Ebay dual core aluminum radiator review
04-06-2017, 11:43 PM
#1
Ebay dual core aluminum radiator review Ok I searched before I bought and made this thread and no one else had tried one
I bought this radiator about 6 months ago, I believe I made an offer to the seller and got it for $88 shipped. I've looked since then and these are no longer being sold on ebay.
A bee cool or other name brand radiator was upwards of $300, i just couldn't afford that. My 1998 z28 a4 was the least effecient radiator put in an fbody and mine looked like a hot mess anyways.
I ordered the radiator and received it here in dallas area within 4 days. I let it sit for about a week before my wife reminded me I should atleast open it to make sure it was ok and not damaged even though the packaging was perfect. I'm glad she did
I immediately emailed the seller and not 5 minutes later I received a reply that he was immediately sending me another and apologized profusely and said not to worry about the damaged one
New one came, inspected it and it was all good.
It was advertised as a 2002 camaro v6 dual core radiator. I googled part numbers and specs and it was the same radiator. Fingers crossed
So tore into it today and everything fit well.
Beefy. It's probably the same dimensions as a lt1 fbody radiator
Fitment was spot on and everything fit like oem.
I'm hooking up all the hoses and I noticed why it's called a v6 radiator. The ebay radiator did not have the coolant cross over fitting to the throttle body that goes on the coolant cross over pipe
I racked my brain pretty hard and brought the old radiator with me to the autoparts store. I havent had good luck tapping aluminum, several threads suggest tapping a heater hose, but then I remembered the pitiful coolant level sensor that always fails .
Boom tapped the sensor with a barbed fitting and problem solved
Everything fit fine and works fine. Besides for crappy looking welds the radiator works great. Hopefully gets me cooler under hood temps for this texas summer. If it fails I'll just pick up an lt1 radiator
And a picture of ol' blue for y'all
I bought this radiator about 6 months ago, I believe I made an offer to the seller and got it for $88 shipped. I've looked since then and these are no longer being sold on ebay.
A bee cool or other name brand radiator was upwards of $300, i just couldn't afford that. My 1998 z28 a4 was the least effecient radiator put in an fbody and mine looked like a hot mess anyways.
I ordered the radiator and received it here in dallas area within 4 days. I let it sit for about a week before my wife reminded me I should atleast open it to make sure it was ok and not damaged even though the packaging was perfect. I'm glad she did
I immediately emailed the seller and not 5 minutes later I received a reply that he was immediately sending me another and apologized profusely and said not to worry about the damaged one
New one came, inspected it and it was all good.
It was advertised as a 2002 camaro v6 dual core radiator. I googled part numbers and specs and it was the same radiator. Fingers crossed
So tore into it today and everything fit well.
Beefy. It's probably the same dimensions as a lt1 fbody radiator
Fitment was spot on and everything fit like oem.
I'm hooking up all the hoses and I noticed why it's called a v6 radiator. The ebay radiator did not have the coolant cross over fitting to the throttle body that goes on the coolant cross over pipe
I racked my brain pretty hard and brought the old radiator with me to the autoparts store. I havent had good luck tapping aluminum, several threads suggest tapping a heater hose, but then I remembered the pitiful coolant level sensor that always fails .
Boom tapped the sensor with a barbed fitting and problem solved
Everything fit fine and works fine. Besides for crappy looking welds the radiator works great. Hopefully gets me cooler under hood temps for this texas summer. If it fails I'll just pick up an lt1 radiator
And a picture of ol' blue for y'all
Last edited by chrysler kid; 04-07-2017 at 12:03 AM.
04-07-2017, 08:08 PM
#2
Launching!
Ive been wondering about these. Now it appears there is a port above the coolant sensor. Is this hole not already threaded? I assumed it was for a npt threaded fitting. Which you could use for your steam tubes aka coolant crossover tubes.
04-08-2017, 12:51 AM
#4
I racked my brain pretty hard and brought the old radiator with me to the autoparts store. I havent had good luck tapping aluminum, several threads suggest tapping a heater hose, but then I remembered the pitiful coolant level sensor that always fails .
Boom tapped the sensor with a barbed fitting and problem solved
Boom tapped the sensor with a barbed fitting and problem solved
That hose is called a steam hose, the reason it exists is because air bubbles form in the back pockets of the heads near Cylendar 8 and that hose sits higher allowing the steam to rise and float away from that cylinder allowing fresh coolant to now pass and cool the cylender preventing it from overheating... but in order for it to work, that hose MUST be a at the highest point of the entire cooling system, you putting it lower will do just as much good as just tapping it off.. the steam wont be able to escape and fresh coolant won't be able to pass through that portion of the motor causing it to overheat and pop a head gasket, or worse.
I also have an eBay V6 radiator and am happy with it.. I tapped mine into the upper radiator hose - I'll try and see if I can find the adapter I used...but putting it as low as the coolant sensor isn't a good idea
04-08-2017, 01:06 AM
#6
This is NOT a good idea! You MUST re-mediate that or you run the risk of damaging Cylinder #8 in the back and popping the entire motor! It MUST be inserted at the highest point of the radiator, near the cap..as the coolant sensor sits well below that, about halfway to the bottom... The reason is this...
That hose is called a steam hose, the reason it exists is because air bubbles form in the back pockets of the heads near Cylendar 8 and that hose sits higher allowing the steam to rise and float away from that cylinder allowing fresh coolant to now pass and cool the cylender preventing it from overheating... but in order for it to work, that hose MUST be a at the highest point of the entire cooling system, you putting it lower will do just as much good as just tapping it off.. the steam wont be able to escape and fresh coolant won't be able to pass through that portion of the motor causing it to overheat and pop a head gasket, or worse.
I also have an eBay V6 radiator and am happy with it.. I tapped mine into the upper radiator hose - I'll try and see if I can find the adapter I used...but putting it as low as the coolant sensor isn't a good idea
That hose is called a steam hose, the reason it exists is because air bubbles form in the back pockets of the heads near Cylendar 8 and that hose sits higher allowing the steam to rise and float away from that cylinder allowing fresh coolant to now pass and cool the cylender preventing it from overheating... but in order for it to work, that hose MUST be a at the highest point of the entire cooling system, you putting it lower will do just as much good as just tapping it off.. the steam wont be able to escape and fresh coolant won't be able to pass through that portion of the motor causing it to overheat and pop a head gasket, or worse.
I also have an eBay V6 radiator and am happy with it.. I tapped mine into the upper radiator hose - I'll try and see if I can find the adapter I used...but putting it as low as the coolant sensor isn't a good idea
no it doesn't, the cross over pipe goes up to the throttle body and then back down to the radiator. So it's position in the motor, is still the highest point on the motor for coolant
There is no steam in the engine. I'm not sure why this term is used, it's a pressurized coolant line run off of the top of the head that pushes hot coolant out of the motor.
Technically blocking it would give me more consistent temperature readings across the block since my rears are capped anyways. With the rears capped the front cross over is still the highest point in the system, besides the radiator cap
Also the coolant level sensor is mounted higher on the radiator than the upper radiator hose.
I've had the back cross over capped for at least 5 years just like every car that came with an ls6 intake manifold for years now
Last edited by chrysler kid; 04-08-2017 at 01:30 AM.
04-08-2017, 02:18 AM
#7
no it doesn't, the cross over pipe goes up to the throttle body and then back down to the radiator. So it's position in the motor, is still the highest point on the motor for coolant
There is no steam in the engine. I'm not sure why this term is used, it's a pressurized coolant line run off of the top of the head that pushes hot coolant out of the motor.
Technically blocking it would give me more consistent temperature readings across the block since my rears are capped anyways. With the rears capped the front cross over is still the highest point in the system, besides the radiator cap
Also the coolant level sensor is mounted higher on the radiator than the upper radiator hose.
I've had the back cross over capped for at least 5 years just like every car that came with an ls6 intake manifold for years now
There is no steam in the engine. I'm not sure why this term is used, it's a pressurized coolant line run off of the top of the head that pushes hot coolant out of the motor.
Technically blocking it would give me more consistent temperature readings across the block since my rears are capped anyways. With the rears capped the front cross over is still the highest point in the system, besides the radiator cap
Also the coolant level sensor is mounted higher on the radiator than the upper radiator hose.
I've had the back cross over capped for at least 5 years just like every car that came with an ls6 intake manifold for years now
Under normal circumstances, you are correct there is no steam, the issue is without that pressurized line, its more difficult for heated coolant to escape that region of the motor thus it becomes so hot that coolant can become steam as it is difficult for fresher coolant to service that area, so it slowly boils away which creates air bubbles preventing coolant from further entering and cooling that section of the engine.. this is assuming that coolant cannot travel through the line or the line is blocked off or simply doesnt exist. It exists to keep coolant near the back of the motor moving and prevent it from overheating in that region.
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04-08-2017, 07:39 AM
#8
I'm not sure what you mean by back-crossover, but having owned a 01 Z28 with an LS6 intake I do know that they too do have the throttle body line which goes into the radiator.
Under normal circumstances, you are correct there is no steam, the issue is without that pressurized line, its more difficult for heated coolant to escape that region of the motor thus it becomes so hot that coolant can become steam as it is difficult for fresher coolant to service that area, so it slowly boils away which creates air bubbles preventing coolant from further entering and cooling that section of the engine.. this is assuming that coolant cannot travel through the line or the line is blocked off or simply doesnt exist. It exists to keep coolant near the back of the motor moving and prevent it from overheating in that region.
Under normal circumstances, you are correct there is no steam, the issue is without that pressurized line, its more difficult for heated coolant to escape that region of the motor thus it becomes so hot that coolant can become steam as it is difficult for fresher coolant to service that area, so it slowly boils away which creates air bubbles preventing coolant from further entering and cooling that section of the engine.. this is assuming that coolant cannot travel through the line or the line is blocked off or simply doesnt exist. It exists to keep coolant near the back of the motor moving and prevent it from overheating in that region.
Yeah I understood what you said, but the term steam tube is a slang term for that pipe. Steam tube meaning hottest and highest point in the cooling system. If there is steam there is air, if there is air there is a pocket, if there is a loss of cooling pressure. It's a sealed system and should never have steam.
I get what you mean about the positioning of it in the system though, several people talked about tapping heater hoses which seemed like a bad idea because it was a lower point in the system , and under a different routing that bypasses the thermostat which would upset temperatures consistency.
There was also talk about tapping the water pump which seemed like it would be pretty difficult but probably the prettiest and most effective way to do it.
Basically though to clarify, I filled the radiator, and topped the coolant off with that hose, to eliminate any cooling air bubbles.
I also bled and burped the cooling system with the radiator cap off the car and the front end of the car in the air.
On the radiator it should be ok as long as I burped it correctly. With my 98 the coolant temperature sensor is right there on the front of the head and gives exact readings on the dash so I can see immediately if there is a problem with its position.
I appreciate the advice, it should be fine though.
04-08-2017, 01:22 PM
#9
Launching!
Thats a shame. I have an m6 and honestly just didnt know any better. I could drill and tap it maybe but idk how thick that aluminum is. I have plenty of buddies that can weld aluminum so maybe weld a AN bung on. Seems like alot of work for just a radiator.
04-08-2017, 01:36 PM
#10
This is NOT a good idea! You MUST re-mediate that or you run the risk of damaging Cylinder #8 in the back and popping the entire motor! It MUST be inserted at the highest point of the radiator, near the cap..as the coolant sensor sits well below that, about halfway to the bottom... The reason is this...
That hose is called a steam hose, the reason it exists is because air bubbles form in the back pockets of the heads near Cylendar 8 and that hose sits higher allowing the steam to rise and float away from that cylinder allowing fresh coolant to now pass and cool the cylender preventing it from overheating... but in order for it to work, that hose MUST be a at the highest point of the entire cooling system, you putting it lower will do just as much good as just tapping it off.. the steam wont be able to escape and fresh coolant won't be able to pass through that portion of the motor causing it to overheat and pop a head gasket, or worse.
I also have an eBay V6 radiator and am happy with it.. I tapped mine into the upper radiator hose - I'll try and see if I can find the adapter I used...but putting it as low as the coolant sensor isn't a good idea
That hose is called a steam hose, the reason it exists is because air bubbles form in the back pockets of the heads near Cylendar 8 and that hose sits higher allowing the steam to rise and float away from that cylinder allowing fresh coolant to now pass and cool the cylender preventing it from overheating... but in order for it to work, that hose MUST be a at the highest point of the entire cooling system, you putting it lower will do just as much good as just tapping it off.. the steam wont be able to escape and fresh coolant won't be able to pass through that portion of the motor causing it to overheat and pop a head gasket, or worse.
I also have an eBay V6 radiator and am happy with it.. I tapped mine into the upper radiator hose - I'll try and see if I can find the adapter I used...but putting it as low as the coolant sensor isn't a good idea
.
04-08-2017, 05:00 PM
#12
Launching!
Well I cant really tap into the radiator hose due to my steam vent being a custom AN setup. Ill probably just have a bung welded on. Could the trans cooler section be ustilized for a oil cooler possibly?
04-09-2017, 05:48 AM
#13
The Coolant crossover lines:
Do you think the rear two ports and the front two ports should meet at a 5 point junction, then one line leaves that junction and connects to the radiator port..?
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Coolant-...233?rmvSB=true
Or can the rear passengers side port run across to the drivers side rwar port, then forward to the drivers side front pport, then across to the other front port, then connect to the radiator...? A series circuit......
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1SVPN-Stea...dWNndN&vxp=mtr
Does it matter how the flow moves? Does a series circuit cause problems with the coolant coming out of each port impeding the flow in that single line. I'm wondering whats the best kit to buy?
.
Last edited by LS6427; 04-09-2017 at 09:14 AM.
04-09-2017, 07:13 AM
#14
Launching!
The ebay links wont work for me. But I got the fasster kit you tried to link. Guy is out of utah. Great customer service. dont think running them in series is anyworse than how the ls1 tubes are factory and certainly better than just the ls6 front tubes by themselves.
Yes you could run it to come off either side of the engine I believe. The issues I had with the kit were in part due to the intake I used the new dorman ls2. Ironically I also had issue with hooking it to the radiator. That kit comes supplied with a 4an hose to the radiator and that simply wont work. I even got his 6an hose to the radiator and its too small as well. Thats why Im upgrading my radiator to aluminum so I can weld a bung in to complete my AN lines. So if you get his kit youll have to figure out how to hook it to radiator or run it somewhere else like youve done with the rad hose.
Yes you could run it to come off either side of the engine I believe. The issues I had with the kit were in part due to the intake I used the new dorman ls2. Ironically I also had issue with hooking it to the radiator. That kit comes supplied with a 4an hose to the radiator and that simply wont work. I even got his 6an hose to the radiator and its too small as well. Thats why Im upgrading my radiator to aluminum so I can weld a bung in to complete my AN lines. So if you get his kit youll have to figure out how to hook it to radiator or run it somewhere else like youve done with the rad hose.
04-09-2017, 09:19 AM
#16
The ebay links wont work for me. But I got the fasster kit you tried to link. Guy is out of utah. Great customer service. dont think running them in series is anyworse than how the ls1 tubes are factory and certainly better than just the ls6 front tubes by themselves.
Yes you could run it to come off either side of the engine I believe. The issues I had with the kit were in part due to the intake I used the new dorman ls2. Ironically I also had issue with hooking it to the radiator. That kit comes supplied with a 4an hose to the radiator and that simply wont work. I even got his 6an hose to the radiator and its too small as well. Thats why Im upgrading my radiator to aluminum so I can weld a bung in to complete my AN lines. So if you get his kit youll have to figure out how to hook it to radiator or run it somewhere else like youve done with the rad hose.
Yes you could run it to come off either side of the engine I believe. The issues I had with the kit were in part due to the intake I used the new dorman ls2. Ironically I also had issue with hooking it to the radiator. That kit comes supplied with a 4an hose to the radiator and that simply wont work. I even got his 6an hose to the radiator and its too small as well. Thats why Im upgrading my radiator to aluminum so I can weld a bung in to complete my AN lines. So if you get his kit youll have to figure out how to hook it to radiator or run it somewhere else like youve done with the rad hose.
What size AN will you attach the radiator for the coolant return line?
.
04-09-2017, 11:15 AM
#17
Never seen one of those.
The Coolant crossover lines:
Do you think the rear two ports and the front two ports should meet at a 5 point junction, then one line leaves that junction and connects to the radiator port..?
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Coolant-...233?rmvSB=true
Or can the rear passengers side port run across to the drivers side rwar port, then forward to the drivers side front pport, then across to the other front port, then connect to the radiator...? A series circuit......
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1SVPN-Stea...dWNndN&vxp=mtr
Does it matter how the flow moves? Does a series circuit cause problems with the coolant coming out of each port impeding the flow in that single line. I'm wondering whats the best kit to buy?
.
The Coolant crossover lines:
Do you think the rear two ports and the front two ports should meet at a 5 point junction, then one line leaves that junction and connects to the radiator port..?
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-Coolant-...233?rmvSB=true
Or can the rear passengers side port run across to the drivers side rwar port, then forward to the drivers side front pport, then across to the other front port, then connect to the radiator...? A series circuit......
Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1SVPN-Stea...dWNndN&vxp=mtr
Does it matter how the flow moves? Does a series circuit cause problems with the coolant coming out of each port impeding the flow in that single line. I'm wondering whats the best kit to buy?
.
It is my personal opinion that trapping all of that air in the lines does make them steam lines where air bubbles collect.
The best routing is rear block off plugs, front cross over, with a Schrader valve mounted in line at the highest point to bleed air out of the system. An air free system is much more stable and effective than huge AN cross over lines filled with air sitting above your heads
Do not run rear cross over pipes that are not connected to the front.
Again it is my opinion the system should be air free and bled. Making too many lines and high points without bleeder valves just means you are trapping air in the system and reducing efficiency
Why rear delete, because with the car raised on an incline it eliminates a high point in the system, the air pockets are immediately removed from the back of the engine and the coolant flow is not interrupted.
Again to me air free is the way to be
04-09-2017, 12:13 PM
#18
It depends.
It is my personal opinion that trapping all of that air in the lines does make them steam lines where air bubbles collect.
The best routing is rear block off plugs, front cross over, with a Schrader valve mounted in line at the highest point to bleed air out of the system. An air free system is much more stable and effective than huge AN cross over lines filled with air sitting above your heads
Do not run rear cross over pipes that are not connected to the front.
Again it is my opinion the system should be air free and bled. Making too many lines and high points without bleeder valves just means you are trapping air in the system and reducing efficiency
Why rear delete, because with the car raised on an incline it eliminates a high point in the system, the air pockets are immediately removed from the back of the engine and the coolant flow is not interrupted.
Again to me air free is the way to be
It is my personal opinion that trapping all of that air in the lines does make them steam lines where air bubbles collect.
The best routing is rear block off plugs, front cross over, with a Schrader valve mounted in line at the highest point to bleed air out of the system. An air free system is much more stable and effective than huge AN cross over lines filled with air sitting above your heads
Do not run rear cross over pipes that are not connected to the front.
Again it is my opinion the system should be air free and bled. Making too many lines and high points without bleeder valves just means you are trapping air in the system and reducing efficiency
Why rear delete, because with the car raised on an incline it eliminates a high point in the system, the air pockets are immediately removed from the back of the engine and the coolant flow is not interrupted.
Again to me air free is the way to be
But the coolant system is pressurized so how would any high point accumulate air bubbles? They would just get pushed through with the coolant flow......NO?
.
04-09-2017, 10:39 PM
#19
The air bubble just allows the coolant to splash into it, and it doesn't actually move the hot coolant out of the line
Just to verify it wasn't a "steam tube" and that my system was 100% bled I went and got some clear spa hose to run to the cross over pipe
If.you haven't used a cap adapter or a really long funnel to burp the system I guarantee your car is using the cross over as a "steam pipe"
It was difficult to bleed the system
04-10-2017, 03:28 AM
#20
Launching!