So 2 months ago I installed a mishimoto rad on my 02 wrx after the oem shat the bed. All was well for a few weeks until I noticed I was low on coolant due to a microscopic leak on the bottom hose so I put the hurt on it, re flushed and all seems well. Then a few weeks later the temp gauge was rising with the AC full blast in Atlanta heat and stand still traffic. Immediately I turned on the heat full blast and temps came back down. I could hear the coolant boiling in the top reservoir and I could also see I was running a little low. I burped it and flushed the coolant with new stuff. No problems since, but now I'm paranoid about a HG leak or a bad thermostat. Now I've got new mishimoto hoses and new clamps plus the subaru coolant conditioner. I don't seem to be consuming coolant and my oil and coolant do not seem to be cross contaminating color wise. No compression test yet but I'll do one this weekend. When the motor idles I can see microscopic bubbles in the top coolant reservoir but no more big bubbles because I feel like I've burped it properly and have the hurt on all my connections and hoses. No burning coolant smells anymore either. So my question is this. Before I put the new hoses on, should I get a mishimoto thermostat as well? Or a zero sports cool thermo, grimmspeed, etc. I do not race but I've talked to a mechanic friend who says that because I have a more efficient radiator, I'll might need a more efficient thermo as well because the oem one may not open all the way. Through my research I see that aftermarket thermos can swing both directions, tripping codes etc, not reaching optimal engine temps making the car run poor. I want to make the right decision before I shell out more greenbacks. Mods are the following: 02 WRX with 92k miles Race Comp Engineering (RCE) Yellow springs Whiteline 24mm adjustable rear sway bar Whiteilne heavy duty sway bar mounts Kartboy solid Endlinks front and rear Turn In Concepts Klunk Killer kit (Sport/Comfort durometer) Whiteline steering rack bushings Adjustable rear lateral links Kartboy short throw shift lever combo with pivot bushings TWS Piston shift Knob Redline shift boot, arm rest, and ebrake boot Kartboy battery tie down 04 STI trunk 04-05 tailights Invidia catless Uppipe and Bellmouth Downpipe Full catless exhaust (RSR I believe, was installed by previous owner) JDM style larger hood scoop Black and Blue (STi-ish colored) Leather Seats -mishimoto rad -17 inch BBS wheels with low profile tires No real engine mods so to speak but I do plan on going stage 2 or just going straight to a pro tune(conservative) in a few weeks. What are your thoughts on thermostats? With a new tune coming I'll want better cooling obviously because I'll be pushing the car a little harder. But keep in mind this is a DD and I don't drive spirited all the time, just sometimes.
Stock should be more than sufficient. Perhaps a new stock one or a fail safe to give you peace of mind. If you start going with lower temperature thermostats in some cases during the winter months can cause the motor to have trouble reaching operating temperature. The only other thing i would "think" about doing is going with higher end coolant, but aftermarket radiator, upgraded hoses, new stock thermostat (and thermostat gasket ) your going to be good.
OEM thermostat and a torque wrench for the bolts is all you need. The last thing you want to do is put 'the hurt' on a steel bolt into an AL block. There is no gasket but a rubber o-ring on the thermostat housing
Sorry Breel. I was making the assumption that DannyLerch wasn't related to the Rock and that he could figure out tight is tight. My apologies on the word gasket rather then o-ring. I promiss to try harder next time grand imperial wizard!
No problem LOL gasket is on the water pump to block, o-ring on thermostat torque spec for the two bolts on the thermostat housing is about 4lb-ft.
sounds like your thermo is sticking.. you could always test it by boiling it but then your burping your system again and all of the above..
I always use a torque wrench on wheels, block, any components where stripping it would be detrimental. When I was talking about putting the hurt on connections, I was referring to the radiator hose clamps. EDIT: Major bummer, advanced autoparts was out of thermostat gaskets. I got a oem thermostat replacement, just gotta wait on that gasket now. Oh well!
Nope, I need to return the advanced auto one anyway. Doesn't look quite right, doesn't have the pin on the end like the real oem one does. So I ordered the right one from fast wrx with a gasket. Thanks for the reply guys. If anyone wants to hang out this weekend while I change it, drink a beer and wrench with me so I don't screw this up that'd be cool.