06 Sti
108,xxx miles
coolant has been changed each and every year with green and distilled water

you may wonder why i change it every year.....pure and simple...if you ever work in the automotive industry you will know how damaging a badly maintained cooling system can get...especially on aluminum parts...

so heres to it...radiator top tank started leaking...


end tank removal on the radiator:


and whala:

 

As long as you have a good mixture and proper maintenance then nothings wrong with tap water. Besides i dont think our tap water down here is that bad...

 

Oem Subaru radiators give up the ghost like clock work in the 110-120k mileage range. So your radiator lasted as long as it was suppose to..

Tap water gets the job done, but I'm a fan of putting distilled water in my coolant systems..

 

Also: are you trying to compare tap vs distilled water in coolant systems?? Is the purpose of your pictures just to show that your radiator has remained clean because you use distilled over tap? TIA

 

Mine lasted to 65k. But not exactly sure if the previous owner used tap or distilled.

 

there's a lot of things wrong with tap water and i would hope nobody would listen to you because you "don't think the water down here is that bad". what kind of retarded answer is that? even if it weren't bad for the radiator (which it is), do you think thats the only place the water goes? go look up scaling and galvanic corrosion and you'll have a pretty good idea why only a true idiot would use tap water and not spend the $5 to buy distilled. oh and if you think we have good water here, try look in your toilet bowl. if you have a brown ring you can scrub out it's likely you have water with high levels of iron like i do. every city has different water makeups but none of them are as good as distilled water. so save yourself some trouble and learn from houdni's example.

 

If you want a rusty cooling system that will fail early nothing is wrong with tap. However distilled water is great. Especially with water wetter.

 

Very good reason honestly to drain and fill yearly, it's cheap insurance to keep the system lubricated with fresh coolant (with additives to keep aluminum from breaking down)

I'd like to pose a question for you though, in a rad that's sat for an unknown amount of time with what seems to be a mix of green/distilled, is there a treatment you can flush through to prevent issues down the line?

 

when your in a pinch...you do what you need to to to keep from overheating...even if it means adding tap water....

as for a treatment to prevent issues down the line....probably to just start maintaining the system now...meaning a radiator flush and fill...or find some shop with a BG coolant service machine and products...

 

too much water wetter is not a good thing either. I found lots of silcone deposits in my motor when I took it apart.

 

tap water leaves a ton of deposits.. which is almost impossible to clean without professional tools and solvents. i hate white crusty stuff in my cooling system!

 

Unfortunately that's what I'm faced with recently, a neglected cooling system through an all aluminum motor, I guess I'll be looking to flush with a garden hose and fill, maybe 60/40 so coolant has a higher concentration of corrosion inhibitors...

Thanks houdni for the advice and nice pics! Too bad those end tanks are so prone to breaking! A recycler would have a hard time believing that core was ever in service its so clean
*edit* It's good of you to show everyone that despite the radiators which crack etc, the condition of the aluminum in the rad reflects the condition of the entire cooling system and passageways in the motor - clean rad = clean motor = motor longevity

 

this. Radiator failure is a common problem. My failed at 89K miles.

 

i think you both missed his point entirely.

 

IDGAF. Ive seen many vehicles last as long as this with tap water. Why dont you stop being a ****in ******* and chill out. You got issues man.