Southern California - Well, looks like i'm relegated to biking to work for a while...

Looks like i'll be riding my bike to work for about a week or so. My car's radiator cracked last night so it's out of comission until i get a replacement. Oh well, i guess i can plan on adding at least another 60 miles to the SoCal Bikejournal total.

Fortunately i've got my girlfriend's car for the weekend and my mom's explorer avaliable for weekday errands if needed and since i've learned how metrolink works, i can use that to get around a bit too if i feel like it. :)

where did it crack? Plastics end tanks? Crack on the tanks or where it folds over to the metal core?

Let it drain completly and sit with the bottom drain plug off and everything for an hr or so. Go to wally world any simular and get 2 packs of Quick Dry JB weld. If the crack is on top, you don't need to remove the rad, if it's on the bottom, it's ALOT easier to do this with it out. Pending the type of car (electrical fans mounted to the rad or a Fan coming off the motor with some tricky plastic covering) it can be removed pretty easy, the fan mounted to the motor is more PITA though. If its electrical fans, remove the top hose, get down and remove the lower hose from the rad, don't take out the hoses completly, just where it connects to the rad. While you're down there unplug the wire connector going to the bottom end tank. This is your themostat sensor. On Each corner of the top rad, there are metal straps holding the ran in place. The bottom is not bolted in, just slide and shake it out. If you have the motor fan, there are countless clips holding the plastic cover togethere, hense PITA. Same steps as above but you have to plastic stuff too.

I'll assume its on the top that is cracked though, since that is where most air bubbles form and become super hot cracking the tanks. Mix the JB weld about quarter size of each tube at a time or even a lil less. It drys FAST!!!!! Use something hard to mix it together and for spreading. Apply the JB about 2inches outside from the crack and work it in. You'll have to repeat this about 6-10 times to get it completly covered. After covering the area, put another layer or two around the edges.

If the crack is leaking from where the metal core folds over to the plastics, start to layer the JB about 3" away from the leak, it's OK if you cover a lil of the core. I've had to do this a few different times to differnt cars and friends car. It's a GOOD bandaid but a new rad is still needed for the hot summers. It's not hot yet so you have a few more months til it hits 100+ in your area.

Let the JB weld sit at LEAST overnite, but a complete day is best before you put fluids back in her. The thicker the coats, the more time needed to cure all the way.

Best prices from rads are from www.radiatorbarn.com

Hope this helps

Thanks for the tips. :) The crack is on the top endtank. This kind of radiator failure is somewhat common (which is possibly why Subaru switched radiator types halfway through the 2003 model year). I'll get the JB Weld on before i limp it over to the repair shop sometime next week. A replacement is already on order. A full aluminum replacement. :D Replacing the radiator is a fairly straightforward drop in affair but i really don't want to deal with the mess and i need to get my A/C fixed anyways. :lol:

I can't be too disappointed though. The car has 110k miles on it and this is one of very few problems i've had so far in the last 4 1/2 years.

Picture here if anyone is interested:

http://www.wrxfanatics.com/index.php?showtopic=50427

not reg'd for that site so I can't see it. Is subby covering it under the warrenty? Are you getting the full alum replacment from the stealership?

Ah, well boo...

Try this link:

http://www.wrxfanatics.com/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-2465-1174449105.jpg

No warranty anymore. That expired at 64k miles about 2 1/2 years ago (yes, i put alot of miles on my car, but hopefully reducing it through bicycle commuting). I'm getting the replacement from an aftermarkets parts vendor. I refuse to buy most stuff from the stealership with the exception of some regular maintenance parts. It's a Koyo race radiator, higher capacity, better cooling. I had planned to replace the radiator anyways around the 150k mile mark even if it wasn't bad but i guess i'll just have to move up the schedule on that just a tad.

Koyo's are GREAT for SOCAL!!!!!!!!!! I had them on my turbo DSM and on my 240sx. Don't need it for my econobox XB though. I got the 5yr/100k warrenty on mine, I'm on pace to have about 21-22k on the first yr of ownership so at this pace, the warrenty will be good.

That's a good size crack but JB will patch that no prob.

Looks like i'll be riding my bike to work for about a week or so. My car's radiator cracked last night so it's out of comission until i get a replacement. Oh well, i guess i can plan on adding at least another 60 miles to the SoCal Bikejournal total.

Fortunately i've got my girlfriend's car for the weekend and my mom's explorer avaliable for weekday errands if needed and since i've learned how metrolink works, i can use that to get around a bit too if i feel like it. :)

If my car breaks down its hardly worth it for me to get on my bike to work.:D:rolleyes: I live 1.23 miles from work.

I live about four miles from work...been riding there for the last three weeks...I usually ad a mile in to make it five and add a mile or two on the way home... so I get at least ten or more per day that way.

relegated!!????!?!?!?!?!?? you make it sound like a bad thing!!!! embrace it!

relegated!!????!?!?!?!?!?? you make it sound like a bad thing!!!! embrace it!

I do embrace it... Mostly. :lol: I embrace everything except for having to wake up an hour earlier to catch the train... :mad: Other than that it's alot more fun than sitting in traffic. :D