ls radiator?

[chris85]

Yep, another radiator thread. Sorry

But, what radiator is everyone using with their 5.3/6.0 swaps? From what I've searched it seems that griffin is the popular choice, but they also seem to be hit or miss on quality. Ive read several threads where people have had issues with them.

Im looking pretty hard at this mishimoto

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mio-mmrad-ck-78x/overview/make/gmc/year/1989/model/jimmy

It should be plenty big enough to cool my LQ4. Anyone have any experience with them? Would the inlet/outlet locations be a problem?

Thanks!

 

[K85 Octane]

I would try it over a Griffin.
Lots of guys run a regular downflow radiator for LS swaps, you'll just need to plum the steam port line in somewheres. I wont do Griffin again, too much of a crap shoot.

 

[Larry]

I am a big fan of reusing as much of the original pieces as possible when doing engine swaps to keep the truck looking factory and maintain reliability. The more stock, the less problems you will have down the road. The more China's finest aftermarket BS that does under the hood the less reliable the truck becomes. Trust me…… Why not just use the factory radiator your truck came with and save the money for something you will really need for the swap like new exhaust. At minimum, go one step bigger stock radiator for the same generation of truck to keep the under hood looking as factory as possible and keep the Chinese BS out of engine compartment.

Contrary to popular belief aftermarket radiator$ and instrument cluster$ are not required to do a Gen III swap. This K5 here was just recently upgraded to the larger diesel 81-91 diesel radiator along with the factory shroud. Looks like it came from the factory this way...

My 8.1L Suburban with stock squarebody diesel radiator and shroud. Same goods that the K5 above recently was treated too

 

[chris85]

I have actually thought about this. The stock 6.0 radiator, e fans and fan shroud would all be a lot cheaper, and I love how clean you have everything ran. I guess my whole thought process has been to take the easier route and avoid "make it work" type situations. I'm all about "bolt in" and "plug n play" mainly just because I'm short on skill. I mean I'm sure I could figure out a simple radiator swap but I also want to avoid it looking like a hack too.

With that being said, what is needed for the diesel rad swap? What fans? If it all just drops into place then I'm all in! Haha!

 

[paratrooper307]

Stock radiators are surprisingly effective and reliable. You can either use a stock LS radiator or adapt the older one. jagsthatrun.com has a convenient adapter that is one way to go when dealing with the steam line.

 

[sreidmx]

I used the stock 6.0 2012 radiator and dual e fan stuff, it’ll sit and idle at 192... perpetually..
it cost me less than 250$ for it all off eBay.. the fans have to be mounted upside down to fit

 

[chris85]

I am a big fan of reusing as much of the original pieces as possible when doing engine swaps to keep the truck looking factory and maintain reliability. The more stock, the less problems you will have down the road. The more China's finest aftermarket BS that does under the hood the less reliable the truck becomes. Trust me…… Why not just use the factory radiator your truck came with and save the money for something you will really need for the swap like new exhaust. At minimum, go one step bigger stock radiator for the same generation of truck to keep the under hood looking as factory as possible and keep the Chinese BS out of engine compartment.

Contrary to popular belief aftermarket radiator$ and instrument cluster$ are not required to do a Gen III swap. This K5 here was just recently upgraded to the larger diesel 81-91 diesel radiator along with the factory shroud. Looks like it came from the factory this way...

My 8.1L Suburban with stock squarebody diesel radiator and shroud. Same goods that the K5 above recently was treated too

Looks like you're running a mechanical fan? Cant tell in the pic. I just learned, I think, that my motor (03 LQ4) came with a mechanical fan. Not necessarily a problem, I was just unaware.

 

[Larry]

Looks like you're running a mechanical fan? Cant tell in the pic. I just learned, I think, that my motor (03 LQ4) came with a mechanical fan. Not necessarily a problem, I was just unaware.

Absolutely, no E-fans for me in a big heavy 4x4. You cannot beat the reliability of a genuine clutch fan. If you ever notice GM only uses E-Fans on cars and light trucks while HD trucks and Medium Duty use the real deal mechanical fan. E-fans are great for racing and hot rods but not really something you would want to use in a off-roadster that gets far off the beaten path.

 

[sreidmx]

Absolutely, no E-fans for me in a big heavy 4x4. You cannot beat the reliability of a genuine clutch fan. If you ever notice GM only uses E-Fans on cars and light trucks while HD trucks and Medium Duty use the real deal mechanical fan. E-fans are great for racing and hot rods but not really something you would want to use in a off-roadster that gets far off the beaten path.

Larry I would normally agree with you but it would be hard to argue that every big heavy suv gym has out now uses an electric fan pack.. also very desert race truck out there uses a remote mounted radiator and electric fans.. while I think simple is great there is no denying the effective application and the sheer amount of supporting info to show clutch fans are not the only reliable name in the game.

 

[Larry]

Larry I would normally agree with you but it would be hard to argue that every big heavy suv gym has out now uses an electric fan pack.. also very desert race truck out there uses a remote mounted radiator and electric fans.. while I think simple is great there is no denying the effective application and the sheer amount of supporting info to show clutch fans are not the only reliable name in the game.

While racing, especially desert racing, is definitely brutal on just about everything it is still not the same torture we expose vehicles to in the auto/truck manufacturing world during durability testing when simulating hundreds of thousands of miles if not millions. I still stand by what durability testing has proven in the auto industry. E-fans are great for maximizing fuel economy and horsepower while mechanical fans are best suited for more sever duty where durability is vital. I wouldn’t consider a Tahoe, Yukon or even 1500 series Suburban as a heavy vehicle these days. That said, the new Suburban 3500-HD that is available to only fleets, has an L96 6.0L with, you guess it…. A mechanical fan. 1500 series trucks and SUV's get e-fans for the sake of fuel economy. Same reason they ditch hydraulic steering for electric rack and pinions.

I am not convinced e-fans are in it for the long-term durability. And personally, I would rather hear the roar of a fan clutch engaging and losing a little power than listing to the constant wind storm of an e-fan. Really, for most of us and our toys it comes down to personal preference. Now if I was building a hot rod, hell yes.... e-fans all the way

 

[skunked]

some of trucks are hot rods though

 

[chris85]

Some good discussion happening here! Now I'm really stumped. My motor will be somewhat built (bore and cam) so I'd like to squeeze all the power I can out of it, but I like what Larry is saying. Durability and simplicity are two main objectives in my build.

 

[skunked]

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[chris85]

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

I think you're right. I think he's converted me over to definitely running the stock radiator with the internal oil and trans cooler. I can always add auxiliaries later if needed. And it looks to be that the same radiator was used from 2000-2011, so I can run either the stock e fan (2005ish) or clutch fan pretty easily.

 

[Tweekls1]

I’m running the stock radiator in my 89 with a summit racing dual electric fan. Hottest it’s ever gotten was 200 will dragging a trailer through my hunting lease at 5mph. Also running an external tru cool 40k trans cooler.

 

[chris85]

Went ahead and ordered a stock replacement rad and fan shroud. That'll give me something to fiddle with.

 

[Wicked Wolf Auto]

I'll be running a big Mishimoto for a diesel square, when I get to that point in my swap. Can't beat the price and lifetime warranty with accident coverage is nice. Other than some issues their 6.0 powerstroke radiators I've never had any warranty claims on any of them that I've sold.

 

[Blue85]

Larry I would normally agree with you but it would be hard to argue that every big heavy suv gym has out now uses an electric fan pack.. also very desert race truck out there uses a remote mounted radiator and electric fans.. while I think simple is great there is no denying the effective application and the sheer amount of supporting info to show clutch fans are not the only reliable name in the game.

GM used mechanical on the 3/4 and 1-tons up until recently, while all 1500s went electric in '04 or '05. The e-fan on race trucks is a necessity, not a preference. How can a mechanical fan work when the rad isn't mounted right in front of the engine?

I am not convinced e-fans are in it for the long-term durability. And personally, I would rather hear the roar of a fan clutch engaging and losing a little power than listing to the constant wind storm of an e-fan.

Have you ever lost an e-fan? I've seen them run over 250,000 miles with no problems. You might need a relay every 100,000 or so, but that's a wear item and easy to pack and swap. Now that's factory stuff. Most of the problems with e-fans comes from aftermarket controllers, relay sockets, cheap connectors, etc. An e-fan installed with a cheap stand-alone relay socket , thermal switch carrying the fan load or crimp-on connections is going to fail at some point and it will probably be when you need it most.

As for noise, I only hear the 1500 e-fans if I'm standing in front of the truck. The fan on my 2500 drowns out the exhaust even when the engine is cold.

Bummer, this is another electrical vs. mechanical fan thread.

 

[Larry]

GM used mechanical on the 3/4 and 1-tons up until recently, while all 1500s went electric in '04 or '05. The e-fan on race trucks is a necessity, not a preference. How can a mechanical fan work when the rad isn't mounted right in front of the engine?

They have been using mechanical fans on the 2500/3500 trucks all along and still do. So does RAM on their 2500 up to 5500 trucks. 1500’s went electric back in 2005 like you mentioned although I was somewhat surprised to see the new Toyota Tacoma still uses a mechanical fan but then again, Toyota is all about reliability

2017 1500 series Silvy

2017 2500/3500 series with L96 gas or Dirtymax

Have you ever lost an e-fan? I've seen them run over 250,000 miles with no problems. You might need a relay every 100,000 or so, but that's a wear item and easy to pack and swap. Now that's factory stuff. Most of the problems with e-fans comes from aftermarket controllers, relay sockets, cheap connectors, etc. An e-fan installed with a cheap stand-alone relay socket , thermal switch carrying the fan load or crimp-on connections is going to fail at some point and it will probably be when you need it most.

Ah, yes…not personally because the only thing I own with e-fans is a 14 Impala and 15 Malibu but I work in the vehicle manufacturing business where we see many e-fan failures within the warranty period. I don’t totally dislike them, they just don’t have a place in a heavy truck let alone an off the grid 4x4. E-fans have definitely came along way since the days of the 80’s Escorts and Tempo’s no doubt about it.

As for noise, I only hear the 1500 e-fans if I'm standing in front of the truck. The fan on my 2500 drowns out the exhaust even when the engine is cold.

I agree, you will hear a mechanical fan a bit more from the drivers seat in normal driving on a hot day with the A/C cranking but wheeling off road with your windows down or spotting someone with running e-fans on a hot day is a totally different story. Probably not a lot of hard core wheeling that happens in MI on 100+ degree days like out West. Hehe, there were always be a debate between Chinese aluminum radiators and E-fans vs. OEM radiators and reliable HP and fuel eating mechanical fans . Different strokes for different folks.

 

[chris85]

I don't have anything to add to the mechanical vs. e fan debate, but I did find this engine masters episode interesting regarding the mechanical fans. It kind of solidified my thought on going with whatever stock fan my motor came with, which was a mechanical clutch fan. They don't eat up that much power.