etcetera Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 1998 legacy L, 2.2L auto, 147K miles How do I flush the coolant? There are several posts on it but I need the procedure for 2.2L. Plus, do I need that Subaru additive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbelay Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 2.2 and 2.5 will be the same, just follow those you have seen. Just be sure to fill it nice and slow so you didn't get an air bubble in your system. No clue on the additive. I just make sure I use the antifreeze suggested in the owners manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawrah Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 what i do is drain the radiator, pull the tubes and thermostat. then i use the garden hose to push/flush everything out of the system--> block and radiator. fill the system with water and radiator flush (any car store, prestone or valvoline) and follow the instructions, i think warm the car fully up and let it idle for 10 min; read the instructions. then i drain the entire system again and refill with 50/50 or 60/40 for where i am( northern NY). as for the additive, you should b/c of aluminum block and heads to prevent oxidation from the acidic antifreeze which can fall off and clog the system up. you can use subaru stuf if you want, i just bought a bottle of radiator additive/conditioner at the car store when i buy the flush and coolant. depending on where you live, you may want to wait till spring, b/c doing this all outside is alot easier than in a garage and the cold doesnt help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcetera Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 The radiator was draining very slowly, basically dripping vs. a stream. Even after I totally removed the plastic plug. Could it be plugged up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Did you remove the rad cap ? Take that off and it will drain a whole lot faster. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcetera Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 Yeah, removed the rad cap with no effect. It appears to be plugged somehow. The drain should be much stronger than the drip I have now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawrah Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 the plug area could have some crap stuck around it. remove the lower radiator tube and that should allow all the coolant in the radiator to come right out. then you can use a hose to force any debris out of the radiator portion with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcetera Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 Good idea, I will try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbelay Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 as for the additive, you should b/c of aluminum block and heads to prevent oxidation from the acidic antifreeze which can fall off and clog the system up. you can use subaru stuf if you want, i just bought a bottle of radiator additive/conditioner at the car store when i buy the flush and coolant. What if your antifreeze has additive in it (most do)? Should you still add it? What do you all think? I have always been curious. Just curious what everyone here thinks. BTW my Subuaru manual says nothing about additive, if it did, i would add it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamie700 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Where do you guys bring your old flushed out coolant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NutBucket Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Hazardous waste disposal. Check with your town. They usually will have events for people to bring in stuff. I can't imagine doing a true cooling system flush for this reason alone. How many gallons of coolant and such would you have to collect? Drain and fill is good enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcetera Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 There is a local waste station.. they take oil, coolant and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAG Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 BTW my Subuaru manual says nothing about additive, if it did, i would add it . That's probably because the head gasket problems came after the car was made I'd put the additive in just in case - it costs a mere $1.49 and can save you a LOT more in the long run... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbelay Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 What if your antifreeze has additive in it (most do)? Should you still add it? What do you all think? I have always been curious. Just curious what everyone here thinks. ok, so whats the difference from the additive already in your antifreeze, and the additional bottle you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NutBucket Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Dunno, but it sure comes out of the bottle looking pretty nasty...like lumpy brown waste! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawrah Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 most antifreezes, such as prestone, do not contain additives to prevent aluminum oxidation. their "additives," and i quote b/c its nothing more than an ingredient, is to prevent potential gelling of the antfreeze when mixed with other/older brands of antifreeze. before most antifreeze companies standardized the ingredients, each company had its own proprietary mixture that could gel when mixed with other brands. thus you should add the little $2 bottle of additive made to prevent aluminum oxidation, it cant hurt whether your car needs it or not. you really cant add too much additive, meaning if your antifreeze already has it, it doesnt hurt to add the extra bottle, but you can have too little, so imo add the bottle no matter what. even for normal cars, the additive helps to prevent precipiatation of ceratin salts than can and will polymerize due to the heat leading to clogging Dunno, but it sure comes out of the bottle looking pretty nasty...like lumpy brown waste! what lumpy brown waste are you talking about? the additive?, mine has always been a clear liquid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NutBucket Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 The additive. Little blue bottle made by some British company. Cost about $1.50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbelay Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 most antifreezes, such as prestone, do not contain additives to prevent aluminum oxidation. their "additives," and i quote b/c its nothing more than an ingredient, is to prevent potential gelling of the antfreeze when mixed with other/older brands of antifreeze. before most antifreeze companies standardized the ingredients, each company had its own proprietary mixture that could gel when mixed with other brands. thus you should add the little $2 bottle of additive made to prevent aluminum oxidation, it cant hurt whether your car needs it or not. you really cant add too much additive, meaning if your antifreeze already has it, it doesnt hurt to add the extra bottle, but you can have too little, so imo add the bottle no matter what. even for normal cars, the additive helps to prevent precipiatation of ceratin salts than can and will polymerize due to the heat leading to clogging Cool. Thanks for the explanation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 But remember automotive glycol (the green stuff in your coolant) does not have inhibitors to prevent it from breaking down, which is the reason why you need to flush every few years. The inhibitors added are to protect the block / radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawrah Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 ^^ if i may a small correction to the statement above. "automotive glycol" is nothing more than ethylene glycol based (conventional and the most widely used, and toxic if ingested) OR propylene glycol based (pet and human safe with low toxicology in mammals). also, all glycols are clear and colorless, the color is a mere dye to prevent mix up with other fluids, especially water. the ethylene glycol is not actually what breaks down and forces you to flush the coolant every 2/3 years with old type coolant (inorganic inhibitor based) OR 5 years with new type coolant (organic acid based). the ethylene glycol is what prevents the water in the radiator from freezing and/or boiling. although ethylene glycol does break down at high temperatures, ~220 degrees F, a properly working thermostat should prevent the coolant from ever reaching those temperatures and keep the coolant around ~180 degrees F, a safe zone. what does force you to change the coolant, is the depletion of inhibitors. without going into too much chemistry old coolant inhibitors would deplete in about 3 years, but the chemicals used for today's inhibitors last about 5 years. this is analogous with old lead-acid batteries, it wasn't the lead that was being depleted but the acid. bottom line, unless you run at extremely high temperatures or very high water concentrations (>80% water), you only need to flush about once every 5 years, or 4 if you want to be safe, and go ahead and add a bottle of inhibitors with each flush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonklein611 Posted December 25, 2008 Share Posted December 25, 2008 the dye also makes id-ing a leak easier. Thanks for typing all the junk i was too lazy for. We get companies asking if they can just use automotive glycol in their cooling water loops. Short answer: No Long answer: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Automotive grade is a hella lot cheaper than the industrial stuff, because it lacks the stabilizers that allow the industrial stuff to last for 20+ years (assuming pH is held correctly and the system stays clean....) Ok enough about the glycol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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