Hi everybody,

I own a 2002 WRX STI and as i was driving home from work yesterday I noticed the smell of burning coolant. Not sure where it was coming from I continued driving but kept an eye on the water temp gauge. I noticed that the temp gauge was creeping up but as I had just had to slow down in traffic, my A/C was on and it was quite a hot day I didn't think too much of it. As I continued driving the temp kept going up so I pulled over and opened the bonnet, there was coolant everywhere! I looked around for a hose that had come off but couldn't find one, I then noticed that coolant from the top radiator hose was dripping onto one of the radiator fans. I took the hose off, it had been fouling on the radiator fan and had worn down enough (through 2 layers of rubber) that the pressure had burst it.

I'm not sure what models this will affect but it may be worth checking your top radiator hose to see if it's in contact with the radiator fan. I repaired the old hose and cut about 1cm off the end that connects to the engine before fitting it, it still seals fine and it doesn't foul anymore. I now have a new hose (genuine, from Subaru) and it's nowhere near the fan.

Owen