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Radiator troubles!

bassackwards

bassackwards

1/2 ton status
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Location
Tennessee
Hooking everything up on my new 383 and notice antifreeze coming from the top hose. When I wiggle it I am afraid that the tank is cracked at the nipple where the top hose attaches.

It looks like the original copper/brass radiator that has a little scale buildup/

Fix it or spring for a new one?

I notice that all of the Rock Auto radiators have plastic tanks now.

Opinions?
 
I'd agree about having it rodded and brazed if the shop doing it says it's salvageable.

The new plastic/aluminum radiators (unfortunately even some of the name brand all aluminum ones are too) are hit and miss, I decided to buy the cheapie sold by the auto parts store with a lifetime warranty, as recoring the stock radiator was $500.

For $80, if I get a few years before free replacement, I'm good.
 
"dyeager535, post: 4043757, member: 1569"
For $80, if I get a few years before free replacement, I'm good.
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Same here. I bought a cheap $100 dollar plastic tank one for my new crate engine. I have about 2-years on it now, and it has worked so far. I figure I have already gotten my monies worth out of it.
 
I've yet to have to buy a new aluminum radiator,I just solder up any leaks in the original brass ones in my trucks so far..only had a few that leaked..."Aluma-Seal" powder works well for minor leaks and wont plug up the heater core..

You can solder the neck up with some 50//50 solder,but finding some of that may be a chore since homes no longer use it on plumbing,now everything has to be lead free--and the new solder doesn't seem to meld well with the old school solder--use "tinner's flux",that can be had at most better hardware stores,its basically battery acid,after sanding off all the paint and corrosion..then rinse all the flux off with baking soda and water to neutralize it.

A propane torch is hot enough to do this,it is a bit tricky though,its easy to overheat things and melt solder out and create more leaks..taking it to a radiator shop probably wont cost you much,unless they wont do it without checking the flow rate,and talk you into rodding it out if its plugging up inside..around here ,radiator shops are pretty much non existent any more since new radiators are so "cheap"..I dislike the plastic/aluminum ones,they always leak at the tanks sooner or later--some right out of the box!..
 
diesel4me said:
I've yet to have to buy a new aluminum radiator,I just solder up any leaks in the original brass ones in my trucks so far
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Problem I saw was that by the time the radiators started leaking, they were so plugged with corrosion that the engine temps were unmanageable when the engine load or ambient temps went up.

I mean if it works, great. Throw some solder on it and be done with it. Realistically if the radiators are taken care of (anti corrosion package wears put over time) they should never leak except potentially at solder joints. But pretty sure the corrosion thins the core and leads to weak spots, along with reducing flow.
 
I've gotten an aluminum one from amozon year later it developed a leak, traded for the one from the parts store (2 sizes for our rig)
The with plastic sides has been on for over 1 year now an no issues. Heck even the heater works better with the one from the parts store
 
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HankScorpio said:
These look like a great deal but they are no good. Lots of guys have had bad luck with leaks, myself included. @mrk5 has a bad one right now being swapped out.
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Ive had 2. one in a c10 worked fine... one in my blazer that is fine thusfar. We’ll see how it goes with the blazer.
 
I had my oem brass radiator re-cored with a Craig brand core. 4 rows 14 fins per inch. 14 years ago was $220 with me doing the R&R
 
About the only time I've had issues with a oem radiator was when I did an engine swap and had to drain the old coolant--I'd gently flush the radiator out with low pressure from the garden hose (we have well water,so it doesn't have much pressure ),and when I filled it back up with new anti-freeze,almost immediately I'd have a minor leak or weeping from the radiator or at the thermostat housing--like the new coolant actually creates leaks, or seeps out when the old stuff didn't..

Last time I did an engine swap,I saved the old coolant and put it right back in after filtering it..I drove that truck many years with zero leaks,and I only added a can of "booster" to replenish the additives the coolant may have lost over those years..

I admit to not being very good about keeping the anti-freeze "fresh",in fact I tend to ignore it until I have a leak or an overheating issue--funny thing is I have had a few trucks over 15 years I only drained and refilled the coolant once (if that),and only added some new cooolant if it was down a little--and never had to replace a radiator due to it clogging up--one lost all its fins around the tubes,yet still didn't make the engine overheat,I only replaced it because the whole radiator was green and ready to pop..

Sometimes I wonder if its just a marketing ploy to change the coolant on a regular basis--in my experience it doesn't "go bad",it just loses its ability to inhibit corrosion,and adding a can of the water pump lube & anti-rust stuff is enough to keep it good for a long time..
 
I did the research on antifreeze years back. Antifreeze never stops being antifreeze. It will always serve that purpose, so you are correct, it is a scam (as is premixed, but I digress). The only thing that fails is the additive package, and you can replenish that for dirt cheap compared to the ~$10/gal that they want for antifreeze today. Napa sells the additive package replenisher.

However, the only thing I've had difficulty with, is *testing* the anti corrosion properties of the antifreeze. The test strips to my eye are very, very hard to tell what state the anti corrosion package is in.
 
If it doesn’t stop working, what creates that horrid fish smell inside the radiator?

One of my old C10.... stunk like rotten fish. When I did flush two perfectly preserved spiders came out,
 
I try to go with brass/copper radiators at all costs.... I do have an aluminum champion in the 350 luv truck, but that was in it when I bought it... I'm kinda impressed with how cool it runs...even in the summer heat in Texas...no electric fan,,no shroud,, just a little 13" flex fan...so far no issues at all..
 
The Spectra Premium CU730 I got for my 454 has been working well for 5yrs now. Plastic tanks and aluminum fins.
I have two trucks. One Spectra Premium CU730 made in Canada has been good for 10yrs, and latest Spectra Premium CU730 made in China good for 5yrs so far.
Both no leak and run cool. I don't know if made in Canada is available anymore.
 
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