Radiators

If the timing were off, it would be possible to overheat an engine, and have the overflow throwing water at you. But, in newer cars, this is usally not the case. You might have a bad hose somewhere-radiator, or heater hoses. And/or, the thermostat could be bad. NOPE

Will fit Legacy/Outback Model Year 1995 to 1999.

go buy a Haynes Repair Manual for your car ($15-$20), it will walk you thru it

most GM radiators have a peticock at the lower driver side corner of the radiator. Often hard to see from most angles.

turn 1/4 counter clockwise= fromright to left. use pliers, very difficult to grasp-no room. petcock will turn and pop out enough to let water flow.

twist-n-pull seems to be all the rage in detroit. simple, but effective....read--CHEAP

Yes.

Since about the mid-90's more cars have eliminated the traditional radiator cap.

All coolant / antifreeze goes through the "reservoir" (it's more than that nowadays).

See "Related Questions" below for more

It should be a white (or road stained black) plastic plug on the bottom left or bottom right of the radiator.

being a technician, i have never located one! we hook a machine up to the upper radiator hose or you can disconnect the heater hose located under the car on the passenger side, but that's quite a mess.

well u have to take the lower radiator shield off, the drain can be taken out with a flat head screw driver the plug is right below the lower radiator hose

Here is complete step by step instructions. http://www1.excite.com/home/info/learn2/tutorials_qa_overview/0,14899,auto_714_0,00.html

Yes, it is possible.

There isn't one. To flush my radiator in my 2000 I had to take off the lower rad hose.

You dont Take it to a qualified mechanic for a flush and they will dispose of the old coolant You dont Take it to a qualified mechanic for a flush and they will dispose of the old coolant

Usually there is a drain on the drivers side on the lower bottom towards the motor and it actually drains from the very bottom of the radiator. It's almost like a wing nut unscrew it and before you drain it make sure your radiator cap is off, then tighten it back. Depending on where you live, you can by the antifreeze already in the gallon mixed 50/50. When the car is running and your filling it up it will act like it is full, rev the motor up a little and it will be able to put more in it. Then check your over flow tank to make sure its at the right level!!

Bottom left of radiator toward rear. Lay under car, look up in front of left tire toward radiator. Plastic wing nut like plug.

is coolant leaking from engine?or is it leaking from water pump and running down engine and appears to leak from engine

First drain the Rad of all the old fluid, refill it with water and simple green, should be about 1/3 simple green and 2/3, maybe 1/4 and 3/4....close enough. start the car and let it run cap off, it will get to normal operating temp, you may need to add just a little bit more. put the cap on and let it run for 10-15 minutes. then shut the car off and drain the solution. fill it back up with your antifreez and water and run it! 1/3 simple green and 2/3 water. (must of backspaced the water part)

* With the engine cold remove the radiator cap * Move a large container under to catch the coolant as you drain it * Drain the radiator by opening the drain plug at the bottom on the left side

Check the fan. If you have an electric fan, verify it comes on when the car is at operating temp. If you have a 'clutch' fan you can verify it's working by starting the car and listening for the fan to change pitch or 'roar' when it warms up. This can be quite noticeable on larger fans (NEVER put your hands anywhere near a moving fan. Keep a safe distance). With the engine off check the fan for excessive movement (clutch type) by rocking a fan blade back and forth. There should be little or no play. If your fan is attached to the water pump this is also a good way to check it's operation. Again, there would be little or no play. Despite the popular myth, your car NEEDS a thermostat. Do not remove it from operation. To properly check a thermostat, remove it from the vehicle and place in a pan of hot water of approximately the same temperature (usually stamped on the thermostat - but not always). Generally, if it opens - it's good. Check your manual for the proper temperature range and replace if found defective. You can also check water pump flow by leaving the thermostat out of the housing. Re-fill the car with water and run the engine with the radiator cap off. Once filled, you should easily be able to see a 'current' flow by. If your view is blocked, rev the car once or twice. Water should come flowing out of the radiator at a pretty good rate. Don't forget to replace the thermostat.
If your car stays cool at lower speeds and all of the above checks out ok but your car still overheats at high speeds, it's probably the radiator. With the engine warmed up sitting at an idle, measure the temperature of the upper and lower tanks. There should be (ideally) a 40+ degree differential with the upper tank being hotter (obviously). Even if the overall temperature is not exceeding the maximum heat range, a lower differential indicates a problem and the radiator needs serviced or replaced. Example: If the top tank is at 195o (normal operating temperature) but the bottom tank is a 185o then the radiator needs serviced. Water is not cooling before it heads back into the engine and at high speeds, this will just get worse.
Also , re-check the lower hose. On some cars I have seen this hose collapse after the engine warms up, restricting flow. Even though the hose appeared to be in good shape. There are also some engine conditions relating to fuel mixture (a 'lean' condition) that can cause overheating, but this is rare on any newer cars.

It is located where you would normally expect the drain to be, it just doesn't look like what you may expect. It is a plastic butterfly shaped plug located on the passenger side of vehicle, bottom right of radiator. You will probably have to lay down and look from underneath.

Ever since electric fans started appearing in cars as stock factory items, they've been controlled by thermostats, just like the thermostat in your home A/C system. They typically are hard-wired (not through the ignition switch) so as to help continue to cool the engine, even after you've shut it off. All engines suffer from some degree of what's known as "heat-soak", or the condition of residual heat in the block continuing to heat the coolant for some time after the engine is shut off. Left unchecked, this can lead to elevated temperatures under the hood, causing drastic pressure spikes in both the coolant and fuel circuits. Remember, there's no longer any air moving under the hood. Granted, there's pressure relief controls to handle this, but they bring about the possibility of dumping fuel and glycol overboard.

When the radiator isn't working

Disconnect the lower coolant hose.

if its out of the top you might need a new cap they are pressurized

and sometimes the spring is bad