other things you have listed...seems good to me check the brakes. -Caleb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 More important than belts at this age/mileage is the timing pulleys. I use the ebay kits - all new pulleys for $80 can't be beat. Easy to replace too. Spark plugs, cap, and rotor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I'd check the Ball-Joints. Just see if the boots are cracked or if you can notice anything out of the ordanairy with them. (Don't want one to go while driving, wheel gets pushed out, pulls axle DOJ apart and bents strut tower mount) But I'm sure yours are ok, I didn't have one fail and mine were B.A.D. I replaced them with MOOG brand (Incase you want to at some point) I would pack a carry on tool box incase you do need to change something. Best'O luck -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keish Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Good call on the pulleys.....old ones were the reason the timing belt just got done. Needless to say they are brandspanking new... Checking the ball joints is something I hadn't thought of. I'll do that and I'll have a tool case with me for sure...... Cap rotor and plugs are all set....... As far as the radiator goes I'll do the hose test this evening. What concerns me is that the car has never run very warm, and lately in this really cold weather it runs pretty cold (accoring to the gauge) and when I turn the heat on it runs just a few needles-worth above the bottom line on the gauge. I know this most likely isn't caused by the radiator but the radiator is getting pretty old and it seemed like rather than flush it out just replacing it wasn't a bad idea......that being said if I do the hose test and it seems fine I'll still want to flush it out and change the coolant. Any tips on doing a through job of flushing the radiator out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeke Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 If it flows good, just add coolant and water. Change your T-stat, sounds like it may be stuck open. Also you can put a chunk of cardboard infront of the Rad. that will help warm things up. It will not overheat. When you get to warmer weather, pull the cardboard and you will be fine. Get new Rad. hoses too if you havnet done that in a year or so. They are cheap too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Brakes? When was the last time ALL the fluid was changed? How are the rubber flex lines? Wheel cylinders leaking? Reason this just came to mind is i just finished doing brakes on mine a few weeks ago and had been driving with terrible front rotors for months. I knew they were bad but didnt think they were THAT bad. Also one wheel cylinder was leaking. I needed new ones anyways so i just spent the money on new brake calipers rather than rebuilding my old ones. If you need to rebuild yours, its not that hard. Dont want to lose brakes halfway across the US. Other than that i think everything else has been covered. Make sure to have plenty of tools on hand and some spare parts. I always carry a spare alternator just in the off case mine shoots the bed. Hasnt happened since i started carrying it though. Other spare parts that are nice to have are a spare distributor and spare coil. If you dont already have these then i wouldnt worry about them. The chance of one of those going is slim but i play safe rather than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keish Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 MMMM brakes, brake fluid hasn't been changed for sometime. Thanks for the suggestion; something else to inspect closely I hadn't thought of. I just passed N.Y. inspection where they take the wheels off to look at the brakes so they can't be in too bad of shape or I'm sure the shop would have tried to shake me down for a few hundred......Spare alternator is something I had been thinking about. I might as well have it, if I don't it will die and I'll need one sometime anyways..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeke Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 If you aren't having cooling issues now then don't worry about the Rad. if it has good flow. Pop off both hoses. stick the garden hose in the top. If the water flows out the bottom at the basic same speed, then you're good to go. Change T-stat....use subaru OEM from dealer. and all the other things you have listed...seems good to me check the brakes. -Caleb Hey I mentioned brakes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suberstar88 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 If it flows good, just add coolant and water. Change your T-stat, sounds like it may be stuck open. Also you can put a chunk of cardboard infront of the Rad. that will help warm things up. It will not overheat. When you get to warmer weather, pull the cardboard and you will be fine. Get new Rad. hoses too if you havnet done that in a year or so. They are cheap too. +1 on the cardboard, easy cheap "mod" lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 if you may have cooling issues then go ahead with the radiator. i'm sure you have a newer water pump if the timing belts are done. the radiator is the single most important part for longevity. unless you don't know the history of your car, or are long overdue for changes, you can forgo all the fluid changes. if you are in mountains i could suggest flushing the brake system, basically bleed them out till it runs clear. make sure you have a spare tire and a means to change it. you wont need much tools, just 10, 12, 14, enough to change an alternator belt. you wont need more than that unless you anticipate doing timing belts and axles over the road dont forget to clean out and organize your car because having a messy car over the road can get in the way of things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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