Aghh!

[netlos]

I'm supposed to leave for vacation soon ,so i take a look under the hood of my baby,and find that my resevoir for my coolant is empty no big deal i figure i am due to change the coolant and was going to change the thermostat at the same time (just have not got around to it yet) so i refill it and the rad figure it was some evaperation,three days later i take the car from the wife and check again ,the resevoir is empty,now there are no signs of a leak at all and as far as i can tell the exhaust is not white smoke,so i refill again only to find it empty again three days later now i am extremly concerned,i went to Subaru (yes Subaru) and bought one of their coolant conditioner(heard it works miricals) put it in and so far have not lost any more coolant,but i do not know if i will be taking my baby for the 10+ hrs drive ,just wanted to vent a bit sorry for the long post ,most probably i have a crack in the head gasket i guess ,i'm still toying with the idea of driving her there and back but am not sure can't really risk a break down with the kids and all.AGHH!!!!

[netlos]

well i'm back (she made it over 2000km round trip)and have not lost a drop of coolant,we'll see how long this is gonna last will be keeping an eye on it though.Thank you Subaru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XL7Limited]

what is this stuff? Im guessing its nothing more then a sealant or head gasket sealer. Can you tell us more?
Thanks

[netlos]

Subaru calls it a coolant conditioner It has corrosion inhibitors, in it and also a resin compound that is supposed to help seal gaskets.They brought it out around 99 i believe when they were blowing a lot of head gaskets,they started adding this conditioner to actually repair some and pevent head gasket leaks (a couple of mechanic friends recommended this stuff to me)
Found this info on line:

WWP-99 Service Campaign - Cooling System Conditioner

Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through 2002 model year 2.5L equipped Subaru vehicles may experience an external coolant leak from the cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal relative thermal expansion and contraction variations of engine parts. As a precautionary measure, SOA is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system to prevent leaks from occurring or to correct existing leaks.

Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected by this campaign. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles.

In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to the SUBARU vehicle cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The updated recommended service procedure as well as intervals for coolant replacement will be added to all applicable service manuals. As a reminder, we will include an update page in the owner notification letters that should be added to the Owner’s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services are not covered under warranty.

If the vehicle owner has this Service Program repair performed promptly, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on the vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, the vehicle owner must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to the vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading “Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services”.

Dealers will automatically be sent an initial quantity of Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner. Dealer bulletins and affected VIN lists will be mailed to dealers in early February 2004. Owner notification letters are scheduled for mailing in stages.
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[netlos]

oh and it does not have any kind of pellet or solid in it ,it does not even seem to be a thick consistensy ,i believe it was red(put it in not to long ago and already forget,lol),but it seems to work we'll see how long it lasts ,my fingers are crossed!

[XL7Limited]

good info. Keep us posted on how it does over the long haul.. thanks!

[netlos]

will do,went on a little camping trip just getting back and so far all is good,except the fact that i got to go to work tomorrow