Well... that escalated quickly

car was overheating so I went and got a new thermostat and some more coolant.

Jacked the front of the car up and saw this:

wtf happened?

 

For one that Fram filter.....I wouldnt put one of those on my lawn mower.

Maybe water pump seized?

 

I'm flushing the coolant, replacing the thermostat and then doing the water pump. Might do the timing belt while I'm in there (190k on the odo and not sure when it was changed last).

Thanks integroid

but more importantly, what oil filter should I be using since that was the first problem you saw.

 

doing water pump might as well do the belt and tensioner as well. I'd worry about the heat getting the head gaskets if rolling in a 98, regardless make sure to use a bottle of Subaru coolant conditioner with the proper coolant. The green used in your dad's Buick is not the same

 

OEM Subaru as long as it is one of the Japanese made filters.

Wix, Purolator Pure One, Nippon Denso are others I have used in a pinch when I had my Suby.

 

I'm sure it's not manufacturer recommended but I've used STP and K&N filters for years with no problems. If I can't get those WIX is my go to.

 

oh the Fram internet hysteria arises again lol

 

FWIW I've never heard anything bad about Fram, or is this similar to the whole Pennzoil thing.

 

2 dollar filter is a 2 dollar filter and shouldn't expect great things no matter who made it.

 

One of the better filters to run is actually the 6 cyl filter it's still a Roki filter from japan. The other one i hear works are the Honda S2k and the RX8 filters are Roki filters just slightly longer.

And before the question arises of does the 6 cyl filter work on my 4 cyl.. yes I'm currently running one on my 2.5L

 

I used a Purolator PureOne filter exclusively on my old WRX. Never had any oil related issues.