2006 LX470 Coolant leak - need new radiator? (1 Viewer)

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Apr 15, 2021
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Location
Madison, AL
I have a coolant leak in the driver side lower corner of the radiator looks like it has had green coolant in it but will get red for it when I flush and refill. I cannot find a radiator in stock anywhere - any ideas? Has anyone used 1-800radiator before? Suggested by Oreilly Auto but never heard of them before…

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What color is in the reservoir? Looks like maybe a/c leak from condenser, not coolant.
 
What color is in the reservoir? Looks like maybe a/c leak from condenser, not coolant.

It does look like it could be the condenser. Pop the radiator cap and check the color...if it has red...then your leak is refrigerant.
 
Agree with @JunkCrzr89
I have used 1800Rad a ton when I was in the biz. Give you a lil bag of candy with your purchase. They should stock condensers also.
 
Thanks for the replies! The radiator is losing about 1/2 a gallon of fluid a day when not running so pretty sure it’s the rad - also the radiator was full of the green stuff :-( Should I go ahead and replace the water pump and timing belt while I have it pulled apart or is there a lot more to pull off? I thought about replacing the head gaskets also as they are leaking some oil…
 
Thanks for the replies! The radiator is losing about 1/2 a gallon of fluid a day when not running so pretty sure it’s the rad - also the radiator was full of the green stuff :-( Should I go ahead and replace the water pump and timing belt while I have it pulled apart or is there a lot more to pull off? I thought about replacing the head gaskets also as they are leaking some oil…
The radiator comes out in about 20 minutes, you can drain the coolant from the petcock in the bottom. If the coolant is fresh, just use a clean container (I like a clear rubbermaid) and put it back in the radiator when done. You'll need a bit of matching coolant to top it up.

If you haven't done the timing belt and its overdue, its an "ok" time to do it; but I certainly wouldn't dive into a timing belt job early just over a radiator swap. You can get the radiator out without even removing the cooling fan. Just unbolt the shroud and move it back over the fan.

I think you are talking about valve cover gaskets as your head gasket wouldn't be leaking oil and is a big job. You can try just tightening the valve cover gasket bolts a turn and see if the leaking goes away, many have good results with that. I replaced mine, about a 3 hour job start to finish but nothing the radiator needs to be touched for.

I would replace the upper and lower radiator hoses at the same time. If they and the radiator are original, the hoses are on a wing and a prayer.
 
BTW, I did mean the valve cover gaskets (not the heads)… That timing belt/water pump looks like a big job - watching videos about it… Is there a shop manual for this truck I can download somewhere?
 
The Aisin kit you sent (if actually Aisin) is a quality kit. I just ordered one through rockauto for less, just make sure to add the tensioner to it if you go with Rock Auto as their kit doesn't include it. Many folks also replace the fan assembly bracket as it sits over the water pump and takes some disassembly to remove/install that you are going to be well into when doing the timing belt kit.

You will also want some FIPG 103 for the timing belt kit as it's called for in the FSM.

Here is the FSM: Factory Service Manual ( FSM) - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/factory-service-manual-fsm.527487/

Just FYI there are quite a few good resources on Youtube for this job, just make sure you're using the directions for a motor of your same vintage and track the FSM on what TDC markings to set at, there is more than one set on this motor.

Lastly, I manually turn the motor over (2x) to confirm the cams in in sync. I don't remember if the FSM states to do that, but it gives me great comfort to do anyway :)
 
There are 20 koyorad radiators available on Amazon that fit a LC100.
Koyorad are good. That's what I used. The one I bought on Amazon was damaged in shipping though (return was easy) and due to time constraints I went with a local radiator shop and they also used a koyorad.
 

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