(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best car engine cooling & climate parts

I'm a Subaru EJ-Engine geek. I'm sorry to hear about your symptoms showing up.

If you need to save money, it's a really easy job, and the TYC rad's are cheap enough.

https://smile.amazon.com/TYC-2674-Forester-Aluminum-Replacement/dp/B000IYSI0M/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=Subaru%7C13&Model=Forester%7C57&Year=2007%7C2007&ie=UTF8&n=15684181&s=automotive&vehicleId=2&vehicleType=automotive

Use the "Will This Fit" thing, but I bought one of those about a year ago, and replaced the cap with an OEM Radiator Cap. Price is fair enough.

I did the job in about 2 hours on my '07 Forester (basically the same car as yours), in the rain, first time with that car. It was pretty easy. The upper and lower hose, and the two transmission cooler lines. Have the largest Vice-Grips you can find (10" +) and a pair of smaller (?6"?) for the Trans-cooler lines (or just any pliers) a clean drain pan if you're going to re-use the coolant. Remove the 2 10mm bolts on the overflow tank, get it out of the way. Mine as well wash it out while you've got it out. 2-3 bolts to remove the fan(s) assembly. There are two mounting brackets which you'll see on the top of the radiator support, where the front grill is. The radiator just drops in onto dowels/locator-pins, and then the brackets bolt it on the top.

If you're really strapped for cash right now you'll be able to get by. Just keep a good eye on your coolant over flow when cold. Don't press your luck though... Pretty much the main reason for blowing gaskets, as I mentioned before.


I hope this helps.

Woah okay.

First the seals - I'm assuming he's just talking about the lower unit seal. Easy to replace and should be done every few years anyway. You'll replace the water pump (impeller) at the same time. You can do this yourself. There are tons of YouTube videos on this the hardest part you'll have is disconnecting or disengaging the shift cable when lowering the lower unit out. On some Johnsons it's a little clip that is hard to get to but again, YouTube. This is the water pump kit for mine and may be for yours as well, look up your model there. Also you'll want to drain and replace the lower unit gear old while you're doing that. You can buy a kit with the oil and the pump if you want, or oil and pump separate, or if you hate yourself you can use the squeeze tubes. Again, YouTube. One piece of advice though is if you can not get the vent plug or drain plug use one of these impact drivers. Then put some marine grease on the threads when putting them back in.

Yes you can fix a small hole. Rough out edges, apply, reinforce, and sand. It's your call if you want to paint it to match or just a protectant coat.

Tune up - if it runs great don't mess with it. Otherwise spark plugs, wires if needed, carb cleaned, etc. Check the rubber hoses for leaks and cracks though (fuel lines, water lines, etc). Painting it is up to you. There's lots of good fiberglass restore products out there if it's just oxidation. Just lots of elbow grease. Or a polisher.

For a mechanic... I can't throw a rock here without finding a good outboard mechanic if needed. Start asking around a local marina, other friends with boats, etc. Some dealers are good.

For the canopy, I got mine off Amazon here just measure and choose your size. Super easy to install.

For other essentials that kind of depends where you're going and what you're doing. Most states also require an auditory signal (whistle, horn, or air horn) and a fire extinguisher. Since it's an outboard maybe your state doesn't but always nice to have. Also a throwable flotation device (square foam thing that you can sit on or store away).

B&M 70268 SuperCooler Automatic Transmission Cooler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CIGE9G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jIA2DbDHCNM3R

That looks to be the exact one I have, its uses 3/8 barb fittings for the feed and return hoses which is what Lexus uses so it works perfect. It comes with 3/8 hosing as well but I got some extra just in case but I don't believe you have too as what they give you should be enough. I don't have any pictures but I used the brackets that come with it and just some basic nuts/bolts/washers to kinda secure it in place along with some zip ties. I have it mounted off to the lower passenger side in front of the radiator with the fittings facing towards the passenger side. I run the hoses up through a hole between the frame and the bottom passenger side of the radiator and then wrapped some fabric around the hoses so they dont rub against the frame where they pass through that hole. I can walk you through the install if you want. It really wasn't hard. The hard lines for the feed and return are just behind the radiator so that made it SUPER easy to just run the hoses up through the hole and to the cooler. Just make sure you have the return hose fitted to the bottom fitting of the cooler so gravity helps insure you always have oil returning. You can get a bigger cooler too if you want but having a 3/8 barbed fitting on the cooler makes the install painless. My set up isnt pretty, I'm sure you could make it look good if you tried but I care how it works more than how looks.

This all depends on how much work you want to do, how you are with basic electrical connections and how much you want to spend up front vs how much you'd rather spend in electricity. Not that I've looked into this in any way.....

If you just hook up a standard gable fan like this it will run well enough and probably cool your shed a fair amount. You can also include a thermister like this which will give it a high and low threshold for operation. These can get pretty noisy though and if you leave it running all the time you'll probably see it on your bill.

For a bit more up front you can go with a full solar gable fan. Some models also allow connection to your 120v system so you can run them at night or during low sun conditions. These are great for situations like yours (or like my detached garage) where there isn't electrical yet or where you don't necessarily want to pay to have a fan run 10+ hours a day.

Vehicles run on the same output as solar panels (for the sake of this discussion) so you could easily cobble something together for less than $100 that would push as much air as one of those larger gable fans but also charge your cordless batteries, run low voltage lights, etc. You can also DIY a solar kit. I can get into the product details if you want, but overall you'd need:

• solar panel
  
• charge controller
  
• low voltage wiring
  
• speed/temp controller
  
• 12v DC fan like this one.
  
  If the fan is too noisy or moving too much air (in extreme cases, depressurization can be an issue) you can control fan speed with something like this and I'm sure there are 12v temp controllers as well.

You can get DC fans the same size ranges as box fans for about the same price. Heck typical electric radiator fans on cars are DC. See this quick example.

The bigger the fan, the less it has to work to move the same amount of air. See this study. This generally means better efficiency. This gets brought up a lot when people talk about cooling things like server rooms, computers, warehouses and such. It's why those massive giant fans sell so well. This also means they generally make less noise.

That same study above mentions the dynamics of flow and how slower bigger fans help with creating a better flow.

As for difficulty of installation, I can't see that it would be any more difficult than any other fan. You need to seal the overly large hole and set up electrical either way.

Honestly, I feel like you're post is the perfect example of what I'm trying to avoid, and what these companies bank on. Convenience at a cost. Both fans start at the 200 range or so, and there is no doubt in my mind that I'd spend at most half that trying to get any other fan to work in the hatch.

Thanks for the post though. It good to hear from others to think this stuff through.

I am not an A/C system master, but have read up on them a little when I was shopping for an E30 without A/C...

First of all, your E36 uses R12 refrigerant (pg 640-11 from the Bentley manual), but this unnecessary information. Before anything, take your car to an A/C shop and have them flush your system completely, this should be free because they can resell the refrigerant (If not pay you for it). Then do a leak test with a can of dyed r134a using a conversion kit fromyour local autozone/advanced auto/oreilys/etc. Something like this below.

http://www.amazon.com/Interdynamics-320-Retrofit-Kit/dp/B001AIZLQY

And then most people recommend replacing the expansion valve as well.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019ILOF2/ref=asc_df_B0019ILOF24310609?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=shopzilla0d-20&ascsubtag=shopzilla_rev_121-20;14643263694201161168710070301008005&linkCode=df0&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0019ILOF2

Not sure on the accuracy of this information! But good luck! I got lucky with my E36 being R134a!

50's Kid (Super Awesome): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCml-eeSLJZ38Q5_sUnUXrZw

Shop Life TV (Pretty effen gewd): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5jnm5CEnLSEmoQ-ktgAj6g

Well the people in the forums are the people with the problems, but that's not to say they aren't the most knowledgeable group of people about the e46. But the youngest E46 is 12 years old, so unless it's a garage kept car from an old couple, it'll have to be fixed a little soon into your ownership. You'll be advised to do $300,000 in preventative maintenance when on the forums, don't. I love my car but I only paid $3,000 for mine had I done everything the forum members suggested I would've spent another $3,000 in repairs. Keep up on your plugs and coils. If I'm not mistaken the 328s and 325s have transmissions made by GM and no one cares for them, so wait for a 330. I'm sure I'll get corrected on the transmissions but whatevs enjoy the plethora of links.

A Bosche fuel pump from Amazon is $130 and the gasket is $20.

Pump:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BZJE9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gasket:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054JTTFO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The exact fuel filter $60:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006Q7HDII/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

OEM plugs are $35, again Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DERDU44/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

DISA rebuild kit is $80 (DO THIS ONE ASAP, It's the one thing I always tell people, it'll prevent a steel pin from falling into a cylinder and ruining your engine) I bought mine from G.A.S. German Auto Sport I think. I love their warranty, if my DISA fails they'll give me that $80 towards one of their DISA units, like $400

Coolant system:
Expansion tank - $30 (Amazon) - known as the most likely failure

Radiator -$150 (AutoZone)
Lower radiator hose - $30 (Advance)

Temp sensor in lower hose - $8 (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FU9H9PO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Upper radiator hose - $30 (AutoZone)
Water pump - $55 (AutoZone)
Thermostat - $55 (AutoZone)

Transmission intercooler thermostat - $16 (Amazon)

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-Cooler-Expansion-Thermostat-17111437362/dp/B074K8SXL8/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1522204403&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=e46+transmission+intercooler+thermostat

I was able to remove the radiator without being about to tell the water pump had an issue. Installed the new radiator, gave my fan a wiggle and then knew I had replaced two hoses, an expansion tank, and a radiator for nothing. Cost: confidence as myself as a mechanic and an engineer and $295 (didn't replace the temp sensor or thermostat, and I was lucky enough to reuse the transmission intercooler thermostat!!!!!!11!1!!11!!)


I paid $90 for a pack of coils 40,000 miles ago. The entire CCV is $55, you guessed it, Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/11617501566-11611432559-11617504535-11157532649-11617504536/dp/B00I3RBDDK/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1522204499&sr=1-2&keywords=e46+CCV


One pair of HID headlights - $28
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GRTEMCO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



For two years of ownership starting at 153,000 miles and currently at 197,000, 8 months of driving 110 miles a day, five days a week, and now I drive 800 miles a week.

The hardest on this list are the fuel filter (unless you have access to a lift, I hate putting my car on stands) and the CCV, to replace the CCV you have to remove the intake manifold.

The DISA takes 10 minutes if you take the time to drink a beer MAKE SURE YOU BUY A KIT THAT INCLUDES A NEW GASKET

If you have problems head to here or the forums, I feel like I've written a book, but I spent forever tracking a couple issues only to find out it was the plugs. Check the plugs first.




Essential tools:

OBD2 WIFI adapter: $20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W0SDLRY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Regular socket set: $73

https://www.amazon.com/Kobalt-64-piece-Standard-metric-Mechanics/dp/B00GR8WEDU/ref=sr_1_24?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1522203667&sr=1-24&keywords=Kobalt+Socket+set

(5mm to 16mm or so, and includes bits you'll really want a wide flathead, Torx 25 or 30 for the cabin air filter mounting screws, and Philips, double check what this one includes)


Torque wrench: $35
https://www.amazon.com/Tacklife-Calibrated-13-6-108-5Nm-Certification-Extension/dp/B073VLDLQR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1522203362&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=torque+wrench&psc=1


6”-8" Socket extension: $10
https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-4966-8-Inch-Extension-3-Piece/dp/B000NW85F2/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1522203436&sr=1-6&keywords=8%22+socket+extension


Fan removal tool set - $20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MTV8EO4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc150=1


Including all tools that's $850 Hope this helps, the car is really easy to work on, I enjoy driving it. One last piece of advice never short trip your car, especially in cold weather, you could fill the CCV with mayo and it could lead to hydrolocking/self destruction of the engine. If you live South of Pennsylvania you shouldn't have to worry too much, some people put an ounce or so of Seafoam into the CCV a month. You don't need to follow these links to the tee but they should help.

TL;DR - It was cursed.

Sorry for typos.

Well, it started when the green one died due to a cracked block caused by a severe overheat.

I found the GT, the car that I had always wanted. The fact that it was a Limited made it even better. It was a 99 for sale in 2008 with only 20-something thousand miles. I thought I struck gold. Took it for a test drive, gave it a visual inspection, of course the sales guy said it was tip-top and he showed me the work orders for things like tires and brakes and inspections, so I bought it for cash on the spot.

It overheated the night I brought it home.

I drove it back to the dealership at night, parked it in front of their showroom door and threw the keys in the mail slot. Then I got back home and stopped the check (which I later found out was technically grand theft auto).

They call me the next day and asked why I had done that and I told them about the overheat and based on my experience it needed head gaskets. They agreed to fix it at no cost even though they didn't offer a warrantee due to the car's age.

Wonderful.

I forgot to mention, this was at a Mitsubishi dealership.

After 3 months of them trying to fix everything BUT the head gaskets that could cause an engine to overhead, they relented and sent it to a Subaru dealership down the street. They had it fixed in 3 days.

I finally have my car. All is well. Except for the cloud of smoke that comes up from the engine bay whenever I stop.

Turns out through all of the bullshit they Mitsu dealership did, they caused a pretty significant oil leak that was dripping right down onto the Y pipe. Instead of taking it back to the shit hole and against my better judgement, I picked up a bottle of this shit and poured it in. After a couple days, the smoke stopped.

Perfect. All is right with the world.

A couple months later I've got it up on a lift at the shop I used to work at and I come to find that it had some pretty severe subframe damage due to a front end collision that wasn't reported and/or kept from me when I bought it. Well, it wasn't affecting anything with the car, so I just made sure not to get into any passenger side front overlap collisions. Which I never did, thankfully.

After that, I was driving back home, about 160 mile trip, and right as I'm getting off the highway the resonator on my exhaust fell off leaving about a 12" gap in the pipe right after the cat. I patched it with a female/female piece of exhaust pipe from Auto Zone and a couple crush clamps.

At some point after that my wife backed into it with her CRV while pulling out of the garage bending the hood up about 2".

Then finally, it died. While driving about 35mph the engine started bucking and I lost all power. It never turned over again. I had it towed back to my apartment and eventually sold it not running to a member on USMB.

He swapped out the engine for a fresh one and turned a couple grand profit. Good for him. While he was doing it, he decided to find out why the engine blew up. It turns out some asshole poured a bottle of this shit into the engine which gumed up the screen in the oil pan and the engine had basically been running without oil for the better part of a year and a half.

I was finally rid of the car.

But it's not over.

About 2 months later I get a letter in the mail from Morgantown, WV saying I had an outstanding parking ticket. WTF? I've never even been to Morgantown. Yeah. I forgot to take off the plate when I sold it and after the guy I sold it to got it running he got a parking ticket with my plates. Thankfully, he paid it and apologized.

Yes. All there was to replace was the radiator fan and the condenser fan, then top your radiator off with water from the water hose.

So, you could've done it for $100. And they are super easy to replace, takes like 10 minutes each fan.

Most likely you only had one bad fan, so could've been even cheaper.

I wish I had seen your thread earlier :(

Either way, good news your car is back running again. If you ever have issues again, pm and I'll help

I have the Powerparts "ergo" seat for my '15 RC390 - it's absolutely worth it and has a great look to it.

If you haven't purchased it yet, u/Tigerandachicken, I'd recommend it. It's obviously not going to rip like a 600 supersport, but it's a blast to ride and I've enjoyed mine. Feels light and nimble in the turns and I haven't had a problem putting several hours on it during weekend rides. I'll add that I have a Kreiga US-20 tail bag that I strap to the tail / passenger seat. Can fit a bunch of stuff in it, can put stuff under the bag before tightening it, have carried a ton of stuff before on overnight trips. When I'm not using the bag, there's only the four loops coming out from under the passenger seat.

If you have any concern of the head gasket / overheating issues - see if you have any of the factory warranty left. You may want to consider that at some point you'll want to replace the radiator fan with this. It's supposed to be quieter and more efficient than the OEM one. There's write-ups on the forums if you Google it. Mine runs hot from time to time, if I'm stuck in traffic on a hot day maybe, but I haven't experienced any issues resulting from it.

First off, 70°C is a very low cooling temperature. You should only be concerned when your coolant temperature reaches 100°C. Cooling your bike to a lower operating temperature than recommended by the manufacturer will result in premature wear of parts. Your engine is designed to run at a certain temperature, normally around 90°C. Think of it as constantly running with a "cold" engine. I've had numerous bikes run over 100°C for a few minutes without any problem. Coolant is designed to only boil beyond 100°C so no worries. Second a pc fan does not nearly have the airflow needed to cool your engine by say 10-15°C. (if that would be necessary) You would probably need a fan out of a server or a small motorbike. Some small radiator fans deliver an airflow of 2000 cfm (cubic feet of air per minute), a pc fan delivers 100 cfm. You'll need probably something like this. Wiring is straight forward. Ground the black wire of the radiator fan to you chassis, add a wire from positive terminal of your battery to 1 pin of the switch, add another wire from second pin of the switch to fan. You could also add a fuse between wire from battery to switch with the correct amps stated by the manufacturer of the fan.

You might have some luck that way, but overall I've found stock replacement designs (even cheap import ones like TYC or Spectra) to be both more reliable and more powerful. You can grab a new one of those off Amazon in about two days tops.

This is the V8 one from that year, and probably available by Friday for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Spectra-Premium-CF15010-Radiator-Assembly/dp/B00Q64R94Y

That actually moves a smidge more sure than the V6 one. You'd need to adapt the wiring a bit more vs the V6, but it's quickly available.

Of course, if there's a local one at a yard, that may be your fastest bet for one just to test.

Sorry for the format I'm on mobile.

These are https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KWQDYZY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oO92Cb8CQYP4Y apparently work great for situations like yours dealing with seemingly impossible bolts to unfasten. Best of luck hopefully you dont have to break out the big guns haha.

Happy to help. Air cooled by a mile. I don’t have an endorsement for an actual kit. I used a no brand cooler core with some high quality hoses and AN Fittings. The sandwich plate and thermostatic adaptor are the most important. High quality sandwich plate and adaptor.

As for the brakes, I can’t speak on the pads, but definitely seek out high temp Dot 4 brake fluid and do a complete flush. RBF 600 and 660 come to mind for that. There are plenty of comparable brands out there.

Best of luck.

I'll find some pics for reference. There are two coolant hoses running up the floor to the heater core--one bringing fluid into the core, and one return line. The core wires can be unplugged and then unbolted from the floor.

Basically there's two ways to bypass it. You can unclamp the hoses from below and fashion some type of u-shape tube to so it simply returns to the rest of the cooling system. I found some premade u tube, but the hoses into the heater core are actually slightly different sizes.

Another way is to bypass it further upstream, where there is a heater valve. With rear heat it has 6 places to plug in tubes. The version for non-rear heat has only 4 tubes, like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C9DDN0/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I15VEQASFOWQ4V&colid=2EMFY9IJP51LI .

I didnt want to mess with that though. Be sure the engine is cool, and probably drain the coolant first. I thought i could quickly unclamp and put in the U piece in and got pretty soaked with coolant. Check the astrosafari forum for better details than i could give.

The manual I have is just junk, but I did a quick search online and the actuator is pretty darn easy to replace. This video is pretty straightforward. The part runs about twenty bucks and I believe the only tools you'll need are a ratchet, short extension, and 7mm socket. This actuator has pretty good reviews.

It could be worse. You could have a leaking a/c evaporator. That was what I've been dealing with the last two weekends. A black Avy with dark pewter leather is just not okay without a/c.

Any double din should will work. Check out Crutchfield, they’ll be able to recommend a new head unit based on what you’re looking for, as well as harnesses and mounting kits needed for whatever head unit you choose. Personally I prefer this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016ADOPEC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oN9YzbVW6MBE8
Crutchfield doesn’t offer it I don’t think, but from the ones I’ve seen installed it looks the best (other than the Urban Runner trim, but good luck finding that one).

Newer cars are pretty good at starting still, just make sure you have a good battery. Also, if it does get that cold, people will kick on their auto start or start it manually every few hours for 30+ minutes to keep it warm. Or these are also pretty common (used to be much more so). You plug them in when you park the car and it keeps the engine warm.

I've redone the entire AC system myself after my compressor 'ate itself alive'. The proper way, is to replace everything. The reason for this is because of what you eluded too; the metal shavings. I opted to replace every single line (high and low), the compressor, and the expansion valve.

Once you have all new components you need to add the oil. The amount you add is dependent on how much is in the compressor (or the whole system). There are a few guides on this and HELMS manual has a calculation you must do. For sanity's sake, if you're close, you'll probably be alright. However, full disclosure, I am no HVAC expert.

• You can use a compressor if you have one but you'll definitely have to remove every single component to ensure you get every single nook.
  
• It might be. Remove it from the firewall and take a look. They're pretty cheap if you have to pick one up. I bought this one and it's been running fine for years.
  
• No. Aside from a new serp belt if it's showing signs of wear.
  
• You're right. Having this done by a shop is the only right way. They need to evacuate your entire system once you have it all sealed up. Then put new freon(whatever it is nowadays) into it. Then charge it to the proper PSI. (as i understand it).
  
  You can do ALL of the work yourself save for the charging/recharging/evacing.

just get something like this and run lines to your transmission, and hose clamp (or double hose clamp it) - pretty simple.

You can get something cheaper than that though honestly. When I bought my B&M years ago I don't think I spent over $60. Hayden is another option and a bit cheaper.

Thanks! Is it one like this? https://www.amazon.com/70268-SuperCooler-Automatic-Transmission-Cooler/dp/B000CIGE9G/ref=sr_1_1

http://www.amazon.com/70268-SuperCooler-Automatic-Transmission-Cooler/dp/B000CIGE9G

Hundred bucks for the cooler, hose, and clamps. Really wondering where in the hell that extra tree fiddy came from.

The radiator / transmission cooler on these rust internally, mixing the fluids into a transmission destroying “pink milkshake”.

I’d recommend using this external transmission cooler and block off the old transmission cooler fittings to avoid losing your coolant if / when the radiator rusts out.