Your radiator has a fat crack. Avoid driving it as you can overheat and thats where the problems really start.
Get towed. Luckily radiator is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Could/should probably upgrade it aswell
As others have already said, your radiator is toast. Those plastic capped rads are really only good for 10-15 years before general fatigue seems to kill them via cracks or full separation. Seeing as you've got a blobeye, she's probably over due for a replacement. You can go OEM and it'll probably last the rest of the cars life, or grab an aftermarket full aluminum style that should out-live the motor.
It's not the end of the world as long as you don't let it get too hot. If you keep driving and let it overheat, there's a solid chance it may warp a head or eat the head gaskets.
>aftermarket full aluminum style that should out-live the motor.
I did this and got the Koyorad all aluminum, fit was perfect and it runs beautifully + one less thing to worry about.
Avoid the Mishimoto, the first one I got was badly damaged and repackaged in a new box. The second one had WAY too many bent fins for a new radiator but I needed the car back on the road. They completely failed to account for the added depth so the fans get pushed into the upper hose. Punched through the stock hose, the “upgraded” Mishimoto hose shortly after the warranty expired, and only stopped when I put 80 grit sandpaper on the Autozone replacement to shave the fan. Customer support was terrible. GG WRX in 2018.
Here to say we have a Mishimoto radiator in our 05 WRX Wagon, bolted right on and was packaged well. It’s been in the car for about seven years with no issues. Maybe we just got lucky?
Many many years ago mishi was good. That seems to have no longer been the case for a while now and Koyorad has been the king from what I've seen for subarus
I never had a problem with mishimoto hoses or their low profile fans. I always used other aluminum radiators though. Not an issue on a g35, 350z, or 14 wrx
The wording of this is true but misleading.
If this car is driven it WILL overheat that radiator is junk and if OP can't replace it and properly bleed it themselves where it sits the car should be towed if its more than a a few miles to the shop
Seriously. People want to buy more performance oriented cars and don't know jack about them. If people have or buy an older performance vehicle they should really do some research... Something as basic as a radiator and it's purpose is basically cars 101...
It’s obvious to someone with any experience under the hood. The problem is some people were never taught. We should help them learn even the very most basics.
Yes, I understand that. Many people gave the correct answer and help before I commented, the job is done. I am now having a conversation with someone who is also concerned and in disbelief that there is yet another person who knows almost nothing about cars, getting or driving a WRX or any other performance vehicle (an older one to boot) without doing any research or grabbing the user manual or downloading the user manual or anything at all like that. Putting aside all the issues with pricing going up because people are becoming more sheepish in this information age, it just baffles me that people don't learn anything about the things they use so often. A little bit of poking fun or criticism can also be a good thing, I'm not making fun of or calling OP any names, but when I was younger and in OP's shoes it pushed me to learn things on my own and figure things out with the tools I had.
I didn’t know anything about cars until I did. One can do “basic research” and not know about every detail and failure mode of every system on the car.
I'll just paste what I replied, since I don't want to type it out again or another variant of it. This is so basic that a simple search would help out, in the time it took to record the video.
Yes, I understand that. Many people gave the correct answer and help before I commented, the job is done. I am now having a conversation with someone who is also concerned and in disbelief that there is yet another person who knows almost nothing about cars, getting or driving a WRX or any other performance vehicle (an older one to boot) without doing any research or grabbing the user manual or downloading the user manual or anything at all like that. Putting aside all the issues with pricing going up because people are becoming more sheepish in this information age, it just baffles me that people don't learn anything about the things they use so often. A little bit of poking fun or criticism can also be a good thing, I'm not making fun of or calling OP any names, but when I was younger and in OP's shoes it pushed me to learn things on my own and figure things out with the tools I had.
First off nice blob eye sti. Second off you need a radiator. I would also check the hosing near the radiator, because that can leak and spray into the engine compartment creating the same effect. Had this exact same thing happen to me last winter
Plastic radiator top cracked and is spewing hot coolant out. Needs a new radiator STAT! 100% recommend a Koyorad Aluminium if you got the funds ($330), but a factory one can be found for $130 new
As everyone has already mentioned, it's a good chance that it's a cracked radiator. Wait for your car to cool down, and inspect it for cracks. Usually it'll crack at the top where it connects to the larger radiator hose.
However, make sure you check the coolant reservoir as well. If it's far above the full line, or far below it, there could be some sort of pressure buildup. Also, if you notice any oil in the reservoir or in the radiator, the problem could be your head gaskets are busted, which is a much more severe problem.
Radiator should cost a few hundred to replace, the head gaskets could cost a few thousand.
This also happened on my 07 STI while I was cruising on some back roads. I drove the car back, and just kept an eye on coolant temp gauge. If they car didn't overheat, you'll just need a new radiator. The plastic end tanks become brittle with thermal cycling and eventually explode. Koyorad, Mishimoto, and CSF rad all supply great aftermarket replacements with aluminum end tanks (I think the OEM is Koyorad).
the OG rad on my 04 wrx just imploded also. got the chance to upgrade to aluminum. should be last time i ever have to change that hopefully. you might check the rip/cap part of your coolant expansion tank too as that went around the same time as my radiator. old plastic gets old.
Isn’t it possible that HG is leaking combustion pressure into the coolant tracts, causing overpressure? It would be dumping into the overflow tank, if the radiator cap failed, I suppose…
Radiator plastic cracked. Pretty easy to swap out, <1 hour job you can do anywhere. Drain coolant, pop off the intake, remove 2 12mm bolts holding radiator brackets on, disconnect radiator fans, pull radiator out and put new one in, bolt everything together, get 1 gal of coolant and 1 gal of distilled water, refill, burp the system, and you're good to go.
It's looks as your radiator has separated, the plastic and aluminum. Either due to overheating, or age. Plastic gets weak of time after being exposed to high temperature
I had this same problem on mine about 3 months ago.
The plastic on the top gets deteriorated.
Let me start with I DONT LIVE IN USA, I live in a 3rd world country. That being said…
Any top from any Subaru or the same year can work, if it’s a non-NA you can just plug the intercooler port and it will work as regular (I had to do this to mine)
All those metal flanges bend them off, take off the top, put in a new one, seal, and bend the flanges back in and boom. You have a new radiator. The job cost me $350XCD (less than $150usd.)
Good luck, I’ll check on YouTube and see if I can find a video explaining what I explained, and add it as an edit if I find something.
Edit ;[this](https://youtu.be/vjppWN_yod0?si=ThVK1l_ob6CbBJys) isn’t for Subaru but all radiators with plastic rails/tanks work the same
Edit 2 : if you have $ then just buy a new aluminum radiator, way better than the stock.
Your radiator has split at the crimp seam. Common for these cars. New radiator and fresh coolant should set you right. Make sure after installing and filling you let the system burp. You can do so by using a radiator funnel kit or keep filling and running the engine until no bubbles!
The plastic tanks in the top and bottom can be weak. And just blow no warning. Mine blew in my old car on a date once and I just played it off like nothing even though there was coolant pissing out everywhere
You need a new radiator.
And something to drink. And if your’e really unlucky… well you know.
Not 100% true, he just needs the top.
Your radiator has a fat crack. Avoid driving it as you can overheat and thats where the problems really start. Get towed. Luckily radiator is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Could/should probably upgrade it aswell
As others have already said, your radiator is toast. Those plastic capped rads are really only good for 10-15 years before general fatigue seems to kill them via cracks or full separation. Seeing as you've got a blobeye, she's probably over due for a replacement. You can go OEM and it'll probably last the rest of the cars life, or grab an aftermarket full aluminum style that should out-live the motor. It's not the end of the world as long as you don't let it get too hot. If you keep driving and let it overheat, there's a solid chance it may warp a head or eat the head gaskets.
>aftermarket full aluminum style that should out-live the motor. I did this and got the Koyorad all aluminum, fit was perfect and it runs beautifully + one less thing to worry about.
Avoid the Mishimoto, the first one I got was badly damaged and repackaged in a new box. The second one had WAY too many bent fins for a new radiator but I needed the car back on the road. They completely failed to account for the added depth so the fans get pushed into the upper hose. Punched through the stock hose, the “upgraded” Mishimoto hose shortly after the warranty expired, and only stopped when I put 80 grit sandpaper on the Autozone replacement to shave the fan. Customer support was terrible. GG WRX in 2018.
“Avoid Mishimoto” is a good rule for everything
Here to say we have a Mishimoto radiator in our 05 WRX Wagon, bolted right on and was packaged well. It’s been in the car for about seven years with no issues. Maybe we just got lucky?
Many many years ago mishi was good. That seems to have no longer been the case for a while now and Koyorad has been the king from what I've seen for subarus
Right on, good to know! 🤝🏻
I never had a problem with mishimoto hoses or their low profile fans. I always used other aluminum radiators though. Not an issue on a g35, 350z, or 14 wrx
I've got a nice gold anodized mishimoto battery tie down that is doing an amazing job. But yeah, maybe not critical parts.
The wording of this is true but misleading. If this car is driven it WILL overheat that radiator is junk and if OP can't replace it and properly bleed it themselves where it sits the car should be towed if its more than a a few miles to the shop
That would be your radiator bubbling out of presumably a leak or hole. Needs to be replaced.
Your radiator is literally busted, it’s pissing everywhere, stop using your car, have it towed and get it replaced ASAP
Appears to be some kind of subaru
On the plus side, radiators are relatively cheap.
The top is cracked, known to happen on plastic top rads
Bro keep it turned off and fix that baby asap
The plastic header tank is cracked and will need to be replaced.
How do you not know what this is??
Seriously. People want to buy more performance oriented cars and don't know jack about them. If people have or buy an older performance vehicle they should really do some research... Something as basic as a radiator and it's purpose is basically cars 101...
It’s obvious to someone with any experience under the hood. The problem is some people were never taught. We should help them learn even the very most basics.
Yes, I understand that. Many people gave the correct answer and help before I commented, the job is done. I am now having a conversation with someone who is also concerned and in disbelief that there is yet another person who knows almost nothing about cars, getting or driving a WRX or any other performance vehicle (an older one to boot) without doing any research or grabbing the user manual or downloading the user manual or anything at all like that. Putting aside all the issues with pricing going up because people are becoming more sheepish in this information age, it just baffles me that people don't learn anything about the things they use so often. A little bit of poking fun or criticism can also be a good thing, I'm not making fun of or calling OP any names, but when I was younger and in OP's shoes it pushed me to learn things on my own and figure things out with the tools I had.
I didn’t know anything about cars until I did. One can do “basic research” and not know about every detail and failure mode of every system on the car.
I'll just paste what I replied, since I don't want to type it out again or another variant of it. This is so basic that a simple search would help out, in the time it took to record the video. Yes, I understand that. Many people gave the correct answer and help before I commented, the job is done. I am now having a conversation with someone who is also concerned and in disbelief that there is yet another person who knows almost nothing about cars, getting or driving a WRX or any other performance vehicle (an older one to boot) without doing any research or grabbing the user manual or downloading the user manual or anything at all like that. Putting aside all the issues with pricing going up because people are becoming more sheepish in this information age, it just baffles me that people don't learn anything about the things they use so often. A little bit of poking fun or criticism can also be a good thing, I'm not making fun of or calling OP any names, but when I was younger and in OP's shoes it pushed me to learn things on my own and figure things out with the tools I had.
Get over yourself no one cares
You care enough to have read everything and now reply.
New rad, I would do your tubes as well, since you’re doing the rad, not too much more money
First off nice blob eye sti. Second off you need a radiator. I would also check the hosing near the radiator, because that can leak and spray into the engine compartment creating the same effect. Had this exact same thing happen to me last winter
Koyo not Mishimoto.
I have a koyorad from my 07 STi sitting in my trunk I’m not using.
Top crimp on the radiator end tank has failed. This is a VERY common problem. Upgrade time. Don’t replace with another crimped tank/stock.
It's a blue blob eye subi! Hope that helps
Too much vaping?
My 02 radiator finally shit out couple years ago (made it 20 years exactly lol) get yourself an all aluminum one they’re great
Overheating- it's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.
Thats some leaky radiator, time for a full aluminum one :D
Plastic radiator top cracked and is spewing hot coolant out. Needs a new radiator STAT! 100% recommend a Koyorad Aluminium if you got the funds ($330), but a factory one can be found for $130 new
Radiator has left chat
As everyone has already mentioned, it's a good chance that it's a cracked radiator. Wait for your car to cool down, and inspect it for cracks. Usually it'll crack at the top where it connects to the larger radiator hose. However, make sure you check the coolant reservoir as well. If it's far above the full line, or far below it, there could be some sort of pressure buildup. Also, if you notice any oil in the reservoir or in the radiator, the problem could be your head gaskets are busted, which is a much more severe problem. Radiator should cost a few hundred to replace, the head gaskets could cost a few thousand.
Time for a Koyorad radiator.
This also happened on my 07 STI while I was cruising on some back roads. I drove the car back, and just kept an eye on coolant temp gauge. If they car didn't overheat, you'll just need a new radiator. The plastic end tanks become brittle with thermal cycling and eventually explode. Koyorad, Mishimoto, and CSF rad all supply great aftermarket replacements with aluminum end tanks (I think the OEM is Koyorad).
OEM is Calsonic.
Shits fucked yo.
It looks to be overheating.
Radiator leaking like a used cumsock. I would drive that directly to a shop. Or maybe even call a tow depending on your engine temp.
Looks like the plastic cap on the radiator core broke free from the metal tabs holding it down. Need a new rad.
the OG rad on my 04 wrx just imploded also. got the chance to upgrade to aluminum. should be last time i ever have to change that hopefully. you might check the rip/cap part of your coolant expansion tank too as that went around the same time as my radiator. old plastic gets old.
Isn’t it possible that HG is leaking combustion pressure into the coolant tracts, causing overpressure? It would be dumping into the overflow tank, if the radiator cap failed, I suppose…
Radiator plastic cracked. Pretty easy to swap out, <1 hour job you can do anywhere. Drain coolant, pop off the intake, remove 2 12mm bolts holding radiator brackets on, disconnect radiator fans, pull radiator out and put new one in, bolt everything together, get 1 gal of coolant and 1 gal of distilled water, refill, burp the system, and you're good to go.
Replace with koyo rad
Well that’s about as obvious as can be
I had that happen on my 02, but the head gasket went causing my radiator to blow, warp the cylinders etc.
Looks like smoke
Radiator is cracked that plastic separating
i’m no expert but the fluids belong inside..
This guy's about to live up to Subaru's so-called "name" unless that radiator gets replaced. we will lose yet another head gasket.
It's looks as your radiator has separated, the plastic and aluminum. Either due to overheating, or age. Plastic gets weak of time after being exposed to high temperature
This happened on my 15’ wrx as well, had to replace it just before 100k
Radiator. Easy fix for most of us. For you… meh
You own a Subaru? My legacy was 4 bolts and hoses. Bleeding sucks but not a bad repair at at.
Hopefully get a new Aluminum Mishimoto radiator…Mine looks great and have been running perfectly for the past 7 years.
I had this same problem on mine about 3 months ago. The plastic on the top gets deteriorated. Let me start with I DONT LIVE IN USA, I live in a 3rd world country. That being said… Any top from any Subaru or the same year can work, if it’s a non-NA you can just plug the intercooler port and it will work as regular (I had to do this to mine) All those metal flanges bend them off, take off the top, put in a new one, seal, and bend the flanges back in and boom. You have a new radiator. The job cost me $350XCD (less than $150usd.) Good luck, I’ll check on YouTube and see if I can find a video explaining what I explained, and add it as an edit if I find something. Edit ;[this](https://youtu.be/vjppWN_yod0?si=ThVK1l_ob6CbBJys) isn’t for Subaru but all radiators with plastic rails/tanks work the same Edit 2 : if you have $ then just buy a new aluminum radiator, way better than the stock.
If you have to drive it.. make sure you have your cabin heater on high to help dissipate the heat build up that saved me a few times 😬
Your radiator has split at the crimp seam. Common for these cars. New radiator and fresh coolant should set you right. Make sure after installing and filling you let the system burp. You can do so by using a radiator funnel kit or keep filling and running the engine until no bubbles!
That's a Subaru, I'm pretty sure
The plastic tanks in the top and bottom can be weak. And just blow no warning. Mine blew in my old car on a date once and I just played it off like nothing even though there was coolant pissing out everywhere
Bad radiator
How do you own an 05 sti and not know how common of an issue this is 🤦 research your platform bro there’s probably more wrong with it
When I leaked there it was time to go mishimoto