FredF2011 Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Hello All, So I finally fulfilled my dream of being an Impreza Owner on 3/2/22. Saw a 51 plate WRX on Autotrader with 68k miles and FSH for just shy of 8k. Went to have a drive and everything felt fine, until the owner popped the bonnet and noticed some spraying on the alternator cover... As tempting as it was to walk away, my mad head took over and just went sod it. Plus I'd come a long way and already had my last car ('15 Polo GTI) booked in to webuyanycar. The guy seemed very surprised at the discovery although his argument was it hadn't been driven since November. And after having one of my mechanic friends whose owned 3 Scoobs in the past, he advised to not go over 7300. So I went in with 7k and the deal was done. I took it to said mechanic the day after and he said the top pipe clip was loose, and the cambelt hadn't been done since 2015 at 55k. Following an argument with my dad (knowing he'd disapprove anyway) I then took it to the nearby garage that's also a Subaru dealer. One of the guys there said the coolant/spraying could be from a metal feed pipe under the radiator (or around that area) and they'll do a full underside inspection on 11th Feb. So today rolls round and after a few pulls, I went to check under the bonnet again, and low and behold it looked like this (and smoking a bit 😳)... it's a good job I got some coolant from a spare parts place round the corner from I apologise for rambling on, but I guess my question is have I just completely ruined my life and everything I've dreamt of in the space of 3 days? 🙈 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay762 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Wotcha and welcome - It may not be that serious, you can get a kit to do a pressure test on the coolant system to help find the source of the spray and rule out head gasket issues Keep us posted on the progess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredF2011 Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Thanks for the welcome :) Well the oil cap isn't creamy so I guess that's a good sign. Plus I've not known the radiator fans to spin... I keep cleaning it up and even though I'm not gunning it everywhere, the same amount keeps getting sprayed in the same place. Also I topped up the coolant last night and this morning it had dropped a bit, but rose above the line when i got to work 8 miles away. This evening when I got back it had almost dropped to the bottom again 🙈 I'll ask the mechanic I saw on friday if he did one the other day, or to do one tomorrow. I've seen others suggest Mishimoto radiators but they are a bit steep for my liking 🙈 I have asked Japspeed on eBay if their STi one will fit. Suggestions welcome 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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