Aluminum Radiators

[athensrep]

As a preemptive strike, i purchased an eBay aluminum 4-core radiator as a backup. The OEM one in there is old but holding water.

What are thoughts on theses? Obviously, i can’t tell anything internal, but the welds are actually impressive. I’ve seen worse welds on 3k mountain bikes.

I have a ‘88 HJ75 that it would eventually go in. Anyone have any experience?

 

[janyyc]

Pictures, link, anything?

 

[sodafeld1]

Personally prefer copper and brass. Aluminium is more electrical conductive and a bit more susceptible to fatigue cracks from rattles. My 88 hj75 comes with an ome copper rad so like to keep it that way.

I have an ebay ad alert for hj75 and get dozens of alerts for new alu rads everyday, some crazy cheap. Seems the market is flooded with them. Chinese I assume.

I spoke to a ratrod rad expert who said the diff is two half dozens and 12 of the other, Whilst aluminium is easier to crimp to re-weld is difficult on dirty alum, but new alu is a breeze to weld due to it's conductivity. Copper is a more expensive material and not as easy to work when new metal, but it is easy to solder when dirty..both can corrode. Of course, it depends on the intregity of the manufacturer too.

I also note in oz, probably the best custom rad experts have moved to aluminium. The top of the range custom desert alu rad is about $1000aud.

I love going to the aluminium shop to get new shiny sheets, rods, angles of alu. It is bright, light, easy to work, comes in all sizes and shapes and cheap. But welding alu to repair when dirty is near impossible.

There is also rad experts who rebuild copper core rads, a truly beautiful process, but exy.

I got a spare adrad copper rad for $550 delivered whilst an alu rad can be had for as low as $200aud.

I just have been disappointed with so much chinese stuff that I steer clear as much as possible. But it is an on coming tidal wave.

When I have to buy aftermarket, I try to find a brand name with the most ratings and/or ask here. Just a bit less of a punt with ratings, as we know ome toyota is usually the best.

I also believe you have to change to red coolant for alu rads.

Cooling the engine is one of the most important whilst remote. Imo, i prefer copper as a material.

 

[coldtaco]

I got a custom aluminum rad built by a racing supply company. The attention to detail is top notch. They even copied the attachment points on the side to match how the factory ones are made. I had the rad extended 2” at the bottom and the inlet extended to the filler in the top part to try and force more of a cross flow. The only thing I didn’t specify was a drain plug so I didn’t get one They have the specs for the 70 series.

 

[sodafeld1]

I got a custom aluminum rad built by a racing supply company. The attention to detail is top notch. They even copied the attachment points on the side to match how the factory ones are made. I had the rad extended 2” at the bottom and the inlet extended to the filler in the top part to try and force more of a cross flow. The only thing I didn’t specify was a drain plug so I didn’t get one They have the specs for the 70 series.

yeah, I noticed you got an alu rad. The best custom rads manufacturers use alu here too. They know more than me.

Just very sceptical on cheap ebay chinese stuff. Might be ok too, but I can't imagine it lasting 30 years like a well maintained toyota ome one.

 

[JDM Journeys]

Re-cores are getting expensive, at least here in Canada. My recored OEM unit cost me over 700 bucks (CAD). I discovered rad issues 2 weeks before a big trip and was in haste. But if I hadn't been in a rush, I might've gone for aluMINium. No idea if this would have been a good idea.

But losing a few pounds off OLBETSY wouldn't have hurt...

 

[sodafeld1]

Re-cores are getting expensive, at least here in Canada. My recored OEM unit cost me over 700 bucks (CAD). I discovered rad issues 2 weeks before a big trip and was in haste. But if I hadn't been in a rush, I might've gone for aluMINium. No idea if this would have been a good idea.

But losing a few pounds off OLBETSY wouldn't have hurt...

wow! wages is worth more than materials

 

[athensrep]

Thanks for the comments back. Seems a mixed bag like I would have expected. I may just relegate it to the parts bin as cheap insurance for now.

 

[olandevo]

I just took my Hj60 rad in to get rebuilt and was quoted $800 +tax to recore/rebuild. 5 years ago i could get it done for $300.

Needless to say i took my rad back and ordered two of these off ebay. Haven't arrived yet but we will see how well they perform

I also believe you have to change to red coolant for alu rads.

Can someone confirm this? I've always been told to run normal green coolant thru old cast iron blocks. Never long life. My quad had an aluminum rad and still ran green coolant, sled is mostly aluminum and runs green... What's the consensus?

 

[JDM Journeys]

I just took my Hj60 rad in to get rebuilt and was quoted $800 +tax to recore/rebuild. 5 years ago i could get it done for $300.

Needless to say i took my rad back and ordered two of these off ebay. Haven't arrived yet but we will see how well they perform



Can someone confirm this? I've always been told to run normal green coolant thru old cast iron blocks. Never long life. My quad had an aluminum rad and still ran green coolant, sled is mostly aluminum and runs green... What's the consensus?

I've been running red HOAT on everything for a few years now. But I can't speak to the chemistry with any authority.

Yeah, rad rebuild prices seem to have gone through the roof. Or maybe the hood, as it were?

 

[RHINO]

I'm no expert amd ypu can read about coolant chemistry for hours, but the short of it is you DO want a newer coolant like OAT or HOAT, for the alu, but NOT long life coolant cause of the iron.

But I'd say more important than what color, is that you keep it clean, change it regularly and for God's sake don't mixe colors

 

[renago]

I changed my radiator in the 78 , with a 4 core copper rad ,
Pricey but not terrible , aprox 400 € .
Very happy .
Not that I was not happy with the stock one , but was so dirty inside that was impossible to clean it .
I prefer any day buy local , despite spending a bit more , then via web or Chinese .
A wise man onece told me : I am not so rich to buy cheap !

 

[TonyP]

Terrain Tamer offers a radiator. Not sure if it's aluminum. Supposed to be pretty decent. They also have a "heavy duty" version.

 

[olandevo]

I'm no expert amd ypu can read about coolant chemistry for hours, but the short of it is you DO want a newer coolant like OAT or HOAT, for the alu, but NOT long life coolant cause of the iron.

But I'd say more important than what color, is that you keep it clean, change it regularly and for God's sake don't mixe colors

I wouldn't dare. Ill do some research, I'm sure there is some sort of thread on here with ping pong answers, maybe something definitive?

 

[olandevo]

I changed my radiator in the 78 , with a 4 core copper rad ,
Pricey but not terrible , aprox 400 € .
Very happy .
Not that I was not happy with the stock one , but was so dirty inside that was impossible to clean it .
I prefer any day buy local , despite spending a bit more , then via web or Chinese .
A wise man onece told me : I am not so rich to buy cheap !

Fair point. In the past i always got my stock rad re-cored locally, and even with that i had a rad fail after a year or two. It seems to me nothing beats a brand new stock factory rad. Unfortunately they no longer exist and our options are limited. I'm taking a gamble with the inexpensive Chinese aluminum rad. I will say though, i have definitely seen quality come from China, not EVERYTHING from there is poor quality. Hopefully this is one of those instances

 

[Tigris]

IMHO (which is just an opinion), a modern aluminum radiator made by a quality manufacturer is the way to go, but with these considerations:

1. Many people go for more cores. The truth is more cores is not always better. In fact the "right" number of cores is the balance between flow, heat dissipation surface area, and the structural integrity needs for the application. More than optimum number of cores sacrifices one or more of the above mentioned parameters.

2. A great many people seem to have confused cores with passes in heat exchangers. I will keep this 70 Series as possible: ideally, I would go with a high quality aluminum radiator with one or two cores (while matching or exceeding the OEM thickness, as practical). At the same time, I will do my absolute best to identify a radiator with 3 passes (versus the ubiquitous single pass) that matches the inlet/outlet locations of OEM. And lastly, if my OEM radiator came with a built-in ATF cooler portion at the bottom, my replacement would omit that for an increased coolant surface area. The ATF will receive a discreet cooler mounted suitably.

My 2 cents.

Cheers!

 

[renago]

IMHO (which is just an opinion), a modern aluminum radiator made by a quality manufacturer is the way to go, but with these considerations:

1. Many people go for more cores. The truth is more cores is not always better. In fact the "right" number of cores is the balance between flow, heat dissipation surface area, and the structural integrity needs for the application. More than optimum number of cores sacrifices one or more of the above mentioned parameters.

2. A great many people seem to have confused cores with passes in heat exchangers. I will keep this 70 Series as possible: ideally, I would go with a high quality aluminum radiator with one or two cores (while matching or exceeding the OEM thickness, as practical). At the same time, I will do my absolute best to identify a radiator with 3 passes (versus the ubiquitous single pass) that matches the inlet/outlet locations of OEM. And lastly, if my OEM radiator came with a built-in ATF cooler portion at the bottom, my replacement would omit that for an increased coolant surface area. The ATF will receive a discreet cooler mounted suitably.

My 2 cents.

Cheers!

in general I agree with your approach .But there are some IF , quite big here .
first to mirror the OEM parts is always a good thing , to match Toyota quality build and reliability is not so common nor easy .
especially if you are mounting some far east radiator bought on the web .Taking in consideration ONLY the ( presumable ) true reviews ....of True customers .
at 1/5 of the OEM price .
I have found that with the motor in good order , even under full cargo weight and driving for 800 km of dunes in august in the Sahara , the cooling capacity of the OEM radiator is more then adeguate .never had an issue .
adding 1 core for extra cooling , might be a plus , or a minus in some climates !
having said all this I changed my OEM radiator after 17 years ca , for a local rebuild in copper .
this man is 1 man shop , and has made only radiators for 40 years .
simply because it was much cheaper , but still made locally in good quality , and field reparable.
paid 400 € against 1000 OEM .

 

[Tigris]

Yes, quality is the most important above all. And I agree with your statement on how an additional core can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the application/climate.

Buying an aluminum radiator from far east online is undoubtedly a gamble, but just like any gamble, sometimes you win something too

If I were in a the market for an aluminum radiator, I would probably do my homework and end up purchasing from a reputable, western or far southern based manufacturer and pay the difference. But if somehow someone here we're to identify a quality radiator from say Taiwan, I might get one and stress test it.

In my opinion having three passes over one can be very advantageous IF certain other considerations we're to be involved. A deep (thickness) radiator with 1 or 2 cores will allow for high flow, great tubular surface area and structural integrity. And since the coolant is passing three times (at one third of the radiator area at a time), the drop in temperature towards ambient can be realized, even with a slight higher flow rates.

Multiple (generally 3 and up) cores will have the inherited tendency to dump some of the dissipated heat back in the subsequent cores, reducing efficiency. Also, the addition of more cores come at the expense of flow and net tubular surface area. I know these are not necessarily tremendous issues in our applications but it is a factor especially under high load, low air speeds, and oppressively hot climates. That being said, this heat recapture is one of biggest contributors to loss of efficiency in charged air coolers, particularly in the air-to-air verities.

If one examines the cooling setups of a modern, very high power/extreme duty vehicle such as the ones in rally cars, they will find that large area, single core multi-pass heat exchangers raign supreme.

Small world, I too was in the Sahara in August

Cheers!

 

[olandevo]

My eBay rad showed up today. Pretty fast from AU to CA honestly. Welds look dece. It's a tad smaller width wise but I'm sure it'll fit up fine. Will let y'all know how she handles once I put it in with a new water pump and thermostat. My 60 is pushing past the 2nd line toward max when I climb hills. I'm certain this will be an improvement.

What yall think. Should I paint it black?

 

[Rigster]

Definitely post your results... I am looking into better cooling rads, but none other than PWR post any actual better cooling results (up to 30%) but they are more than double the price of an aftermarket 4 core aluminum