Bucky92 Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 Copied from XT6.net thought I would get some more opinions/ideas. ..For my own piece of mind ( not that I have much left) I am taking Rocky on a small couple hour road trip Sat..to go see Melis in PA...I need Middlesworth too...this is also a small step to see if he can make it down to carlisle in May....and maybe I will trust him alittle more...As some of you know he appears to be running a shade hot...almost like a sticky thermostat.. I picked up a new one today and when I got home I felt around the radiator for warm/cold spots...Since it is a dual core rad..is the outter one supposed to be stone cold and the inner on warmer? Also I am thinking on adding some Water Wetter to it to cool it if some..anyone try this with any results?? We always ran it in our water cooled dirtbikes...but dont know how it is going to be on the car.... _________________ 92 Loyale wagon FWD 5 Spd... Bucky..the good son 88 XT6 5Spd Grey with rusty highlights..Rocky...possessed by some Demon..should have named him Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 Did you get a OEM t-stat? The temp difference on radiators is between top and bottom. Hot on top and cold on bottom means its not circulating and could mean a clogged rad. WW wouldnt hurt, but I would try and fix a couple of the other issues first. Replace the t-stat, flush the rad and maybe blow the fins out on the rad with compressed air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 That car is old enough to have a clogged or decrepid radiator. The cooling fins may have fallen off behind the ac condenser. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 i'm with nipper, almost every XT6 i see with the original radiator needs a new one. of course start with the simple stuff - replace the thermostat with a subaru only thermostat, replace the radiator caps, and make sure you're not loosing coolant anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 It almost never hurts to take ANY used car, and remove the radiator to give it a good, positive cleaning.. While I am at it, I like to spray down the AC coil with a good degreaser, (simple green is adequate) let it soak, then hose them out from the inside of the engine bay. *If* doing this is going to hurt anything, its going to be something like flaking off corroded fins, which are doomed to failuer anyhow. This also gives you an EXCELLENT opportunity to thoroughly inspect the state of the radiator fins, and if you're changing a thrmostat you can also temporarily bolt the cover on with no thermostat in, and flush the engine out with a hose as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 XT6's have electric fans, right? With the temp rising to almost overheat, then dropping back suddenly, does that coencide with the fans kicking on? I'm wondering if the fan-thermo switch is going bad, and not kicking the fans on untill it's overheating. Try hotwiring the fans to run continuously, then drive the car in the same way that was making it overheat. If it doesn't, well there's your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 She made it down there ok. Should be on her way back soon. Thanks for checking Harry's!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 Just made it back...350 mile round trip for Rocky...ran at half way steady whole trip cept for going up the mountains...Dave looked at the Rad and thinks its fine ...may just need a flush first...he also figured out the camber issue on Rockys right front...and thanks to having the suspension swap done..he was able to adjust it out. He too Rock for a spin so he can give his opinion. Everything went smooth..what a great road trip car...quiet and smooth riding....comfortable and wasnt too bad on gas...350 miles to the tank. Scored a beautiful perfect headlight for Bucky to replace the one he has with moisture in it...nothing old at Harrys ..many EA82s,Legs,Imps,Foresters, and Outbacks..2 justys and that was about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 Me being the picture ho that I am..here is Rocky at the 150 mile mark rest stop in PA...I get him to cool down alittle bit I dont see any problem with making it to Carlisle and even the Dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Just made it back...350 mile round trip for Rocky...ran at half way steady whole trip cept for going up the mountains...Dave looked at the Rad and thinks its fine .... YOu need to REMOVE the radiator to inspect it. You cant just look at it. The AC cond. hides alot of damage. Also its chgeap insurance at this age to get a new one. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 YOu need to REMOVE the radiator to inspect it. You cant just look at it. The AC cond. hides alot of damage. Also its chgeap insurance at this age to get a new one. Not too cheap on an XT6 ($400 for a new one... dealer only), but yes, it is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Not too cheap on an XT6 ($400 for a new one... dealer only), but yes, it is a good idea. check www.radiator.com. Also at that price find a radiator shop and see how much money it costs to recore the radiator. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 mike is quoting the low end of the spectrum on dealer XT6 radiator prices. i've seen prices over $600. the auto and manual prices are nearly identical, only a few dollars difference. they are identical except the ATF lines. no aftermarket radiator was ever made for the XT6. don't even bother checking into or calling aftermarket companies, you will waste your time. they might tell you they have one and they will likely swear their computer has to be right and you are stupid and tell you they have one for the XT6. do not order anything, like everyone else who says they "found" the mysterious XT6 radiator that was never made....you'll order it only to find out that it's an EA82 radiator. the radiator shops i've stopped at don't want to touch it. i believe because of the plastic end tanks, but that's from memory. Subaru only on the radiator. local dealers will run $400 on the low end...some will quote up to $650 for an XT6 radiator. you can score on-line deals for around $280 delivered to your door for a new OEM Subaru radiator, that's about the best you can do. EA82 XT radiators can be made to fit, but they are smaller. i know someone running one with working A/C and he has no overheating issues in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Connie,if you want me to check and see what my discount gets you I'll be happy to call. I get EVERY BIT of the same pricing "Jamie" will give you or anyone else,and you won't have to add shipping from the west coast. Call me,preferably around 7-:730PM or later like before you go to bed.You know the deal,if I don't answer I'll call you back ASAP. Just got a small amount of parts this past week and need to get more.So I'll be going by there sometime later this week. Figure at least 30% off list,or sometimes more.So for a $400 rad. that's $280 or less!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 Hold up here...how did this turn into ..my car needs a new radiator??? I am going to try the flush thingy and replace the temp sensor and thermostat first..and maybe the relay for the fan or just rewire it to always run....BEFORE spending a weeks paycheck or more on a radiator...plus I have a friend who when he puts in his new one is going to sell me his old one on the cheap....his XT6 runs at 1/4 or less at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Hold up here...how did this turn into ..my car needs a new radiator??? I am going to try the flush thingy and replace the temp sensor and thermostat first..and maybe the relay for the fan or just rewire it to always run....BEFORE spending a weeks paycheck or more on a radiator...plus I have a friend who when he puts in his new one is going to sell me his old one on the cheap....his XT6 runs at 1/4 or less at all times. We were just trying to get you to pull the thing out to inspect it, the rest is just speculation that the car is old enough to need one. I would have pulled the radiator to inspect it before I do anything else on the car, especially since your going to drain the system anyway. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 once again, I will agree that fully removing the radiator is the ONLY way to know what kind of shape it is in. Really, its fairly easy work to do, and it is a TON of peace of mind. That, or you discover that the radiator really IS in dire need to replacement (possible) and you save your butt from getting stranded on the road. Plus, with the radiator out, you can flush it forwards and backwards sixteen ways to sunday with a garden hose, AND degrease the coils thoroughly to ensure maximum heat dissipation. Road grime insulates the radiator, and "radiator insulation" is about as desirable as my Subaru Supplemental Ventilation System (SSVS, or SubaruSTy for short... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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