Coolant fill tank/reservoir broken!!!!

[2.2Turbo]

I was doing a routine check of the coolant lines and system today and broke a nipple off of the coolant fill tank/reservoir. I could not believe how brittle the hose nipples and the reservoir were. I know age, coolant soak and heat all factor into the breakdown of the material. I thought everyone should be aware of how easy the tank and fittings can break and come apart.

Has anyone had to replace the coolant fill reservoir? If so, how much does one cost and are they still available? TIA

[Ogre]

You can pick up a cheap generic replacement for 8 bucks at Pep Boys.
THat's is what I am using now.

Same thing happened to mine.

[import_freak]

Thanks for the heads up. Ill have to check mine out to see what kind of condition its in.

[2.2Turbo]

Ogre,

Do you have a part number or brand name for the generic replacement? Did the replacement have all of the conections needed?

Thanks,
CT

[vrg3]

These bottles fail a lot... It's kind of dumb to use plastic like that for something that heat cycles so much. It's actually a good thing to replace pre-emptively, like when you change the timing belt and/or water pump.

When the bottle on my car broke (same thing, a nipple snapped off), a previous owner cut away what was left of the nipple, ran a 1/2" NPT tap through it, and threaded in a little copper nipple with some thread sealant. I don't know how many miles ago that was done, but it did eventually fail at about 93,000 miles.

Ogre, I'm not sure we're talking about the same tank... It's not the overflow tank by the radiator. Only turbos have this one; it's behind the intake manifold on the driver's side. The turbo radiators don't have caps; instead the cooling system is filled from this bottle.

These bottles are still available. The part number is 21132AA010 and it'll run you around a hundred dollars. :(

[eastbaysubaru]

There's also an aluminum one that JC Sports used to sell. I think the fabricator is still around making them. I'm not sure where though. Someone else may be able to point you in the right direction. IIRC they were about $120 which is a little more than the OEM one, but it's MUCH burlier.

-Brian