coolant for an 02 Legacy?

[news]

Other than Genuine Subaru coolant... can I just use plain old green
stuff? Or is it like everybody else and require it's own special brand
of coolant? <sigh> I can hardly wait until I need to use brand
specific oil..

seriously, what should I be using?

Ray

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Other than Genuine Subaru coolant... can I just use plain old green
stuff? Or is it like everybody else and require it's own special brand
of coolant? <sigh> I can hardly wait until I need to use brand
specific oil..

seriously, what should I be using?

Ray

Although many folks do just fine with 'normal green glycol'-stuff, For
close the same proce, low silicate might have a slight edge for our
cars. I beleive the OEM is low silicate. Supposedly prevents
impeller/other damage.

Carl

 

[Edward Hayes]

I have used Zerox G05 for the last 100,000 miles without an issue. If
not G05 then Subaru OEM and don't forget to use Subaru's" Coolant
System Conditioner" which is supposed to be used each coolant change.

 

[y_p_w]

Although many folks do just fine with 'normal green glycol'-stuff, For
close the same proce, low silicate might have a slight edge for our
cars. I beleive the OEM is low silicate. Supposedly prevents
impeller/other damage.

I used to think silicates were abrasive, but apparently they're not
in a solution with water. The real problem is that they don't stay
in suspension forever and eventually form a gunky gel that can clog
radiator passages. Traditional silicated coolant has a shelf life of
about 18 months. Also - most Japanese cars have rather small
radiators with small passages.

<http://www.havoline.com/products/na/antifreeze_01_tech.html>

"The primary limiting factor in the shelf life of a coolant is silicate
instability. Since silicate will eventually polymerize to silicate gel,
all traditional coolants have a shelf life of about 18 months."

There are some corrosion inhibitors that are abrasive, like borates.

I thought most Japanese manufacturers specify a non-silicate formula
with phosphate corrosion inhibitors. The main problem with phosphates
is that they form crystals when mixed with hard water. So you've got
this stuff floating around in the cooling system, and a good portion
of the corrosion inhibitor is gone. The simple answer is to use
distilled/deionized water.

 

[B A R R Y]

I used to think silicates were abrasive, but apparently they're not
in a solution with water.

So wet sanding never happens? <G>

 

[y_p_w]

So wet sanding never happens? <G>

Sodium silicate is not sand. Sand (AKA silica) is silicon dioxide.
The problem is that they sound similar.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_dioxide>

 

[news]

Although many folks do just fine with 'normal green glycol'-stuff, For
close the same proce, low silicate might have a slight edge for our
cars. I beleive the OEM is low silicate. Supposedly prevents
impeller/other damage.

Carl

thanks Carl and everyone else.

I'll look for low-silicate stuff, and compare the price against OEM
Subaru coolant. I don't mind paying a few bucks more for the good stuff
or the right stuff, it's just that I own an old truck (green stuff), a
Beretta (green stuff), and a Trans Am (dexcool), so I'm already
"stocking" two types of coolant... I'd rather not have to make that
three. Don't even ask about oil... every car gets it's own thickness
and some get regular, some get synthetic...



Ray

 

[B A R R Y]

Sodium silicate is not sand. Sand (AKA silica) is silicon dioxide.
The problem is that they sound similar.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_dioxide>

Thanks!

 

[mulder]

Other than Genuine Subaru coolant... can I just use plain old green
stuff? Or is it like everybody else and require it's own special brand
of coolant? <sigh> I can hardly wait until I need to use brand
specific oil..

seriously, what should I be using?

Ray

You can use one of the "universal" coolants- Peak Global or Prestone
All Makes All Models. I've used both in my WRX with no issues. Both
are available in 50-50 premix form so you don't have to deal with
obtaining distilled water and mixing it yourself.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Other than Genuine Subaru coolant... can I just use plain old green
stuff? Or is it like everybody else and require it's own special > brand of coolant?

Hi,

Regular Prestone or any of the other major "green" brands, mixed 50-50
with DISTILLED water, will do just fine. Change every two years at the
outside. Change every year if you're a bit "cautious" or want your
radiator to last a lot longer than most. Although most coolants on the
shelf today say they're compatible with "any color," I'd stick w/ the
older advice to avoid mixing Dex-cool types w/ conventional coolants.

All the silicate and phosphate talk generally has to do with
undesireable side effects of mixing with HARD water. For the "measuring
impaired," the "pre-mix" is convenient, though you're paying way too
much for a half gallon of de-ionized water!

Add a package of Subaru's cooling system conditioner to help keep the
head gaskets from leaking... and read up on bleeding all the air out of
the system!

Rick

 

[y_p_w]

Regular Prestone or any of the other major "green" brands, mixed 50-50
with DISTILLED water, will do just fine. Change every two years at the
outside. Change every year if you're a bit "cautious" or want your
radiator to last a lot longer than most. Although most coolants on the
shelf today say they're compatible with "any color," I'd stick w/ the
older advice to avoid mixing Dex-cool types w/ conventional coolants.

The standard "yellow bottle" Prestone is a reformulated version. The
label refers to it as "extended life" and "All Makes. All models". My
best guess is that it is a Dex-Cool style coolant free of phosphates
and
silicates. The problem with old standbys is that the manufacturers are
always changing their formulas. Prestone has probably changed their
formula several times as they went from Union Carbide to First Brands
to their current owner (Honeywell). There are still some traditional
silicate/phosphate coolants like Peak and any number of lesser known
or house brands. The new "Prestone Prime" may be closer to their
traditional silicate/phosphate formula.

All the silicate and phosphate talk generally has to do with
undesireable side effects of mixing with HARD water. For the "measuring
impaired," the "pre-mix" is convenient, though you're paying way too
much for a half gallon of de-ionized water!

Silicates drop out regardless of the quality of water used. They drop
out
in the bottle even when unmixed.

Add a package of Subaru's cooling system conditioner to help keep the
head gaskets from leaking... and read up on bleeding all the air out of
the system!

Some people use a coolant exchange tool, which is recommended by
Subaru for some models; I saw a service bulletin. Snap-On sells a few,
which are powered off of shop air.

 

[y_p_w]

y_p_wwrote:


Thanks!

Sure. Sodium silicates (it's supposed to be a group of different
compounds) are supposed to dissolve in water. I used to be
under the impression that it was ground sand (silica) that
scraped off corrosion, along with seals, etc. Apparently what
it does is form a protective barrier on aluminum that reduces
corrosion. Some automatic dishwasher detergent contains
sodium silicates to coat dishes/glass and prevent abrasive
damage in the wash. They seem to have come out of favor
with the use of organic acid corrosion inhibitors, which are
supposed to form a waxy surface on cooling system parts
as a barrier against corrosion. They're also supposedly far
more stable than silicates, with a shelf life of 8 years.

The links to Wikipedia entries refer to sodium silicates as
"liquid glass". Apparently they will fuse under high heat
(like an exhaust) and turn to glass.

 

[Rick Courtright]

The links to Wikipedia entries refer to sodium silicates as
"liquid glass". Apparently they will fuse under high heat
(like an exhaust) and turn to glass.

Hi,

Close to 40 years ago, I had a car w/ a heating problem. The radiator
shop diagnosed the problem as a leaking head gasket that wasn't quite
bad enough to warrant replacement. The fellow told me to go to the
pharmacy and get a bottle of sodium silicate, and gave me instructions
for its use. It was supposed to find/ the leaks, and, as mentioned, turn
into a glass-like substance that sealed them.

If I'm not mistaken, some of the products available at the auto parts
store for sealing head gasket leaks still use sodium silicate. I'd have
to go read a label...

Rick

 

[The Other Dave]

"Water Glass" which is sodium silicate, used to be used to preserve eggs.
Eggs could be submerged in the clear liquid and would stay fresh for
extended periods, prior to the advent of refrigeration. It is also used as a
heat resistant adhesive alone or with fibers and thickeners to adhere gasket
materials to furnace and wood stove doors and assembly joints. Interesting
stuff.

 

[Jeff]

I have an 02 and was not part of the recall for the conditioner. How
important is it? I didn't use it on my last coolant change and used
Prestone. Thanks Jeff

 

[y_p_w]

Other than Genuine Subaru coolant... can I just use plain old green
stuff? Or is it like everybody else and require it's own special brand
of coolant? <sigh> I can hardly wait until I need to use brand
specific oil..

seriously, what should I be using?

I know this is an old topic, but I just drained and filled the coolant
for
my 2004 WRX last weekend. The following (need to click on the link
for a copy of the article) has a thorough explanation of the different
types of coolant being sold. I had thoughts of sending in a virgin
sample of the Subaru Long Life coolant in for analysis, but I've since
used up the bottle.

<http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=2822&location_id=2877>

As far as what I didn - I didn't try and drain the engine block.
There probably is a plug, but I didn't think it was that critical. I
did make a small mistake where I didn't notice that the O-
ring on the draincock had fallen off and dumped itself in the
pan I used to collect the coolant. This was after I had "burped"
the system. So I removed it with both radiator caps on. A
small amount leaked out, but the vacuum actually held most
of the coolant in like a finger covering the top of a straw. I
burped it again, and I was set. The worst part of burping the
system was that it would eventually overflow once the coolant
heated up.

I'm not even that sure that burping the system is all that
helpful with the WRX. It looks any air generally makes it
to the high tank and it's pretty easy to fill that.

I'm not terribly convinced that there are dire consequences to
mixing different types of coolant. Every manufacturer seems to
have a different take on what's important.

If you read the label on Prestone's new "All Makes All Models"
product in the yellow bottle, it's pretty much a Dex-Cool style
coolant with the two standard OAT corrosion inhibitors. Prestone
seems to be convinced that there are no immediate problems if
mixed with any other kind of coolant. They said the same thing
about their Dex-Cool labelled coolant in the silver bottle, for what
it's worth.

 

[alf]

I know this is an old topic, but I just drained and filled the coolant
for
my 2004 WRX last weekend.

so which did you use?

 

[y_p_w]

so which did you use?

Subaru Long Life. It was about $14 at a dealer in Carson
City, Nevada where I saw the dealer driving between Reno
and Tahoe. I don't know how much it would closer to home.
One local Subaru dealer doesn't even stock the stuff.
They also sell Fords and use/sell the green Ford standard
coolant for Subarus.

<http://img469.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2927bh1.jpg>

 

[Edward Hayes]

I have used Zerox G05 with great success for about 5 years. If you
don't go with OEM then go G05

 

[David]

I have used Zerox G05 with great success for about 5 years. If you
don't go with OEM then go G05

Zerex?