I have a 2010 Subaru Outback that I bought second hand. The first few weeks it was fine, but then suddenly a bunch of lights were flashing on the dash.
So I replaced the thermostat and did a full coolant flush. A few weeks later, the coolant levels were low again and I realized there was a leak coming from the bottom of the radiator. A few drops per hour.
I tried to use radiator leak stop to no avail.
Then I tried to patch up the bottom of the radiator using metallic paste
But it still drips. It’s not an urgent issue, the car runs fine and I top off the coolant once a month. But it’s annoying and the car always smell like coolant.
Any ideas on a fix? How hard/expensive would a full radiator swap be?
Radiator replacement can be pretty simple. You can possibly remove the rad and take it to a rad shop and have them repair it for fairly cheap, however you can probably also find a relatively cheap new aftermarket rad. If I was you I’d flush that rad leak stop out as soon as possible because that shit is snake oil and will only cause you headaches in the long run.
Replace the radiator
Radiator swap is fairly easy if you can use a wrench and a pair of pliers.