Problem w/PRW radiator

[Jvan]

I have a serious problem w/PRW radiator that was installed years ago. All of a sudden I lost all of my fluid in the radiator. Luckily I had just pulled into my driveway. Upon inspection the lower radiator hose is not connected to the radiator; there is no metal tube on the radiator. The entire lower hose is just resting on the radiator w/clamp still on the hose. Help. Has this been a problem w/PRW aluminum radiators? It's been so many years that I'm sure any original warranty is no longer in affect.

[1986nate]

Just get the lower part rewelded back on and you should be good to go

[Blacky]

Is it possible some road debris bounced up and hit it? Do you have the plastic belly cover in place?

[Jvan]

The lower guard is installed and I just driver on paved street roads since this is a daily driver. There has been an above normal amount of snow but nothing that should have torn out the lower inlet pipe and there is a lot of things below the hose. Having it re welded isn't really the question. The questions is why it separated. Was it initially poorly welded (don't think so since it's been installed for at least 6/7 years), was it metal fatigue? If yes, re welding is questionable w/o analysis of the rest of the all aluminum radiator. I chose the $500+ radiator instead of using a plastic replacement since many plastic radiators including OEM, develop cracks that can leave you stranded in dangerous situations.

[WhatIsThisIDont]

I know very little of metal fatigue or aluminum welds, but I have a potential theory. It may have some legs, and it may be utter garbage. Let me know what you think.

I've found the SVX lower ride height to be a little troublesome for snow. Mine plows through without an issue, but it still *plows* through. If some snow or ice came into contact in the the right spot on the pipe or weld, I can imagine the thermal shock from a 140 degree metal being contacted by a 10 degree piece of snow being pretty severe. If the pipe dimensions changed while the rad stayed the same dimensions and temperature, the weld would be a strained section.

Just the thoughts of an insomniac

[Jvan]

It's 3 am and I'm reading your post so you're not alone at this time of the morning. You might be right w/your idea but not in this case. This is going to sound really weird but the leak happened in mid Sept. 2013 as I parked in my driveway, after running some local errands. The car hasn't been driven since then because my wife had a hip replacement operation and couldn't drive. I have been chauffeuring her and didn't bother to checkout why the car leaked since we were using only one car. The only reason I checked for the problem is because I tried to renew the registration but DMV refused to renew the license since the car 's inspection sticker isn't valid. As I thought that the leak was a damaged hose, I planned to replace the hose myself rather than having the car towed and paying the mechanic for a simple hose replacement. I could just have the car towed and let the mechanic figure it out BUT the owner doesn't work on non OEM products. His solution would be, yank the PWR and install an OEM plastic radiator. I want to keep the PRW, so I need to figure it out so I can deliver a running car for inspection.

[Chucksta]

Wow... "Won't work on non OEM products".. Gee .. that's a bit harsh. I could see "won't warranty non OEM parts", I could see "McGuyvering" something and giving you a 30 / 30 guarantee ( 30 feet / 30 seconds :-) ) but to simply refuse to work on something that, obviously, because of it's rarity, age, and also due to low production numbers, and relatively unsupported manufacturer's parts availability, would be problematic. To expect "New" parts for... Just seems a bit too stiff.. My local dealership has INSTALLED aftermarket parts at very, very competitive rates.

But, anyways.. Some stuff you get fixed or otherwise dealt with, falls into the category of "It's a Subaru thing, have you ever done one of these before?" and even more specific would be, "Are you gonna re-pack those axle bearings, or just toss them on with the shipping grease?".. ( 'cause if you don't re-pack them... they're gonna fail.. soon!) Other stuff is just the same nuts and bolts as is found on any other car. Realistically, pulling a rad, fixing it.. replacing it.. swapping it out for an OEM from a "parts" car or wrecking yard is just "nuts and bolts".. something like that, IMHO, is not a "Subaru thing", or, even "an SVX thing".

I don't know if this would work as well where you are as it would where I am, but I would just hit Kijiji, and find a mechanic who does house calls. Seriously, here, in the GTA ( Greater Toronto Area ) I can get a competent mechanic in my driveway in less than 24 hours, who will bring his own tools and give me an honest hour of work for less than $60.00.. Usually, as it's what they do for a living, they have multiple connections for stuff like rad work,welding, used parts, wholesale prices on new parts, etc.. I wouldn't use that process to try and diagnose something like " a slight missfire at 4,500 R.P.M." .. but, for something as basically straight forward as a rad repair... It'd be cheaper to try that venue, or even Craigslist, than a tow to a shop..