I agree with @bloc. Something doesn't look right on the lower right bottom corner. Get a light and magnifier.
2008-2018 Radiator Failure and Public Service Announcement
- Thread starter jclarke450
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
well, @fasteddie2015 ask and ye shall receive! It's been at least two months and about 2,000 miles, so rather than post another boring picture, I went ahead and made a video of it. So enjoy.
I have no complaints. My original post was from November, so it's back a few pages if you want to see what I used. But if this continues to NOT leak I'm just gonna run it and save the $400 I would have spent on a new radiator.
Last edited:
@whereiswill - thanks for the multimedia extravaganza of an update. My radiator has yet to crack. Based on your experience would you reinforce before the crack or wait til ithe crack or leak appears?
Has Anybody bought an aluminum radiator from this guy on eBay. I'm thinking of doing some preventative maintenance since my 2011 has 85k miles and I have a few bucks leftover from my taxes.
Aluminum radiator for Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 5.7 V8 2008-2016 | eBay
Aluminum radiator for Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 5.7 V8 2008-2016 | eBay
bloc
SILVER Star
Personally I’d stay oem. They perform great and even if they hadn’t been updated you are basically guaranteed 80k+ trouble free miles. With the updated one? Far better. Now compare that to a random seller on eBay hawking all-aluminum units that cost less than an OE plastic/aluminum.. could have vibration/cracking issues, bad welds (a big reason OEMs use plastic tanks in the first place), electrolysis issues, cheap Chinese core...
I am about to contact Toyota about my cracked radiator (see a few posts back). New purchase, I am the second owner, 64k miles.
Recommended strategy? Email, phone? Specific department / person to talk to? Specific things to say / request? Request water pump replacement also?
Thanks in advance!
Recommended strategy? Email, phone? Specific department / person to talk to? Specific things to say / request? Request water pump replacement also?
Thanks in advance!
Its hard to say. If my repair ends up going several years without leaking again then I will say that a preemptive fix is the way to go because it would mean that the bond between the JB Weld and the radiator tank material will have been strong enough to withstand thousands of heat cycles. In addition to that, it would mean that the JB Weld material itself will have been flexible enough to allow for the crack to expand and contract. For those conditions to exist the material that the JB Weld is made out of would have to match extremely closely to the material that the radiator tank is made out of, which would mean that a preemptive repair will only strengthen the area (or even prevent a leak).
On the other hand, if the repair fails after a year, then it will mean that you have lost out on all the time between the preemptive repair and the time when your radiator would have otherwise started leaking on its own because the bond has a finite life expectancy. In other words, if the bond only lasts a short time before failing, then you would be better off waiting for it to start leaking and then repair it--that way you can get the most time out of your repair.
FinallyGotOne!
SILVER Star
We have yet to have someone report a crack in a preemptively-repaired (JB Weld prophylactic?!) radiator. I applied JB Weld back in 2018 and my 2011 is now up to ~75K miles.
After seeing people get some type of relief from Toyota I thought I'd give it a try. Mind you its been a while, replaced it myself in March of 2016 at 130k miles or so. At that time I don't think the new design was available so my replacement is like the original. I'm now at 227k and no signs of cracking yet but I'm guessing it could go again anytime. Long story short I got shot down by the rep I talked to. I was very polite, explained I was a long term Toyota owner, have 3 in family right now, (my dad was a parts manager at a Toyota dealer) Explained it happened at 130k, have my receipt from camelback, etc. I told her I know Toyota has given others relief but she said "Toyota doesn't do that", "we don't look at forums". I don't know, maybe try again, see If I get someone more helpful.
Ask to speak to her mgr or regional rep. Keep going up. Dealers are individual businesses who don’t speak for Toyota Corp.
I’m also planning to see what’s involved in getting a mfg to do a recall. I’m guessing there’s a sizable number of these radiators failing identically. Seems like the stuff recalls are made of. Just a retired guy with free time looking for new adventures.
I called the main Toyota customer service number, not my local dealer. I'm shooting an email as well to Toyota and will try calling again
dubyahard
SILVER Star
I had an oil change at Toyota last week and they reported a crack. I went ahead and order this:
Best price I could find but I'm unsure if it's the "new" model or not. I'll go to the dealer for the SLLC.
What else do people usually replace when you are doing the radiator? My hoses all appear fine.
Radiator Denso for Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 2008-2010 5.7L V8 3URFE NEW | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Radiator Denso for Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 2008-2010 5.7L V8 3URFE NEW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Best price I could find but I'm unsure if it's the "new" model or not. I'll go to the dealer for the SLLC.
What else do people usually replace when you are doing the radiator? My hoses all appear fine.
bloc
SILVER Star
I had an oil change at Toyota last week and they reported a crack. I went ahead and order this:
Radiator Denso for Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 2008-2010 5.7L V8 3URFE NEW | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Radiator Denso for Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX570 2008-2010 5.7L V8 3URFE NEW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Best price I could find but I'm unsure if it's the "new" model or not. I'll go to the dealer for the SLLC.
What else do people usually replace when you are doing the radiator? My hoses all appear fine.
Denso doesn’t make the radiators for toyota so it is very unlikely to be the updated design. OE update can be had for about $400 from some of the online sources, I’d go that way personally.
Hoses are probably fine as long as they still have the original spring clamps on there. Most people do water pump and thermostat while they are in there if it hasn’t been done before.
+1 - I almost make the same mistake when I replaced mine. Get OE, it's the only updated version.
dubyahard
SILVER Star
Well crap. Guess I'll check it when it gets here and see if it matches the updated version. If not, I'll send it back.
bloc
SILVER Star
Just so everyone is aware, I’m not sure whether it’s owned by toyota or not but a company called T-Rad or TRad makes radiators for them. You’ll see info online that Koyo or Denso produces them. This is incorrect. May have been accurate for older models but definitely not the 200-series. If you inspect all of the pictures of the raised label section that cracks on ours it says TRad on there.
In my experience putting a premium Koyo into my 80-series there were small differences. 13mm bolts on the bracing vs 12mm as factory, cooler lines being at incorrect angles and painted vs bare metal..
@fasteddie2015 is correct in most of these having issues. I’d venture to say the vast majority if not ALL us market 200s will need a radiator before 150k miles. It is safe to call this a significant design issue. Personally it doesn’t tarnish the reputation of the 200 because it is so easy to track and usually doesn’t involve damage to other components.. but still, if toyota could compensate us for the cost of these things...
In my experience putting a premium Koyo into my 80-series there were small differences. 13mm bolts on the bracing vs 12mm as factory, cooler lines being at incorrect angles and painted vs bare metal..
@fasteddie2015 is correct in most of these having issues. I’d venture to say the vast majority if not ALL us market 200s will need a radiator before 150k miles. It is safe to call this a significant design issue. Personally it doesn’t tarnish the reputation of the 200 because it is so easy to track and usually doesn’t involve damage to other components.. but still, if toyota could compensate us for the cost of these things...
Add me on the list of 2013 LC at 136K with a radiator leak in the same place as others here. I've changed it last 3 weekends ago with OEM from Toyota and was doing good so far after a hundred miles. Thank you for the information that was discussed here.
Email route no workee either. Oh well.
See posts 824 and 825 above.
