Crappy replacement radiators

ive ebay all aluminum radiators in my lst few cars, and tons of customer cars. I love them. only downside is a little figiting with retapping some threads occasionally, elongating/relocating holes, or tweaking fan/evaporator brackets. seems like a lot at first, but then I NEVER have to think about them again. one in my neon was the worst example ive had, and it only h ad about 20 minutes worth of tweaking to do to be right.

mrwillie wrote: Where would you get non-performace, metal radiators from for modern cars? Ive got a leak in my top tank on my 2000 accord.

I would be blown away if you couldn't find a cheap performance one for an accord.

I wish there were a cheap performance option for the Saturn. Not because I need the performance, but because they usually aren't total pieces of E36 M3.

i bought a cheap chinese all-aluminum radiator for my F250 last month. Like $130 shipped. It fit great, no trouble with it yet. If someone told me it cost twice as much i would believe them. The core is a lot thicker. We'll see if that equates to any difference, or just ruins airflow.

I can do a radiator replacement in an E150 in 18 minutes. Cheap Chinese radiators are the reason why. They warrantied out 5 of them in a little over a year.

That said, I have one of the Ebay aluminum radiators in the Abomination. It works flawlessly.

Cheap chinese sockets( ie Harbour Freight almost any hand tool ) is one thing. Cheap chinese radiator that blows and takes out an engine when wifey is driving is an entirely diff situation. Is there an ebay "performance" brand that folks recommend?

champion

irish44j has a Koyostar (Chinese made, off of eBay) on his BMW rally car. Looks pretty nice, check out his build thread for more info.

In reply to mrwillie:

I got an all metal one for my Civic off eBay.

So, champion and koyostar off of ebay.

@93EXcivic -- do u remember what brand you bought?

mrwillie wrote: So, champion and koyostar off of ebay. @93EXcivic -- do u remember what brand you bought?

I think it was one like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ROW-FULL-ALUMINUM-RACING-RADIATOR-92-00-CIVIC-EJ-EK-DEL-SOL-EG-INTEGRA-DB-DC-/400561372754?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d43517e52&vxp=mtr

93EXCivic wrote:

mrwillie wrote: So, champion and koyostar off of ebay. @93EXcivic -- do u remember what brand you bought?

I think it was one like this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ROW-FULL-ALUMINUM-RACING-RADIATOR-92-00-CIVIC-EJ-EK-DEL-SOL-EG-INTEGRA-DB-DC-/400561372754?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d43517e52&vxp=mtr

There is a good chance I'm just going to fab some brackets to make one of these fit. I'll need a second set to mount the A/C condenser and trans cooler, but it shouldn't be too bad. I'd lose the OEM fan though :(

ProDarwin wrote: Well, Delphi unit is on its way out. That was fast.

So I was wrong about this last year. I'm pretty sure its on its way out now though. 17k miles since replacement. berkeley.

Becool no longer makes aluminum ones for the car that I can tell. I was ready to just pony up for an OEM fitment aluminum solution just so I don't have to keep changing them. They are a piece of cake to change on the Saturn, but not when you have an auto trans and air conditioning.

Check Ebay for a chinese aluminum "racing" radiator again. In the last month or two someone popped up selling enormous radiators for the 1g MX6/Probe, and that wasn't an option before.

Now the question is... do i want a 55mm or an 80mm. (Who the hell needs an 80mm radiator?)

Thicker means better cooling. Maybe not a lot better, but somewhat better. There is a small weight cost to a thicker radiator though.

BTW, FSR makes custom radiators for cheap, although a cheap custom radiator is still clean over $200.

GameboyRMH wrote: Thicker means better cooling. Maybe not a lot better, but somewhat better. There is a small weight cost to a thicker radiator though. BTW, FSR makes custom radiators for cheap, although a cheap custom radiator is still clean over $200.

Thicker means more capacity for cooling, but can hurt airflow. Trade-offs are fun!

After dealing with the 24-mo lifespan of an AutoZone radiator, I bought a Silla 2067A through Amazon for my trusty old winter beater Saturn, based on recommendations from the saturnfans board: http://www.amazon.com/Silla-Automotive-Radiator-Plastic-Aluminum/dp/B009YL6S5M/ref=au_pf_ss_8?ie=UTF8&Make=Saturn%7C53&Model=SL2%7C627&Year=1998%7C1998&carId=001&n=15684181&s=automotive

I've had it only four months, so I can't speak to its longevity yet, but the saturnfans guys think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

GameboyRMH wrote: Thicker means better cooling. Maybe not a lot better, but somewhat better. There is a small weight cost to a thicker radiator though. BTW, FSR makes custom radiators for cheap, although a cheap custom radiator is still clean over $200.

$200? that's it? http://www.fsrproducts.com/radiators.html#custom ?

I'd pay $200 in an instant not to have this problem again.

bluebarchetta wrote: After dealing with the 24-mo lifespan of an AutoZone radiator, I bought a Silla 2067A through Amazon for my trusty old winter beater Saturn, based on recommendations from the saturnfans board: http://www.amazon.com/Silla-Automotive-Radiator-Plastic-Aluminum/dp/B009YL6S5M/ref=au_pf_ss_8?ie=UTF8&Make=Saturn%7C53&Model=SL2%7C627&Year=1998%7C1998&carId=001&n=15684181&s=automotive I've had it only four months, so I can't speak to its longevity yet, but the saturnfans guys think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Hmm, I've seen that recommended... alongside the Delphi which is currently dying in my car. I'm hesitant to believe than anything with the plastic tanks is good at this point.

GameboyRMH wrote: BTW, FSR makes custom radiators for cheap, although a cheap custom radiator is still clean over $200.

They quoted me $475 for one... not sure that is "cheap" :(

Debating it. $500 is a lot to invest in a beater like this.