I have read a bunch of the threads regarding radiator replacement options for the 3FE as the OEM radiator is no longer available. I am leaning towards the Liland 1469AA2R as it appears to be a direct bolt in for the 1991 - 1992 FJ 80's (mine is a 1991 with 346K on it). The current one is an unknown age and make...the only thing obvious about it is it's aluminum, appears to be a direct bolt in and is full of rust colored sludge. I will be replacing all of the associated cooling hoses and I have already deleted the rear heater via a new heater valve and replacing the factory T's with Gates hoses. I will also be flushing the block to get out as many contaminents and sludge crap as possible. All that being said, who here has first hand knowledge using the Liland radiator with a 3FE in an early FJ 80 ? Not interested in " my cousin Barney knows a fella' who knows a guy whose dating a stripper whose ex husband said that it's da bomb " stories. Appreciate the help.
3FE radiator replacement....Liland 1469AA2R ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ronin344
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I have used Ron Davis, CSF, Cheap ebay alum. and Liland. I would go with Liland again.
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I appreciate the feedback. I have used Ron Davis and Griffin radiators in the past and had great success with them. Is that a Derale electric fan setup that you are using and how has it performed ? Currently debating using an electric fan over the stock setup.
Yes, that was my dual electric fan setup with PWM controller. Just did a 1000 miles round trip over the break and it performs very well. The ability to adjust fan speed is a plus and my avg. temp on the highway is below 180F... (need to dial up the temp. a bit) The reasons i went with an elec. fan setup was because i kept blowing radiators with the manual fan clutch due to aftermarket alum. radiator being thicker than factory unit. This would normally not affect normal users or "Overlanders" but a handful of Rubicon trips and Fordyce creek trail, ended up with 2 broken radiators, fans and fan shrouds. (Yes, my engine mounts and tranny mounts were in great shape when that happened) The elec. fan setup is my attempt for a "fix" and so far they have been great and i am impressed by its performance so far.
cheers.
ML
cheers.
ML
I think I cracked my radiator by getting the mix wrong with too much distilled water (had to top it off in the parking lot). Had a hard freeze here. Not sure what's on it, but it's aluminium.
I'd like to point out that Liland also makes a 3 row radiator, the 1469AA3R.
Marco, I'm a little curious if you have the 2 row or the 3 row. Is even the 2 row thicker than OEM?
My aluminium radiator doesn't take the OEM radiator caps, so will be nice to get back to those.
I suspect the 2 row will be plenty for me.
I'd like to point out that Liland also makes a 3 row radiator, the 1469AA3R.
Marco, I'm a little curious if you have the 2 row or the 3 row. Is even the 2 row thicker than OEM?
My aluminium radiator doesn't take the OEM radiator caps, so will be nice to get back to those.
I suspect the 2 row will be plenty for me.
2 row cools better IMO. and i believe the core is thinner, but the top and bottom tank the same.
im going to try the 2 row Liland + rear heat delete.
have crack in top part of aftermarket radiator
i think prior owner had it glued together
have crack in top part of aftermarket radiator
i think prior owner had it glued together
3fe owner with CSF overheating problems here… I’m about to buy a Liland due to the good comments, but @Marco Lau, what’s the science behind the 2 rows cooling better than 3 rows?
Have to decide which one to buy!
Have to decide which one to buy!
I finally got started with the radiator job with a possible time constraint of getting it done before this weekend.
What a bear getting it out! I guess removing the battery and box would've made it easier.
I did come up with a modification to simplify installation and removal of the passenger side bottom mount.
Before:
After:
Old radiator. Not sure which brand it is. Cracked because the coolant was too watered down, during the winter... Totally my fault.
(Post part 1/2) -- Hit the file limit.
What a bear getting it out! I guess removing the battery and box would've made it easier.
I did come up with a modification to simplify installation and removal of the passenger side bottom mount.
Before:
After:
Old radiator. Not sure which brand it is. Cracked because the coolant was too watered down, during the winter... Totally my fault.
(Post part 1/2) -- Hit the file limit.
Here's the new (2 core?) Liland.
I am not impressed with the quality and am concerned it might be a leaker from the start, or soon. Maybe my fears are unfounded?
The old one is much nicer. Threads already on the radiator, nicer welds, more stout.
Is this Liland worse than others, or about average? I guess if it looks average, I'll feel more confident to install it.
I just found out that 3FE manual radiators are available, which just don't have the auto transmission cooler. PN: 16400-17020
Some more info on that here: For Sale - Seattle - Nearly New OEM 80 Series 3FE/1HD Radiator - Toyota PN 16400-17020 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/seattle-nearly-new-oem-80-series-3fe-1hd-radiator-toyota-pn-16400-17020.1360842/
I'm somewhat curious if I could grab one and install it, however my A440 would be left without the cooling it's had... Maybe it'd be fine? Isn't this already a transmission cooler here on the right? Or am I mistaken?
There's not a lot of info on the FJ80 with the 16400-17020 radiator. There is a thread about auxilary coolers here, but it's about the 1HD-T and A442 which I'm pretty sure will make more heat than the 3FE + A440: HDJ81 - High transmission temps, radiator without built in cooler - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hdj81-high-transmission-temps-radiator-without-built-in-cooler.1338229/
Could I connect the auto transmission lines until I get a cooler? Or is it a terrible idea? Eventually, it would be nice to swap this to a manual, but not much progress on that front yet.
Another crazy idea would be to reinstall the old radiator and put some stop leak in it. I assume that's a terrible idea, or does the leak look minor enough that it'd probably work?
Thank you!
I am not impressed with the quality and am concerned it might be a leaker from the start, or soon. Maybe my fears are unfounded?
The old one is much nicer. Threads already on the radiator, nicer welds, more stout.
Is this Liland worse than others, or about average? I guess if it looks average, I'll feel more confident to install it.
I just found out that 3FE manual radiators are available, which just don't have the auto transmission cooler. PN: 16400-17020
Some more info on that here: For Sale - Seattle - Nearly New OEM 80 Series 3FE/1HD Radiator - Toyota PN 16400-17020 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/seattle-nearly-new-oem-80-series-3fe-1hd-radiator-toyota-pn-16400-17020.1360842/
I'm somewhat curious if I could grab one and install it, however my A440 would be left without the cooling it's had... Maybe it'd be fine? Isn't this already a transmission cooler here on the right? Or am I mistaken?
There's not a lot of info on the FJ80 with the 16400-17020 radiator. There is a thread about auxilary coolers here, but it's about the 1HD-T and A442 which I'm pretty sure will make more heat than the 3FE + A440: HDJ81 - High transmission temps, radiator without built in cooler - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hdj81-high-transmission-temps-radiator-without-built-in-cooler.1338229/
Could I connect the auto transmission lines until I get a cooler? Or is it a terrible idea? Eventually, it would be nice to swap this to a manual, but not much progress on that front yet.
Another crazy idea would be to reinstall the old radiator and put some stop leak in it. I assume that's a terrible idea, or does the leak look minor enough that it'd probably work?
Thank you!
I'd advise against running without the radiator cooler unless you know how it will operate in ALL potential conditions. You may end up needing a larger cooler if you want to stay bypassed. It's common to do this in the 3rd gen 4Runner world, but if you use too small of a cooler you may find out that what you thought was completely adequate for your daily drive in the boonies will be on the verge of overheating on a steep grade or in stop-and-go traffic. The Toyota engineers will always prevail.
I have had a Ron Davis, 2 Lilands. Both radiators perform about the same, I see no significant diff. in coolant temp.
I am not impressed with my Liland 1469AA2R... it was a bit of a pain to deal with.
The radiator is sized such that you can't use the stock upper radiator mounts. The top part of the radiator sticks out like a lip, and catches the body. So the rubber mounting would be useless, and even then it might barely line up. I'd also be concerned about the radiator possibly getting knicked by the fan. I had to use zipties and some old rubber hose.
Also, they got the holes misaligned to where I couldn't mount the fan shroud without hogging out the hole. This is a particularly dumb one, because it's obvious even at the factory. The radiator includes these clip on nuts. The hole doesn't line up on the one.
I'm sure not all are as bad as mine, but I will not be buying another one of these!
The radiator is sized such that you can't use the stock upper radiator mounts. The top part of the radiator sticks out like a lip, and catches the body. So the rubber mounting would be useless, and even then it might barely line up. I'd also be concerned about the radiator possibly getting knicked by the fan. I had to use zipties and some old rubber hose.
Also, they got the holes misaligned to where I couldn't mount the fan shroud without hogging out the hole. This is a particularly dumb one, because it's obvious even at the factory. The radiator includes these clip on nuts. The hole doesn't line up on the one.
I'm sure not all are as bad as mine, but I will not be buying another one of these!
Interesting...I have had 2 Lillands and both fits well without modification....
I figure mine was probably a victim of poor quality control. I'm sure others have been better.
Here is a pic of the Lilland and a Ron Davis side by side....a $400 vs $2500 unit. I have ran both units thru the Rubicon trail and i see no difference in temp. difference. For what it is worth, it is a great unit as far as i can tell.
I was able to get mine in without modification as well, but order of operations mattered when putting in bolts. Upper mounts first, then with the side brackets loose put in the lower bolts, then tighten up side brackets.
The shroud gap is very annoying, I bought closed cell 3/8" HVAC foam from a hardware store to fill the gap.
But it cooled just fine in the 85/90 degree heat sitting still with A/C going on the trail at GSMTR.
The shroud gap is very annoying, I bought closed cell 3/8" HVAC foam from a hardware store to fill the gap.
But it cooled just fine in the 85/90 degree heat sitting still with A/C going on the trail at GSMTR.
