2008-2018 Radiator Failure and Public Service Announcement (8 Viewers)

[AnyMal]

"Your 2018 should definitely have the updated design though with the flatter contoured top stamp. Took 10 years, but i dont believe any of those have failed."

Good to know but since the title includes '18, I wanted to ask. I'll take a look at mine anyways and maybe just start taking a peak every 6 months, as I only put about 8-9k miles on the truck each year and I agree that temperature swing and age should attribute to the failures more than mileage.

Yep, just compare to posted pic mentioned above.

Your 2018 also should have the auto rear hatch button opening feature. Overall great year to be in!

Bloc will make a nice clean thread on this soon with fax, pics, part numbers and technical insight.

 

[reddog90]

81 pages, but who is counting. With that said, any idea what the earliest that this failure has occurred? I will be looking back over my '18 just to see if there has been any leakage but at 31k miles, I certainly hope there isn't. Last time I looked (about page 40 or so in this thread), it looked new still... and it was.

Per Toyota service records, my '13 had the rad replaced in Feb '19 at 77k. From the summary post I linked above, around 120k is the average from this thread but it's been as low as 59k and high as 209k.

 

[bloc]

New radiator design was phased in late in 2018 build year. Some 18s have the old design.

 

[LvCruiserNewb]

New radiator design was phased in late in 2018 build year. Some 18s have the old design.

I can confirm that. Mines an 18 bought in March of 18 and has the old radiator style. Only 55k so far but no sign of a crack yet. Trying to prepare myself best I can for self replacement sometime in the next 50k when it inevitably blows the lid. I've never done that level of car wrenching before so this thread with all the writeups is awesome.

 

[tincan45]

I can confirm that. Mines an 18 bought in March of 18 and has the old radiator style. Only 55k so far but no sign of a crack yet. Trying to prepare myself best I can for self replacement sometime in the next 50k when it inevitably blows the lid. I've never done that level of car wrenching before so this thread with all the writeups is awesome.

It will crack long before it blows. Just keep an eye on it and start collecting parts when you notice it. Mine appeared around 80K replaced at 89K.

 

[ThRiLlGmYr]

Delete Please

 

[bloc]

Why is this in the radiator failure thread?

Good catch.. replied to the wrong thread. I'll delete it.

 

[grinchy]

Reviewed the service history on my truck. No radiator. So that’s 239500 )probably) on the 2009 original.

 

[bloc]

Reviewed the service history on my truck. No radiator. So that’s 239500 )probably) on the 2009 original.

The definition of statistical outlier.

 

[grinchy]

The definition of statistical outlier.

Yeah it’s unverified as I’m not the original owner of the vehicle. It also had a patch the last two or three years.

I will say based on the eventual failure mode that once the crack forms the product is shot and should be replaced when possible. I didn’t get too many more miles out of it- maybe 5 to 7 thousand.

 

[grinchy]

RTH: - any beta on loosening the four nuts on the fan coupler?

I've got a 12 point combination wrench that's pretty long for a 12mm, and it just leaves creases in my hands.

TIA

Can I just saw the studs off? I already have a new fan bracket to go on, and it appears to have the studs.

 

[nwfl4runner]

Using a pry bar on the other nuts to stop it from spinning, you need a long box end wrench, or put your wrench on it and then another wrench locked into that one as a poor man’s cheater. tried that and it still stuck?

 

[bloc]

put your wrench on it and then another wrench locked into that one as a poor man’s cheater.

This

 

[grinchy]

Always a good day when you get to buy new tools!

Extra long 8/10, 12/14 and 13/15mm closed ends in a three pack for the princely Sum of $30 at the local auto store.

Wedged with a screwdriver (as before), but easy off with the long wrench.

On to the next step.

 

[bloc]

The above double-wrench is why my travel tool roll includes a 14mm as well as 9/16, specifically for driveshaft bolts/nuts.

 

[grinchy]

Was able to get to the main four bolts. One required a flex socket (right lower). Most won’t have a charcoal canister and winch wiring in the way and it’ll slip right up.

The bottom bolts fell into the little tube they’re mounted thru, you can put your finger in the top and push out toward truck center/ the remaining cooler.

Also found a shorty 12mm I dropped down there a few years ago

 

[CharlieS]

Using a pry bar on the other nuts to stop it from spinning, you need a long box end wrench, or put your wrench on it and then another wrench locked into that one as a poor man’s cheater. tried that and it still stuck?

Too late to be helpful, but I use a screwdriver across two of the nuts to counter hold while
cracking the nuts. Used this just last week on my son's land rover replacing the water pump.

 

[grinchy]

SST for that last water pump pulley bolt.

 

[CharlieS]

nice! Another technique I use is to crack all four loose with the screwdriver counterhold technique and don't remove any of them until all are turning easily.

 

[pdavis49]

After going through the service history of my new to me 200 I believe it is at 236,000 on the original with the stress crack but no leak. This reminds me of how the 80 series tanks yellow and get really brittle or how the 100 series have the heater Ts that like to disintegrate when they get old. Looks like I'll be doing a cooling system refresh soon.