Spontaneous radiator combustion.

[Awox]

The good news. No hydrocarbons detected in the coolant. No coolant found in the oil. No cross contamination anywhere.

The bad news. I still need a radiator, thermostat, cap, and hoses. Also I need to figure out why my fuses keep getting blown. Since I only have one fuse left, I'm going to whip out a multimeter and go prodding.

[Awox]

Also, radiator installs don't seem to be all that tricky. All I basically need is a wrench and screwdriver, right?

I know of a suitable hill nearby for filling and burping of air bubbles when I fill it.

[Wikedjuggalo]

Pan test your thermostat before putting it in. Also make sure you go ahead and use new coolant I'd check the fan wiring to make sure no exposed wires are touching and shorting.

[immortal_suby]

Originally Posted by Awox

The good news. No hydrocarbons detected in the coolant. No coolant found in the oil. No cross contamination anywhere.

The bad news. I still need a radiator, thermostat, cap, and hoses. Also I need to figure out why my fuses keep getting blown. Since I only have one fuse left, I'm going to whip out a multimeter and go prodding.

great news! I bet you are relieved it's not the HG.

Radiator is simple, like you said wrench and screwdriver.
You'll need a new gasket with the thermostat. I cannot remember if they come with one but I don't think that they do.

21200AA072 Thermostat $9.33
21236AA010 Thermostat Gasket $2.54

[Awox]

So relieved.

eBay is loaded with ads for 118 dollar SVX radiators brand new. I guess I shall order one and let the radiator swappage begin!

[torxxx]

Glad to hear it wasnt headgaskets.

One thing to keep in mind when buying radiators now a days. 95% of the time you are going to get a Plastic/aluminum piece of crap radiator. ALWAYS ask if they have a copper/brass radiator in stock. A lot of times radiator shops/whole salers will have the CBR radiator in stock, but they push the cheaper plastic/alum. radiators because they fail faster meaning more replacement parts will be sold.

When I built my monster subaru wagon I bought a new radiator for it and I think the copper/brass was like 12 dollars more than the plastic/alum. one and it will last 5x as long.

[Awox]

I've already ordered a cheap plastic/aluminum one.

Oh well...I'll just be sure to get the fans working top notch and get a decent radiator cap and make sure the system is flushed completely and that the thermostat works. If the radiator blows again....I guess it will just add character to the car? I could then give it a name!

My Legacy GT is lovingly refered to as "Heat Car J" because of the way it overheats and vents coolant steam.... If you get the reference, then you're a nerd, but awesome.

[Blacky]

Other than the PWR radiator, plastic/aluminum is the only option for the SVX.

[Awox]

It seems to me that the radiator was just on it's way out. It had to have been.

It seems that the only reason it blew so forcefully is because I probably did not fill the radiator completely after my top hose blew earlier in the day. Hot air in the system would expand a lot more than just coolant if I had properly filled it.

Any pointers for properly filling an SVX radiator? Do we have to park on a hill or something like other subies?

[SoCal LS-L]

Curious, you never mentioned how you eliminated HC's in the coolant... you went to a smog tech yes?

A radiator should never blow up violently, thats what the cap is for.... to vent excess pressure that builds up with hot coolant (which shouldnt boil if mixed 50/50, without severe overheat). It either stuck completely shut (extremely rare for our simple spring type), or something caused a sudden overpressure of the cooling system that overwhelmed the caps ability to vent into the reservoir.

[Awox]

A mechanic used an HCFC tester after plugging up and taping up the radiator as best as they could, then they ran it for a while. I was told that the kind they used would change color even if there were a hint of hydrocarbons in the coolant, and they said it didn't change a bit. He also changed the oil and didn't find any coolant in it. And the coolant that was left in the radiator was fairly clean, no carbony junk or particulates in it other than a few metal flakes from that "conditioner" crap I'm assuming.

I'm going to get it pressure tested once the radiator is in, just to be 100% positive. Their "expert" opinion however is that it's not blown.

[Awox]

Radiator arrives tomorrow.

Is there any special way I would need to do in order prepare the radiator for install, like flushing? Or should that all be done after the radiator is in and flushed along with the engine in series?

[SoCal LS-L]

You would need to remove the thermostat to flush the system with clean water, which is a good idea anyways. Once its out you can use a hose and run water into both radiator hoses and the heater hoses. Once it runs clear then its good to go, just remember to add a greater portion of coolant to the system as there is a lot of plain water left in the cooling jackets and heater core.

[Awox]

Oddly enough, finding a hose is going to be the hardest part.... Thanks!

[Awox]

Okayyy...

So today I'm swapping the radiator out. I twist the plug out and let it drain into a milk jug, coolant is green and pretty clear, no issues there. I'm having a bugger of a time getting the bottom hose off, so I just cut it. A bit more coolant comes out, just a bit, but it's clear green, no issues there.

THEN, i'm having trouble getting the 2 smaller hoses off, the little heater core bypass ones or whatever they are. So I cut those off too. Uh oh...this nasty reddish oily stuff comes out Could this be ATF? It looks like it...but why would that be coming out of my radiator? And why was the other coolant clear?

Am I missing something here?