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HOT summer and no one discussing overheatingEA82s this year ?


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Where are you hiding Jono??! It's certainly not summer here!

i doubt many people are silly enough to venture out in the heat with an ea82 (if anyone still drives them) :lol:

and the ea81 radiator doesn't fit very nicely in the ea82 body...

Cheers

Bennie

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My EA81 hasn't been so happy this summer. I have had her about three  years and suspected a head gasket among other things, such as a leaky heater core, all minute but serious enough to purge some coolant. I am planning to try some BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer. Wish me luck.

Edited by lrgvanman
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1 hour ago, DaveT said:

I drive one of mine nearly every day. Keeping a close watch on the cooling system condition is #1 thing to do to avoid problems. 

Likewise here & my 87 GL sees long stretches of hwys thru current 100+ temps in desert areas. Running a dual brass core radiator & mindful of those pesky faults of an EA82. Such as the small bypass hoses & heater hoses that are often overlooked. Another is thoroughly purging the air out of the system. A must for any liquid cooled engine.

Any of those quick cures like Alumaseal can spell the end of a radiator when tubes get clogged with that junk.

For my rig the temp gauge stays just below center of range most of the time.

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What's wrong with Summer driving? My EA82 wagon is apart this year, but last summer I lived in Phoenix Arizona and I drove the piss out of it, ac on full blast almost 80 miles a day for my job! This was all stop and go milage as I was a merchandiser and had to go from store to store. My truck is flush the system, electric dual fans with sealeed shroud, 20% coolant to water ratio, and a bottle of redline water wetter! 

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Bennie, what came to mind as we freeze our arses off yet another winter, of a guy on that goldfish bowl forum buster fb last US summer with a pic of his BRAT, with bonnet vents just on display saying he needed cooling advice. He was running in desert region, needed AC I think and demands on it were almost just too much. Despite later saying he didn't want to install bonnet vents, dunno why he put them in the pic. But then again, not everyone understands what I write sometimes either :)

 

On those pesky pricey 6.75mm ID coolant bypass hoses to throttle bodies, I have done away with them and tapped and plugged the holes. just have the one from block to thermostat housing now

 

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I am a little bit... but not so much. Since the head gasket job a couple yrs back. And replacing the stock rad with a supposedly new CSF RAD and factory Oem thermostat.

Think I need to dial back the timing a smidge to stop the pinging. Get close to the red zone but it always drops back on the other side after climbing longass hills.. here is a complaint I left for CSF them on Facebook that I never got a reply lol! 

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1003055443105370&id=100002027723629&set=o.129092457127268&_rdr

13350346_1003056083105306_1349890903792832111_o.jpg

Edited by Len Dawg
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Instead of a new radiator I recommend creating an air dam under the front of the L series, starting below the radiator and ending somewhere near the engine crossmember. 

You can add flutes that face backwards to the air dam too, this helps in creating a low air pressure system behind the radiator which naturally draws air through the radiator, increasing the cooling ability of the radiator without needing to rely on the fans as much.

I did this with my EJ22'd L series with a dual core copper radiator (Nissan pulsar unit) and ran it across the Nullarbor Plain in the middle of our summer, loaded to the gills with the AC cranked. It got to 44*C outside and the car ran steady on 93*C at 110kmph. 

The makeshift air dam allowed us to do this as my L seems to have issues drawing air through the radiator at speed. I don't know if it's the lift kit with a modified factory bash plate rather than a custom unit (on the list of things to do), but the MAN truck grille we found on the side of the road the the trick beautifully for our return trip home.

I also wonder if those little pressed metal plates that reside under the radiator on each side actually contribute to this pressure effect. They're usually left off at some point in these vehicle's lives and could be a factor on a stock vehicle's cooling ability. 

Cheers

Bennie

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IF   guideline are followed regarding cooling system maintenance for EA82s -  as stated in owners /service manuals.

EVERY 2 YEARS   -  change coolant . remove radiator hoses  , and  heater hoses at firewall to flush out  heater core as well (with garden hose)

Flush radiator  and engine separately as well with garden hose.

replace thermostat  / radiator cap if necessary.

If these guidelines / recommendations are followed then there should be few if any issues.

Both my 2  ea82s had cooling system issues and it was due to neglect / lack of maintenance from previous owners.

As these are prone to overheating and consequently blowing headgaskets (particularly EA82T with extra heat generated with turbo)   if regular maintenance is overlooked  / neglected.

 

Edited by subnz
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On ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 5:54 PM, el_freddo said:

Instead of a new radiator I recommend creating an air dam under the front of the L series, starting below the radiator and ending somewhere near the engine crossmember. 

You can add flutes that face backwards to the air dam too, this helps in creating a low air pressure system behind the radiator which naturally draws air through the radiator, increasing the cooling ability of the radiator without needing to rely on the fans as much....

...I also wonder if those little pressed metal plates that reside under the radiator on each side actually contribute to this pressure effect. They're usually left off at some point in these vehicle's lives and could be a factor on a stock vehicle's cooling ability. 

Cheers

Bennie

Yes to all of this.  Sound fluid dynamic principals at play here.  I have yet to do this on my RX-RA, but I did notice a difference in cooling by reinstalling the factory skid plate.  The splash guards on the sides of the engine bay help as well (just look at the size of the undertray on any modern car).

Another step you could take would be to fill the gaps between the radiator and the sheet metal it attaches to with foam.  This will keep the airflow from going around the radiator instead of through it.

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On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 12:06 AM, carfreak85 said:

Yes to all of this.  Sound fluid dynamic principals at play here.  I have yet to do this on my RX-RA, but I did notice a difference in cooling by reinstalling the factory skid plate.  The splash guards on the sides of the engine bay help as well (just look at the size of the undertray on any modern car).

Another step you could take would be to fill the gaps between the radiator and the sheet metal it attaches to with foam.  This will keep the airflow from going around the radiator instead of through it.

ala XT Vortex design to stream air only through radiator

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Light bubble blowing and purging out the cap, also running a tad hotter thanks to our fake weather changes. I have had issues with different brand vehicles and this is my second Subaru. My first had A/C and didn't like that the interior was cool and the engine overheated to the point of severe damage. I was turning wrenches for about 30 years and also worked in a radiator shop. I just think that BlueDevil may help after a flush then water flushes soon after to rid of excess sealant residual. This one has no A/C, either. 

Edited by lrgvanman
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10 hours ago, HUAWEI3054 said:

REPLACEING THE THERMOSAT DOWN TO A 160 DEGREE IS A GREAT HELP OR JUST TAKE THE FRONT HOOD  OFF FOR THE SUMMER . I USED TO LIVE IN MODESTO CALIF AND IT WAS 108 MANY DAYS  IT HELPED ALOT ON A  ALL ALIUMIUN MOTOR AND KEPT THE HEAD GASKETS FROM BLOWING 

Stop yelling!! PLEASE!

Also in many places it's illegal to drive around without the bonnet fitted to the vehicle. 

Cheers

Bennie

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