2008-2018 Radiator Failure and Public Service Announcement (12 Viewers)

[bloc]

Glad I found this thread. I have an 08 with 76k miles on it. No visible cracks or anything yet but is it generally advisable to do a preventative replacement? Mine has the same serial number and emblem as those that seem to fail.

People seem to go many trouble-free miles with the hairline crack visible. Personally, and especially going into winter, I’d keep a close eye on it and wait until the crack starts.

One exception to this (IMO) is if you plan to use the truck for very hard miles like extended towing.. in that case the demands on the cooling system are so great I’d want all potential problems resolved ahead of time.

Or maybe if you are planning some giant 10k mile roadtrip.

 

[TeCKis300]

If you consider that overheating is one of the most common failure modes to cause complete loss of the motor, an ounce of prevention here is money well spent.

It's not just the case where coolant is fully lost. From the moment the leak starts, the cooling system will begin the slippery slope of being unable to sustain the necessary pressures to maintain proper cooling. Lost pressure will result in the coolant boiling. Boiling will result in air pockets and potentially cause and air lock in the coolant flow.

Will one be attentive enough to catch the overheating before it destroys the motor? Will it be an opportune time? Murphy tends to make sure things happen at the worse times in the worse place.

At a minimum, I would suggest adding a bead of epoxy right over the stress riser location to minimize further fatigue crack formation.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

I’ve had the hairline crack for 50,000 miles. Currently at 120,000 miles. It has yet to get any bigger and doesn’t seap a drop of coolant. I do agree with @TeCKis300 that for normal people, you should proablaly switch it out.

But for me, I want to know what the limit is so I can talk crap. I also don’t care if I blow the motor.

I’ve got a 1,700 hp 454 sitting in my garage, quietly saying to me, “dooooo iiiiiiiiit.” Plan to drop that in my 200 and chop the front end off to fit a Dana 70 and put ‘er up on 40s.

 

[bloc]

At a minimum, I would suggest adding a bead of epoxy right over the stress riser location to minimize further fatigue crack formation.

The problem with epoxy on a good radiator is we don’t know whether it helps anything, but it definitely keeps you from seeing the crack when/if it starts forming.

With the number of miles people are putting in these successfully with the hairline crack, checking it every fill up should be plenty of warning when it starts to form.

 

[Docboy]

The problem with epoxy on a good radiator is we don’t know whether it helps anything, but it definitely keeps you from seeing the crack when/if it starts forming.

With the number of miles people are putting in these successfully with the hairline crack, checking it every fill up should be plenty of warning when it starts to form.

Any material engineers on this board? I wonder what the rate of expansion before failure is for the expoxy compared to that of the material Toyota uses to construct the radiator.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Any material engineers on this board? I wonder what the rate of expansion before failure is for the expoxy compared to that of the material Toyota uses to construct the radiator.

I know one and will ask him.

 

[TeCKis300]

The problem with epoxy on a good radiator is we don’t know whether it helps anything, but it definitely keeps you from seeing the crack when/if it starts forming.

With the number of miles people are putting in these successfully with the hairline crack, checking it every fill up should be plenty of warning when it starts to form.

It absolutely will help, if not flat out resolve the issue completely.

It helps in 2 ways:

1) Relieves the stress riser such that expansion/contraction forces are no longer concentrated at the corner.

2) These radiator/plastic specific epoxies are capable of permanently sealing leaks that have already started. If used proactively, it's not going to be just a bandaid. It'll become part of the substrate itself to strengthen and prevent #1 from ever manifesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Versachem-90...qid=1541216421&sr=8-1&keywords=epoxy+radiator

 

[Docboy]

I know one and will ask him.

Great, keep us updated on his thoughts. I'm hoping that the expoy's rate is greater than that of the radiator's. If so, then the expoxy would be a definitive, albeit slightly unsightly, economical fix.

 

[TonyP]

I had the very faint hairline crack for three Moab trips, many local overnights, and a trip from SLC to Baja Sur and back.

Anecdotal, possibly.

That said, I slathered the epoxy on there after Baja. That stuff is serious and will possibly hold you over for a while. It gets very hot when mixed and also takes a while to get off your hands... or so I've heard...

I'd say it helps, but I'm pretty dumb.

 

[SteveL]

Nothing there - No adhesive or any markings whatsoever. It's super clean. Will post a picture later on or tomorrow of it.

I have the same thing on my 2009, no marking or hint of adhesive. No crack at 134k at all. Makes me wonder if there were other suppliers. Still the same raised area as all the others except for the new style.

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

I applied the JB Weld radiator repair with fiberglass a couple of months ago, thinking it is better than nothing. Keeping an eye on this thread to see if/when someone who proactively applied the epoxy experiences a failure. '11 LX with 60K miles.

 

[pf graham]

Same s***, different VIN.....!

I think I was less mad when I didn't know everybody had the same problem.... SOOOO mad.

2011 LC200, ~140K miles.

Has anyone had any luck with getting Toyota to fix this for free?

Nothing like this should break on this overbuilt vehicle.

 

[ranma21]

Same s***, different VIN.....!

I think I was less mad when I didn't know everybody had the same problem.... SOOOO mad.

2011 LC200, ~140K miles.

Has anyone had any luck with getting Toyota to fix this for free?

Nothing like this should break on this overbuilt vehicle.

Arr.....140k miles radiator replacement is actually not bad. It is a wear and tear item after all. Mine started with hairline cracks at 79k miles, at 99k miles now with 4k miles epoxy patch , no leak.

 

[bloc]

The radiator is cheap enough and not that difficult to replace.. I plan to throw one in every 100k and call it good.

If this is the one reliability glitch with this whole (amazing) vehicle I can easily live with it.

 

[pf graham]

Alright - so, talked to my 15-year-long mechanic that I've taken all 6 of my LC's to - he said the LC200 are so new that there isn't much to report on what breaks naturally.

BUT, he says this is common, the only thing that he knows of that is.

Called Northridge Toyota and was told the exact same thing (and what time do I want to come in and get it fixed...) but there is no warenty or bulletin about it from Toyota America.

The service manager gave me the number for Toyota Customer Experience Center - called them. I won't go into all the crap they wanted to do to dodge this but, he said he had NO other records about this problem and questioned both this site and how common it is.

He went on to tell me that if something like this was this common, it wouldn't be unusual for Toyota to 'deal with it across all owner at all dealers' - whatever the hell that means.

So, I told him I would be more then happy to let this so-called community know all the details and let them decide how universal this is.

Toyota Customer Experience Center
Phone: 800-331-4331
Case #1811072668
Jeff is the Manager

Couple things they are doing you should know about right off the bat:
- VIN number
- Are you registered with Toyota (only if you take your rig to a dealership)
- What number are you in the line of ownership (seriously)
- Miles when the problem occurred.

They're looking for reasons NOT to believe you. Also, just because you already fix the problem doesn't mean you're not entitled to something if this is acknowledged by Toyota America.

Pay a ~$100k for a car, there should NEVER be a common, consistent and exact broken part.

I guess report back here I guess.

Good luck.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm with @bloc . While I would rather it not be a common problem, it's not a big deal. Not particularly expensive, and not particularly hard to change. I'm more irritated that the starter is also such a common problem. But if these are the only 2 achilles heals of the platform, I can live with it.

My Lexus sedan had a failed radiator at 90k miles (end tank separation). Perhaps that was me pushing 400hp and tracking it often.

My Porsche had experienced the same type of end tank separation failure/weap. And 3x, that is 3 expensive radiators hanging off the front end that needed changing at 32k miles.

I just chalk it up to radiators not being made like they use to be. Though the 200-series is due to rather dumb design flaw.

 

[foeix]

My 08 just gave out at the seam at 182K miles after the season's first sub-zero temp. Going to R&R over Thanksgiving.

 

[CarolinaWhaler]

2008 with 145k. My wife took it in town and I noticed pink fluid on garage floor. Will be trying to get the new version of the radiator installed along with water pump and belt/tensioner/pulley. Thankful this happened close to home . Been watching this thread for the last few years - thanks everyone for posting.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

2008 with 145k. My wife took it in town and I noticed pink fluid on garage floor. Will be trying to get the new version of the radiator installed along with water pump and belt/tensioner/pulley. Thankful this happened close to home . Been watching this thread for the last few years - thanks everyone for posting. View attachment 1835007

Did the radiator crack or is it just the cap?

 

[CarolinaWhaler]

The splash pattern looks like its coming from the cap but the cap is on tight and I see a horizontal crack along the bottom of the raised part# area (not as obvious as others I've seen though). When I push on the area around the crack, the crack definitely moves some. If the cap was on tight, anything else I should check? Fwiw, fluid reservoir was empty.