Long story short I'm doing some maintenance on our 2005 Subaru Forester. The radiator flush is a PIA and I still don't know if I've got it right. The engine is turbo charged and there are a lot of cooling houses and a couple different reservoirs. One of the troubles is air pockets.
Anyways, I was getting fed up with it last night (3 hours, past my bedtime, in the driveway soaking wet) and used the garden hose. The guys on the Subaru forum said it's a big no no and said to drain it and use only distilled. The radiator is the stock aluminum and it sounds like the system is prone to blockages. I guess the minerals in the tap water are the trouble makers.
What do you all think? Should I change it all? Basically start all over and end up in the driveway tonight laying in hot coolant and water.
Same goes for the 4Runner. I'm on schedule to change that this weekend and had planned to use distilled. I have used tap water in every vehicle I've ever owned and never had a problem, that's the reason for the question.