Hey all,

So, my radiator is leaking coolant when parked. Probably while driving as well, but, who the hell knows. Anyway, it looks like I have a leak near the bottom hose - it's not the hose itself, I can see that much - and also somewhere in the middle of the radiator. I haven't taken anything apart but I've gotten under there and can see as much. After driving to work, the leak from the hose area drips all day. It's not a ton, it's not terrible, but it's a leak and it'll only get worse. Funny enough, I didn't see any of this when test driving the car and/or checking it out before buying it.

Also, if I ride it hard - 75 on the freeway, lots of stop/go on the streets where I'm moving a bit more than at cruising speed - it leaks much, much more than if I'm a responsible driver. I figure it's just boiling over more and seeping out from the middle and passenger side/hose area hole.

So, the punchline to all this - can anyone recommend a good, solid radiator that I can get to replace this one? I've never dealt with them in previous vehicles so I'm a bit new fixing them as well. I've replaced hoses but not the entire radiator. Any particular brands or stores people recommend? Better to just get the whole damn thing done professionally? If that's the case, anyone in Hollywood/LA area know of a top notch spot?

Thanks all!

 

Probably not a much easier repair to do on your car than replacing the radiator. It simply requires basic tools, and removing the hoses (and trans cooler lines if it's an automatic) and then removing the top hold down to lift it out.
I've gotten new radiators from KMJ Performance, and Summit, and both were great quality, and price. You'll need to measure your radiator overall width and height, plus core width and height. Also make sure if it's an automatic that you get a radiator with outlets for the cooler, or get a separate trans cooler.
I buy welded aluminum radiators only, and make sure they don't have epoxied tanks. Fully welded is the only way to go, and two 1" rows will cool better than a 3-4 row original radiator.

 

Here ya go. These are aluminum with plastic tanks, made for late models. The prices are old but close. These fit our cars perfect. Also you can get a 32" all aluminum welded rad on ebay for around the same price shipped. I have a KMJ as well from egay.
Autozone Part Number: 438162 Less than $120
Advanced Auto Part # 433162 Less than $115
Summit Racing Part # PLI-433162 Less than $115

 

PLEASE, Be sure, if you have antifreeze in your radiator, to safely drain it into a container. ANTIFREEZE will KILL animals if ingested.

 

Not sure you should order a 32" if you don't already have a 32". It's easy to modify the core support to accept one, but it does require some cutting and fitting of the core support. I'd measure your current radiator first, and then decide what to replace it with, or post the measurements here, and we can help you.

 

Hey everyone, thanks for the info, I'll look into it all. I figure it's not that difficult to do as a whole (it's an automatic btw) and the biggest roadblock will be draining the coolant. I'll figure that all out though. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

I'll do the measurements this weekend and repost!