So did you find that only after removing the fan shroud?
2008-2018 Radiator Failure and Public Service Announcement (12 Viewers)
- Thread starter jclarke450
- Start date
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prharper
GOLD Star
Is this the old or new radiator? LC 2018 - manufactured in July 2018
New
prharper
GOLD Star
Nice, looks like July made the new cutover and maybe earlier. Thanks
no you could see it before
CharlieS
GOLD Star
That's the new version.
2013 LX with 85K miles checking in. Looks like a new radiator is needed soon. There's no sign of leakage from the crack, however I notice that the overflow/reserve tank is empty uhh... so there must be another leak somewhere else.
Last edited:
Uh oh. Look down at the water pump or pull off the cover and look behind the intake manifold. Its going somewhere.....
Installed:
Upper Hose - 20.46
Lower Hose - 26.14
Thermostat - 37.70
Radiator - 290.41
Shipping 2 Day - 46
Coolant - 40
Labor - 260
Total - $720.71
Upper Hose - 20.46
Lower Hose - 26.14
Thermostat - 37.70
Radiator - 290.41
Shipping 2 Day - 46
Coolant - 40
Labor - 260
Total - $720.71
Just bought a 2011 LC with 150,000 miles. The company I had do the pre vehicle inspection said the radiator needed replaced. I took it in to Toyota to have it done & they said the radiator is fine. Came across this forum & looks like I have the same issue everyone is talking about. 
Yup, you can see the crack starting to form there. At 150k miles, I would guess this might be the second time the radiator is going out.
Tommy Dwyer
SILVER Star
Maybe, maybe not. Mine lasted to 140k on my 2010. Still, this one is on borrowed time and needs to be replaced.
Replaced radiator this weekend.
When I purchased car with 71K it already had a crack.
this is 4000 miles later
4000 highway miles on east coast during summer time.
at this point I decided to apply an apoxy patch with fiber glass, cant remember the brand but bought it from Amazon as recommend by someone in early posts.
This is what I got
at this point im at 84K.
I decided to cut out this peace to look what was going on under the patch.
You can clearly see no crack on the inside of the radiator, but next image reveals difference in material thickness at the weak point.
You can see that radiator develops crack on the outside first, plastic top flexes during heat/cool cycles.
I was able to remove epoxy patch and crack didn't expand beyond original 75K point.
When I tried to apply pressure at the weak point it snapped right away.
When I purchased car with 71K it already had a crack.
this is 4000 miles later
4000 highway miles on east coast during summer time.
at this point I decided to apply an apoxy patch with fiber glass, cant remember the brand but bought it from Amazon as recommend by someone in early posts.
This is what I got
at this point im at 84K.
I decided to cut out this peace to look what was going on under the patch.
You can clearly see no crack on the inside of the radiator, but next image reveals difference in material thickness at the weak point.
You can see that radiator develops crack on the outside first, plastic top flexes during heat/cool cycles.
I was able to remove epoxy patch and crack didn't expand beyond original 75K point.
When I tried to apply pressure at the weak point it snapped right away.
Other thing I noticed that water pump that I bought was a bit different design than the original .
here is original ()
here is new one, the opening thats not covered by gasket is clearly different.
I had no issues with water pump, no leaks. the gear was maybe a slightly harder to turn than on the new one.
here is original ()
here is new one, the opening thats not covered by gasket is clearly different.
I had no issues with water pump, no leaks. the gear was maybe a slightly harder to turn than on the new one.
Im by no means suggesting not to replace radiator and use epoxy patches. my driving was very light. Few times went on offroad trails but comparing to other guys here you can hardly call this offroading. Just sharing my experience since I didn't have spare 600$ to do radiator replacement right after purchasing this car.
bloc
SILVER Star
Just bought a 2011 LC with 150,000 miles. The company I had do the pre vehicle inspection said the radiator needed replaced. I took it in to Toyota to have it done & they said the radiator is fine. Came across this forum & looks like I have the same issue everyone is talking about.
View attachment 2318723
I'm impressed that inspection company found this crack!
Interesting perspective.. glad you thought to see what it looked like right in the problem area.. and this totally makes sense.
Too bad we don't have a new one to tear up and see the difference..
I read with great interest the above thread. Thanks to all who contributed such helpful information. Then I said to myself, "self", surely Toyota got the message on the design of this part on later model 200's. Nonetheless, I had to go out in the garage and pop the hood on my 2017 to see if the top of the radiator had that same raised molded area for what appears to be a part number. Yes there it was, in front of god and everybody!Now I have no way of knowing if the manufacturer got the message or if structural changes were incorporated but I guess the stupid question of the day is, are owners of later models going to have to deal with this too. It maybe just a rhetorical question at this point and I owe it to myself to do a little further research but it sure came as a surprise.
View attachment 1489784
My 2017 has the same style old too. Looks like in 2018 they changed it over. Let me know when you start seeing issues.
I have a 2016 with 64k miles and it looks ok so far
prharper
GOLD Star
You keep a clean 2016 engine bay!
