I have a 2002 WRX that is owned by my son. I have "inherited" the car and am looking to do some things to preserve it while waiting on funds for a new transmission. I am going to flush the cooling system with a commercially available flush and then replace the antifreeze with the correct 50/50 mix. I have been told the only way to "completely" drain the system is to jack up the rear so that the heater core will drain due to gravity...so run the car till it's hot, open heater controls from inside car, pull bottom hose, jack up rear and let gravity do its thing? Has anyone else been told about jacking up the rear and will this even work? This tid bit came from a dealer. Thanks, Jim
Doesn't make sense to me since the heater lines run across the top of the engine and wouldn't even be the lowest point to drain from. I know you risk having hard water in but why not just drain it, and then run a water hose through the bottom hose to flush the coolant out without overheating the car. It would need to be running the turn the water pump. I haven't read anything about them but be cautious with flush kits. Since these engines are flat anything corrosive may damage the head gaskets and cause a leak. Common problem on the NA 2.5 legacy's.
Would just do a drain and fill with factory 50/50 coolant unless you now of an issue with whats in the car currently.
The car has been neglected for some time. Due to my son's finances, it may be a few months before it gets back on the road. I just want to make sure that there is no crud in the system from already having sat for about 6 months. I thought maybe the additive might help get some of that out.
I'd replace the hoses, thermostat, and radiator if you want to do it right without pulling the timing belt to replace the pump You can pull the heater hoses and flush with a water hose, I wouldn't worry about using any chems for this. The first thing to go is the pump seal then the head gaskets and/or heat exchanger when using them. Use Subaru coolant, conditioner and distilled water for refill. The last two are the most important part