Leaking radiator (1 Viewer)

[CMB1987]

Hi all

Got a leaky radiator and about to buy a new one

Want to avoid the design flaw by getting a good aftermarket one

Is the Nissens brand good from Roughtrax please?

Or strictly Toyota original brand?

 

[2001LC]

What design flaw ?

 

[baltistyle]

What design flaw ?

It has only lasted twenty years… lol

Op, no design flaws here. Get oem and it will be good for another twenty years. Plenty of radiator threads here asking what is the best radiator, and who ships them the best (since damage occurs regularly in shipping.

Easy half hour job if you know what you’re doing. Probably time for some new coolant as well.

 

[Rhetoric]

No aftermarket will get you 20 years. Go with T.Rad from the dealer. Ive done this job twice because I thought a Koyo would be a great value.

 

[Jack90210]

Another +1 for OEM here.

 

[CMB1987]

Just bought OEM £440 from Toyota

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[baltistyle]

Oem are packed extremely well but inspect it well before removing your current radiator. I’m not sure if you’re gonna be doing the upper and lower hoses or tranny hoses but most here would also recommend that you use factory hose clamps instead of screw clamps.…lastly don’t forget a tiny bit of dielectric grease on the inner lip of the hoses.

 

[Jack90210]

Oem are packed extremely well but inspect it well before removing your current radiator. I’m not sure if you’re gonna be doing the upper and lower hoses or tranny hoses but most here would also recommend that you use factory hose clamps instead of screw clamps.…lastly don’t forget a tiny bit of dielectric grease on the inner lip of the hoses.

Personally I wouldn't use ever any lubricant on any pressurized automotive hose. Get a clean towel, put some isopropyl alcohol on it and wipe the alcohol on the inside of the hose, it'll slide right on, grip well and leave no residue.

 

[baltistyle]

Personally I wouldn't use ever any lubricant on any pressurized automotive hose. Get a clean towel, put some isopropyl alcohol on it and wipe the alcohol on the inside of the hose, it'll slide right on, grip well and leave no residue.

Nor would I except it’s been recommended by my mechanic and most every mechanic that is worried about removal, vs install.

The grease is for future work, not install. We have all had hoses weld to the part they are attached to and this prevents that from happening. I’m not a fan of using picks and tools to remove hoses when’s it’s unnecessary. That becomes impossible when we start talking about some other cars and designs and the grease is a time and part saver.

Lastly this is not a friction fit, it has a clamp. If we think the grease will make it fall off or leak, then the real issue is the clamp, or cleanliness of the mating surface. All the fittings we are talking about are barbed and clamped. I’ve been doing this grease thing for about a decade and have never once had a leak.

 

[Jack90210]

Nor would I except it’s been recommended by my mechanic and most every mechanic that is worried about removal, vs install.

The grease is for future work, not install. We have all had hoses weld to the part they are attached to and this prevents that from happening. I’m not a fan of using picks and tools to remove hoses when’s it’s unnecessary. That becomes impossible when we start talking about some other cars and designs and the grease is a time and part saver.

Lastly this is not a friction fit, it has a clamp. If we think the grease will make it fall off or leak, then the real issue is the clamp, or cleanliness of the mating surface. All the fittings we are talking about are barbed and clamped. I’ve been doing this grease thing for about a decade and have never once had a leak.

That's fair.

I would add though that 1) lubricants aren't used at the factory; 2) there have been known instances of non-factory hoses popping off; 3) the cooling system is the most critical failure point of this vehicle; 4) I and many others have no problem using picks to remove hoses.

Mechanics work on time, which isn't always beneficial to the longevity or reliability of the component systems that they work on. When I work on my vehicle, it's Best Practices first, and "saving time down the road" is further down the list.

 

[take123]

I studied options, and ultimately went OEM.

I don't like how it's got plastic and other stuff compared to traditional all metal designs but Toyota engineering likely had a purpose and the plastic used on the LC is no joke, it's solid. My old one was showing it's wear and the big hose connection area, the plastic was starting to chip so I decided it's time to change after 18 yrs... For 18 yrs no failures I can't complain, kept the bottom and top caps from the old one as spares...

It's not a hard replace it: Youtube

When I swapped it out also replaced the hoses and clamps.

Here's my old one (thank you for your service):