R2 Subaru

Where the radiator cap attaches to the radiator is all plastic. :-\ The top of the radiator is all black plastic! Do you think its not stock? it looks factory to me. I don't know if this a '98 weirdness or what. I have a camera... phone, not much good tonight.

Nipper you're the man! You've go tsome great posts! So where the cap seats is PLASTIC and it looks like its been eaten away. There is a lot of scale in the reservoir. The cap looks new but i don't think its seating right. I might take an xacto knife and try and clean it up a little. The radiator needs to be able to pressurize to about 30 psi to work correctly, right? Do you think that's what's going on? Am I just boiling over cause of the bad seal around the cap? Thanks for the reassurance on the HG, phew! :-p

Hi everyone, I am pretty new to the forum. I really like this forum it is very down home. you guys rock! I Just got a new (to me) '98 Impreza L. It's a 2.2 AT w/ 180K on it. It has oil leaks and torn CV boots up front but I got it for a song... Anyways, the guy I bought it from took it to firestone :-\ and had the t-stat replaced and the radiator flushed a few days before he sold it to me. He says that he drove it for a couple of days after the radiator flush and then he noticed that the water level was way low. He took it back to the guys at Firestone and they told him that the place where the radiator cap seats is a little corroded and the radiator cap is not seating properly. They filled it back up with liquid and he sold it to me. I drove it home and didn't have problem. That was two weeks ago. I haven't driven it much as I am waiting to hear back from his bank and get the title. Today I drove it across town (Beautiful San Francisco!) to my buddy's parking spot and it started SPEWING coolant. I stopped and looked and it seems like it is coming out of the overflow(?) tube on the top of the coolant reservoir and spraying all over the drivers side head and battery! i turned on the heater and limped the rest of the way to where the car is going to be for a month or so while I get everything all sorted out. The heater blew HOT the whole time and the car got hot as I revved the engine not while it idled. Also having the heater on full blast kept me mostly in the middle of the temp gauge. So questions: #1 is that an overflow tube? Coming out of the yellow cap on the coolant reservoir? If not what is it supposed to hook up to??? #2 The seat for the radiator cap (not the reservoir cap but the radiator cap) is corroded and it looks like it probably isn't creating a seal. Do I need to replace the whole radiator or can I just buy that plastic top piece. What about a tighter cap? #3 Does this sound like a blown head gasket? I have been reading alot about soobies the last couple of weeks and I have full blown headgasket paranoia! I was planning on doing the timing belt/cam seals/waterpump on my own but that would be pushing the limit of my backyard mechanic skill. I think a head gasket job is going to have to go to my mechanic...*sigh* Anyways thanks for any ideas. I love this forum! I have learned a bunch already. I started out at NASOIC and all I learned is that I can't afford an STI! and seriously where did you find the smiley its freaken' awesome:headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

hey ...guys??? Do you think I could get in on that manual as well? I just got a '98 2.2 and I can't find anything written for it. I asked around at NASIOC and all the WRX guys just laughed at me... I even tried to pick up a '98 legacy Chilton book at Kragen and they didn't have those. my e-mail is benmsnyder(at)gmail(dot)com Thanks in advance!

I think that guy was on NASIOC looking for new car, Today!!! WTF!