Direct replacement radiator
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On The Tree
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Direct replacement radiator So my radiator is leaking and pretty rusted out due to neglect. I've been fighting coolant temp issues, fixed a few leaks,new hoses,new mech wp and 160* Tst. Summit lists quite a few options but what units are you dd/street guys using. ? Thanx
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Mine did this, go to advance autozone website, they have a "universal" even though it was the exact same as my old one, for 100$. ended up being 60$ flat with this promo code "trt41" you should use it, get ship to store option so you don't have to pay for shipping. Pick the bitch up, install it and call it a day. It's perfectly fine for street/DD. I've been driving with mine for over a year now, don't let anyone fool you into thinking you gotta pay big money for a radiator.
I got one from autozone. It works fine, however the port for the low coolant temp sensor was too small. Had to be reamed out a little to get the sensor to fit and the tabs are not all that thick to keep the clips on. Functionality is fine, but may need some fine tuning in order to work like a factory original.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2015
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Mine did this, go to advance autozone website, they have a "universal" even though it was the exact same as my old one, for 100$. ended up being 60$ flat with this promo code "trt41" you should use it, get ship to store option so you don't have to pay for shipping. Pick the bitch up, install it and call it a day. It's perfectly fine for street/DD. I've been driving with mine for over a year now, don't let anyone fool you into thinking you gotta pay big money for a radiator.
Mine from O'Reilly's had the same issues as SS RRR had with the level sensor tabs. Also they come with a trans cooler in the pass side tank which is useless if your car has the man pedal.
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From: Bahrain
I def don't want to spend $500 for a "be cool" rad but was a little wary about using a autozone 100$ special, is there a middle range option? What about replacement fans? My motor runs 190-200* in the cool of the morning but here lately it's been 95* with high humidity and when I get stuck in traffic/lights it climbs to 230* and struggles to come back down. I thought some more capacity might help.
Also, have you tuned your fans for the 160* thermostat? If yes, check that your A/C condenser fins are not blocked and you don't have any obstructions in between the radiator and the condenser such as plastic bags.
I am running the OEM radiator, and I live in the Middle East. Its already 40*C here and I daily drive the car, the temperature will go higher and can hit 49*C.
My car runs a CC503, full bolt ons, with a 0.026" head gasket and milled heads I am way over 11.0 compression. With the A/C on, on a hot day and my my aggressive driving the temperature can come up to the 200 mark, but never higher. If I drive without hard acceleration, it only goes up high enough for the fans to come on.
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Install this and call it a day!
Amazon.com: ACDelco 20700 GM Original Equipment Radiator: Automotive
Also, have you tuned your fans for the 160* thermostat? If yes, check that your A/C condenser fins are not blocked and you don't have any obstructions in between the radiator and the condenser such as plastic bags.
I am running the OEM radiator, and I live in the Middle East. Its already 40*C here and I daily drive the car, the temperature will go higher and can hit 49*C.
My car runs a CC503, full bolt ons, with a 0.026" head gasket and milled heads I am way over 11.0 compression. With the A/C on, on a hot day and my my aggressive driving the temperature can come up to the 200 mark, but never higher. If I drive without hard acceleration, it only goes up high enough for the fans to come on.
Amazon.com: ACDelco 20700 GM Original Equipment Radiator: Automotive
Also, have you tuned your fans for the 160* thermostat? If yes, check that your A/C condenser fins are not blocked and you don't have any obstructions in between the radiator and the condenser such as plastic bags.
I am running the OEM radiator, and I live in the Middle East. Its already 40*C here and I daily drive the car, the temperature will go higher and can hit 49*C.
My car runs a CC503, full bolt ons, with a 0.026" head gasket and milled heads I am way over 11.0 compression. With the A/C on, on a hot day and my my aggressive driving the temperature can come up to the 200 mark, but never higher. If I drive without hard acceleration, it only goes up high enough for the fans to come on.
I live in Arizona and the last week temps have been over 110°F (43°C), all highway at 100+ my temps are about 185-195. Stop and go and my temps get up to 240, yesterday I actually overheated. This is with the AC on full blast. And the car is tuned, see sig for details. Driving style (hwy/city) makes a big difference.
Where in the Middle East are you? I've been there a few times and only seen a couple areas where traffic can get close to what most major cities in America deal with. Most all areas of the Middle East I've been have a lot more space for a sustained higher vehicle speed, which helps for cooling even with high ambient temps.
EDIT, I see you're in Bahrain. I haven't been there. Been to Qatar though. Also, you guys use lots of round about so even less stopping (good for cooling to maintain speed).
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On The Tree
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Aggressive is a loose term; aggressive highway is helpful for cooling, but stop and go traffic is very very bad for cooling.
I live in Arizona and the last week temps have been over 110°F (43°C), all highway at 100+ my temps are about 185-195. Stop and go and my temps get up to 240, yesterday I actually overheated. This is with the AC on full blast. And the car is tuned, see sig for details. Driving style (hwy/city) makes a big difference.
Where in the Middle East are you? I've been there a few times and only seen a couple areas where traffic can get close to what most major cities in America deal with. Most all areas of the Middle East I've been have a lot more space for a sustained higher vehicle speed, which helps for cooling even with high ambient temps.
EDIT, I see you're in Bahrain. I haven't been there. Been to Qatar though. Also, you guys use lots of round about so even less stopping (good for cooling to maintain speed).
I live in Arizona and the last week temps have been over 110°F (43°C), all highway at 100+ my temps are about 185-195. Stop and go and my temps get up to 240, yesterday I actually overheated. This is with the AC on full blast. And the car is tuned, see sig for details. Driving style (hwy/city) makes a big difference.
Where in the Middle East are you? I've been there a few times and only seen a couple areas where traffic can get close to what most major cities in America deal with. Most all areas of the Middle East I've been have a lot more space for a sustained higher vehicle speed, which helps for cooling even with high ambient temps.
EDIT, I see you're in Bahrain. I haven't been there. Been to Qatar though. Also, you guys use lots of round about so even less stopping (good for cooling to maintain speed).
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From: Bahrain
Aggressive is a loose term; aggressive highway is helpful for cooling, but stop and go traffic is very very bad for cooling.
I live in Arizona and the last week temps have been over 110°F (43°C), all highway at 100+ my temps are about 185-195. Stop and go and my temps get up to 240, yesterday I actually overheated. This is with the AC on full blast. And the car is tuned, see sig for details. Driving style (hwy/city) makes a big difference.
Where in the Middle East are you? I've been there a few times and only seen a couple areas where traffic can get close to what most major cities in America deal with. Most all areas of the Middle East I've been have a lot more space for a sustained higher vehicle speed, which helps for cooling even with high ambient temps.
EDIT, I see you're in Bahrain. I haven't been there. Been to Qatar though. Also, you guys use lots of round about so even less stopping (good for cooling to maintain speed).
I live in Arizona and the last week temps have been over 110°F (43°C), all highway at 100+ my temps are about 185-195. Stop and go and my temps get up to 240, yesterday I actually overheated. This is with the AC on full blast. And the car is tuned, see sig for details. Driving style (hwy/city) makes a big difference.
Where in the Middle East are you? I've been there a few times and only seen a couple areas where traffic can get close to what most major cities in America deal with. Most all areas of the Middle East I've been have a lot more space for a sustained higher vehicle speed, which helps for cooling even with high ambient temps.
EDIT, I see you're in Bahrain. I haven't been there. Been to Qatar though. Also, you guys use lots of round about so even less stopping (good for cooling to maintain speed).
Bahrain is where I live, traffic is horrible here. The weather in unforgivingly humid in the summer because our country is actually an island. I live right in the middle of the capital, all the government agencies, banks, embassies, companies...you name it, its around me. Only times traffic is low is at between 5am and 6:30am. Then you have to wait till its late in the evening for traffic to clear up again. Everyone goes to work at the same time, leaves to go home at the same time and in between are out going to places due to work...you guessed it at the same time.
Even on the highways you won't be driving for long before you get back into town because the country is just that small. Thats why people here prefer to buy Toyotas, cold A/C and rarely have cooling problems. Roundabouts have been removed with traffic lights for years now, and even when you are coming off the highway there will be a traffic light. Some crazy civil engineering we have here.
Granted, you are making a lot more power than me so burning that much more fuel will make the difference.
We own these cars to have fun with them. I just changed my rear tires for the 2nd time this year haha
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Right now my a.c. is not working. I need to fix a hose leak evacuate/vacuum system and recharge. Yes its tuned my fans come on at 180* i believe but I still see 230~240 temps sitting in traffic when ambient temp is above 90. Once it gets that hot it doesn't seem to ever recover. So i know the fans r coming on but due to the age (20 +YRS) is it possible they are tired and not blowing efficiently? I just did a flush 2 weeks ago with the new pump. I've bled the system, rchecked levels etc. New sensor and Bosch mech gauge I'm not going off the dash. I'm pulling two codes. 26 and 34. Not sure what's up with the evap purge code but I put in a new map sensor and that didn't work. My air dam is intact. Also new sensor on the wp. So that led me to believe I should try a new rad and new fan motors.......
Since your A/C system is not being used, why not remove the condenser from the car and see if there is a difference in cooling. Inspect your condenser fins for blocked fins. Maybe your radiator fins are blocked too, have a close look at them.
Your fans might not be working right as you said, but fans usually either stop working or they continue working. They don't slow down. If your condenser and radiator fins are clear, check to see if your fans are running constantly and not one of them or both intermittently stops working (means the fan motor is dying). Used OEM fans are not hard to find for these cars, full assemblies too.
If they check out fine, how old is your water pump? The impeller may be corroded and not moving the coolant efficiently.
Last edited by ADM; Jun 21, 2015 at 02:37 PM.
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From: Maricopa, AZ
I have only ever overheated once and that was because I blew the fuse on one of the fans last summer. Ever since, the temperature gauge has never been past the mid mark even on the hottest summer day.
Bahrain is where I live, traffic is horrible here. The weather in unforgivingly humid in the summer because our country is actually an island. I live right in the middle of the capital, all the government agencies, banks, embassies, companies...you name it, its around me. Only times traffic is low is at between 5am and 6:30am. Then you have to wait till its late in the evening for traffic to clear up again. Everyone goes to work at the same time, leaves to go home at the same time and in between are out going to places due to work...you guessed it at the same time.
Even on the highways you won't be driving for long before you get back into town because the country is just that small. Thats why people here prefer to buy Toyotas, cold A/C and rarely have cooling problems. Roundabouts have been removed with traffic lights for years now, and even when you are coming off the highway there will be a traffic light. Some crazy civil engineering we have here.
Granted, you are making a lot more power than me so burning that much more fuel will make the difference.
We own these cars to have fun with them. I just changed my rear tires for the 2nd time this year haha
Bahrain is where I live, traffic is horrible here. The weather in unforgivingly humid in the summer because our country is actually an island. I live right in the middle of the capital, all the government agencies, banks, embassies, companies...you name it, its around me. Only times traffic is low is at between 5am and 6:30am. Then you have to wait till its late in the evening for traffic to clear up again. Everyone goes to work at the same time, leaves to go home at the same time and in between are out going to places due to work...you guessed it at the same time.
Even on the highways you won't be driving for long before you get back into town because the country is just that small. Thats why people here prefer to buy Toyotas, cold A/C and rarely have cooling problems. Roundabouts have been removed with traffic lights for years now, and even when you are coming off the highway there will be a traffic light. Some crazy civil engineering we have here.
Granted, you are making a lot more power than me so burning that much more fuel will make the difference.
We own these cars to have fun with them. I just changed my rear tires for the 2nd time this year haha
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From: Maricopa, AZ
Direct replacement radiator 
The overheating was my fault. I got it a little too hot on Friday trying to push it with my adjusted tune. It didn't boil over, but I didn't check to make sure there was not air in the system. There was and it overheated on my next drive in stop and go traffic at 110°ish F. I've re-bled the system, and I'll see how it holds up now. Last edited by hrcslam; Jun 21, 2015 at 07:11 PM.
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From: Maricopa, AZ
Start with the simple basic stuff before you spend money on new parts.
Since your A/C system is not being used, why not remove the condenser from the car and see if there is a difference in cooling. Inspect your condenser fins for blocked fins. Maybe your radiator fins are blocked too, have a close look at them.
Your fans might not be working right as you said, but fans usually either stop working or they continue working. They don't slow down. If your condenser and radiator fins are clear, check to see if your fans are running constantly and not one of them or both intermittently stops working (means the fan motor is dying). Used OEM fans are not hard to find for these cars, full assemblies too.
If they check out fine, how old is your water pump? The impeller may be corroded and not moving the coolant efficiently.
Since your A/C system is not being used, why not remove the condenser from the car and see if there is a difference in cooling. Inspect your condenser fins for blocked fins. Maybe your radiator fins are blocked too, have a close look at them.
Your fans might not be working right as you said, but fans usually either stop working or they continue working. They don't slow down. If your condenser and radiator fins are clear, check to see if your fans are running constantly and not one of them or both intermittently stops working (means the fan motor is dying). Used OEM fans are not hard to find for these cars, full assemblies too.
If they check out fine, how old is your water pump? The impeller may be corroded and not moving the coolant efficiently.
The fans do start to wear out, but it's hard to check without first knowing stock brand new amp draw vs CFM loaded and current amp draw vs CFM loaded. I think stock the amp draw is 9A? I can't remember, but if the OP has an ammeter he an check current draw and see if it's pulling 15A or so, that would point to the motors going out. But even with that they should still flow relatively the same CFM loaded as stock, just takes more amps to do it. So the value of the check is only to know that they will stop working soon, but they are not necessarily moving less air, so really no effect on cooling. So, I agree with you but just wanted to add more detail to it.
Agreed on all other points.
No AC and 230-240°F coolant temps is bad. But, with a leaking radiator it could easily be the culprit as once air is in the system it spirals and keeps getting worse.
OP, I think your best bet is the OEM one linked on Amazon. Stock these radiators work fine. Hell, they'll even keep up with quite a bit more power and heat. I'm finding the limit of the cooling system now with 114°F ambient temps with very low humidity in stop and go traffic and the AC full blast, and even then it's still barely hanging on.
I run a stock radiator, and my cooling stack is absolutely horrid. Rad is last to get air, never overheated. Lost a fan coming home from the dyno over the weekend and didn't even notice it for the most part, and that was ~80* OAT, in stop/go traffic (damn you NJ summer traffic)
Ironically my radiator seeps a tad too, prob just gonna grab a OEM pullout or a new replacement when I have time/motivation. Stock works better than most give it credit.
Ironically my radiator seeps a tad too, prob just gonna grab a OEM pullout or a new replacement when I have time/motivation. Stock works better than most give it credit.
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I'm in the process getting a Griffin 1-25241-x aluminum unit to fit along with a Meziere EWP. Having a custom shroud made to reuse the stock fans. I use my car for autocross so having a EWP and manual fan switch will be very helpful for me to cool down in grid.
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From: Maricopa, AZ
Direct replacement radiator I run a stock radiator, and my cooling stack is absolutely horrid. Rad is last to get air, never overheated. Lost a fan coming home from the dyno over the weekend and didn't even notice it for the most part, and that was ~80* OAT, in stop/go traffic (damn you NJ summer traffic)
Ironically my radiator seeps a tad too, prob just gonna grab a OEM pullout or a new replacement when I have time/motivation. Stock works better than most give it credit.
Ironically my radiator seeps a tad too, prob just gonna grab a OEM pullout or a new replacement when I have time/motivation. Stock works better than most give it credit.
Location, season, and driving styles have a huge effect on cooling capacity and limitations.
Last edited by hrcslam; Jun 22, 2015 at 09:09 PM.