Radiator Problems

[02redgalant]

115k mileage
thermostat replaced at 75k
flushed system at 70k and when i replaced the oem and 3rd radiator

In the past year and a half i've gone thru about 4 radiators..oem and and 3 from radiator barn

1st oem-plastic tank had a hairline crack at the top which spewd coolant all over the valve cover

radiator barn radiators
2nd all metal radiator-driver side core was leaking
3rd same ^- at the top tank had a pinhole leak
4th same ^-noticed a leak on the top of the bottom take with more inspection the side fin which people usually cut off/or bend for the JDM headlights has COMPLETELY separated from the Core and bottom tank...

i haven't had any irregular overheating till the 4th but its leaking pretty bad so yea no surprise..so before I drop money for this new oem like plastic radiator ..what could be causing this?? a faulty pressure cap?

[ricky_db]

They just blow for no reason? no racing speeding alot or anything?
i imagin the temp is pretty steady in miami have you had the thermostat checked since the last time it was changed?

[02redgalant]

radiator barn radiators have lasted me about a month or 2 before they blow..I do drive aggressive no racing tho... I think if that was the case oem woulda blown wayyy earlier..oem lasted me 90k and some....for a while I though it was just crappy replacement but this time around its coming out of my pocket since the other were warranty replacements..they inspect and decided the last 2 were defective..and now my 4 bad again..there lifetime warranty isn't really its like 3x and its done...

[Stewi]

What type of coolant are you running? what type of mods does the car have? has the water pump in the car ever been replaced?

[02redgalant]

regular peak/prestone 50:50,stock....nope water pump hasn't been replaced

[tamim13]

I just replaced my OEM radiator at 140K, same story as your hairline crack on the top and decided to break through in the horrible weather we are having now. I went with OEM again, as it was $250 at the dealer. I noticed that it was a denso radiator, so you might be able to get a good denso replacement part from elsewhere instead of at the dealer for cheaper. I think that if it lasts for 140K it's worth getting another one.

Also a good point was brought up about the water pump. You should have replaced your waterpump and timing belt by now with the no. of miles you have on the car. Another suggestion is getting the OEM antifreeze, I don't think this has an effect, but it's not that expensive - $11 for a gallon of concentrate.

[SPD_FRK]

The water pump should be replaced...though I doubt that would cause the frequent radiator issues. For having this many with cracks, or pin holes in them its hard to be certain if they are all manufacturing defects or not. The pin hole is a strong possibility as it is common to happen on all aluminum/metal units due to the welding process (nature of mass production really).

One thing I am curious about is your radiator cap. Has it been replaced at all? The reason I ask is if the cap has not been replaced, or is not working properly it will not "vent' the built up pressure from the expansion associated with the heated coolant. Normally the cap will open and allow the coolant to flow into the overflow tank, and then once the liquid cools it will be recirculated (or sucked) back into the rest of the cooling system. The cap should be opeing between 11-15psi of pressure according to the FSM.

What would this have to do with the radiator issues? Well, if the pressure builds up enough, it can cause the plastic end tanks to seperate or crack...or on other weak areas of the radiator.

[02redgalant]

thanks for the input fellas...i just replaced the timing belt around 85k so until the pump fails i guess i'll hold out till the next timing belt job...radiator cap has not been replaced so i guess i'll buy a new oem one with the radiator..what i wanted to know is there anything other then the cap that would cause higher pressure in the radiator?

[beam514]

I would go CSF all metal - works for me

[02redgalant]

i believe radiator barn sources radiators through them...so im pretty sure csf all metal is what has broken 3x :(

[SPD_FRK]

If you need a cheap radiator man let me know. I have a brand new one that was in my car for a short time (if you followed any of my build you know it never really ran lol). Even if its an all metal unit or not the issue may still be a faulty radiator cap causing the issue.

[02redgalant]

but would a v6 radiator fit?

[SPD_FRK]

but would a v6 radiator fit?
As far as I know the V6 and 4cyl are the same radiators...maybe I missed something on them but from looking at mine and Ivory8g's they are identical.

If you want mine I will give you a good deal since I am upgrading to a different one for my build. Like I said mine is basically brand new yet too.

[Jeffylou87]

Seems like there's a radiator monster under your hood..

[beam514]

As far as I know the V6 and 4cyl are the same radiators...maybe I missed something on them but from looking at mine and Ivory8g's they are identical.

If you want mine I will give you a good deal since I am upgrading to a different one for my build. Like I said mine is basically brand new yet too.

I believe there was discussion of this on socal3g and actually the part numbers are different from CSF. Whether the radiators actually vary or not, and by how much (if they do), I have no idea