2004 SG XT radiator into 2001 SF Forester?

[matt167]

I never gave any thought to the Turbo cars having no radiator cap since they have the turbo coolant reservoire which has the pressure cap in it.. So I'll need to either make my stock  radiator work or I need to buy the right radiator.. The direct fit radiator ( Subaru 45111FC300 )that I can get overseas is $400+ ship, but I can buy a decent replacement for a 2004-2005 XT for $120-180..

 

Will the newer generation radiator swap into my older car? I know the fans might not fit on, but I can get fans that will from the junkyard cheaply enough

[wtdash]

Hi,

If you're only trying to increase the radiator capacity for adding a turbo, then I'd tell you 'don't bother'.

 

I've turbo'd a '90 Legacy and a '98 Forester - both made over 250 HP/Torque @ the wheels and NEVER got hot w/the stock radiator....duriing 90° summers and Autocrosses.

 

But to answer your question, I'd bet the XT radiator is too tall to fit. The '91-94 Subaru Legacy turbo models had a taller radiator and different front mounting area to accomodate it....I'd be surprised if that isn't the case here as well.

 

GL,

TD

[matt167]

I think the biggest difference in the later Turbo's was the addition of the coolant reservoire, and deletion of the radiator cap..  I'm not thinking about the size of the radiator and cooling. Simply the turbo radiator has no radiator cap. It has a port on it that runs to the coolant reservoire, so that the reservoire is the 'top' of the cooling system

 

If I use the stock radiator, I need to gut the rad cap so that it has no BPV and run the line that normally goes to the overflow tank, to the coolant reservoire. The other hose from the coolant reservoire goes to the overflow.. It's kind of a goofy incorrect way of doing it, but I know it works and been done.

[wtdash]

Not sure what you mean by later, as the '91-'94 US Legacy and the overseas WRX/STi and Legacy/LIberty turbo and

all used the same setup w/the extra coolant/reservoir tank from '89+...@ least AFAIK.

 

I did have an '88 (?) GL-10 Turbo, but I don't recall how it was plumbed.

 

 

And, yep...I did that 'goofy' mod on both of mine.

Edited September 21, 2016 by wtdash

[matt167]

I didn't think the 22T engine used the coolant reservoirs

 

I figured out. The turbo rads mount the same. They sit taller and use a different clamp on top. But I could also use a GD wrx rad since they fit the same

[86BRATMAN]

Every factory turbo ej except the 5th gen legacy gt uses a convection coolant tank for the turbo.

[matt167]

Some reason I didn't think the early Legacies had them.. I could gut the radiator cap and do it that way, but the JDM coolant tank has the ports going off to the pass side, not straight back or to the left like USDM OEM or aftermarkets, so hooking up the line to the overflow port would have to go around the radiator neck. It would be a dead giveaway that something ' isn't right' in my case... Plus I check coolant every time I check oil so my luck, I'd pull wrong cap and make work for myself

[matt167]

Anyone know if SG A arms will provide the correct geometry if I use them in conjunction with a '02-'04 WRX/ Forester XT crossmember ( they share same P/N )?  I know the struts swap. Essentially since I'm planning on using a WRX crossmember, I know my balljoints are probably stuck in the A arms and it would make sense to get cleaner ones anyway, and to get ones that wouldn't need shimmed. And then I could also use the FXT swaybar since the suspension would be SG

[86BRATMAN]

You'll be good to go with that setup.