Champion Radiators for the IDI

About this 16 x1.5 fitting that is on this radiator. Where did you guys get your adapter fitting to make it work. I have a 5 speed now, and would not need it, but I ordered a coolant filter also. Would this be a good place to put a coolant filter in the system and get it back to the radiator? I was thinking mount it down on the frame with a couple of shutoff valves so I don't dump fluid during a filter change. I like mounting it down out of the way and not cluttering up an already busy engine compartment

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If I understand you correctly about that fitting (16 x 1.5) on the bottom of the Rad, you can't return coolant to that fitting, it's only for oil from the transmission, it's a tubing coil in the bottom tank isolated from the Rad coolant.

Just put in a Champion radiator myself. Sprung a leak in my 93's radiator today. I had ordered the radiator for my 89 and had it sitting here. Looks like I get to order another one. The champion installed ok. Fan Shroud bolt holes could be a little closer, but they still fit. I used the plug that came with the radiator for the bottom tank fitting. Since I have a manual I didn't need to adapt it to the transmission heat up line. Other people using that plug?

Here's some picks of the damage. Some how the radiator has a hole that sprayed back towards the fan. It appears it's from damage. I'm wondering if the damage was recent or old. Like did the fan recently catch debri and take out the radiator or did it get damaged when I had it out replacing the engine and just finally fail?

OLDBULL8 said:

If I understand you correctly about that fitting (16 x 1.5) on the bottom of the Rad, you can't return coolant to that fitting, it's only for oil from the transmission, it's a tubing coil in the bottom tank isolated from the Rad coolant.

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Let's clear this up. I have my radiator now, and the fitting.



The fitting in question is the one all the way on the right. It is open right into the lower tank. You can see the two trans cooler ports in the middle, then the lower hose and a drain petcock. When you open the radiator, it comes with a plug in that port for trucks with a manual transmission. Here is a picture of the fitting I bought from threadtoolsupply.com.




My truck originally had a E4OD, and this is the factory heater hose with a T in it that returns to the lower radiator tank. This is the line I am going to put in the coolant

I know OLDBULL8 is certainly more knowledgeable about these trucks than I am. But, my question would be: if the coolant can get in around the trans cooler coil, it must also have to be able to get out of there in order to circulate past the trans cooler coil - wouldn't that mean that the coolant would simply complete a flow circuit into the bottom tank of the radiator? Since just this one hose goes in there, the coolant has to be able to flow out somehow, otherwise there would be no flow or circulation of coolant past the trans cooler coil. Am i thinking of this correctly? If this were simply a "dead end", warm coolant could not flow in there to rpovide any heat to trans cooler coil.

Edit: I still think routing the outflow from your coolant filter into this port in the radiator will work as I "think" the coolant just flows into the bottom tank with the rest of the coolant. Again, if I am thinking of this correctly, Ford's purpose in connecting the heater hose at this location on the tank was to put a little heat around the trans cooler coil inside the rad tank to provide a way for the trans fluid to warm up a bit before the thermostat actually opened and the engine was up to full operating temp. I hope otheres can confirm this will work for CPDENTON as I don't want to give anybody any bad advice.

The trans cooler is just a coil inside the lower radiator tank. This hose Is there to actually warm up the trans fluid when cold. It circulats out of the cylinder head back into the lower radiator tank, which houses the trans collier coil, back to the lower radiator hose. It keeps coolant flowing past to coils even when the thermostat is still closed.

cpdenton, is that pitting on your lower tank or an optical illusion? Looks bad.

It's not pitting. We got a little sprinkle of rain this morning and that is the dirt left after the rain dried up. Wipes right off.

Edit: I still think routing the outflow from your coolant filter into this port in the radiator will work as I "think" the coolant just flows into the bottom tank with the rest of the coolant. Again, if I am thinking of this correctly, Ford's purpose in connecting the heater hose at this location on the tank was to put a little heat around the tranks cooler coil inside the rad tank to provide a way for the trans fluid to warm up a bit before the thermostat actually opened and the engine was up to full operating temp. I hope otheres can confirm this will work for CPDENTON as I don't want to give anybody any bad advice.

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I guess I misunderstood what he was going to do. On the OEM radiators where the heater hose goes into the bottom of the rad it's a very small hole, like an orfice there. Look at your OEM rad. If you get too much flow there, you would have to much hot coolant going back to the pump suction. If your going to install the filter in the heater hose, I would think it should be installed before the Tee, so you'd have a full flow back to the pump. I think I'm explaining that right.

Thanks, OLDBULL8 - so there may not be enough flow because of the restriction caused by design of that radiator port and the coolant filter may not filter as much cooant as it could if located otherwise - I understand now. And drilling out that port for more flow (if you even could) might cause to much hot cooolant to flow directly to lower radiator hose and back into the engine.

I will check out the factory fitting to see what restriction is in there. If it is restricted down in the factory fitting, I will set the filter up as a bypass on the heater hose that returns to the water pump.

Now that i think about it, the restriction was not in the radiator port itself, but rather the brass NPT to hose barb fitting that screwed into the port. The hole through the fitting was mabe only 1/16" in diameter, so there would not be much flow through that. I did not pay attention to the hole size in the rad port, but that should be large enough. But you still have the possible concern that OLDBULL8 stated of too much hot coolant being returned to the bottom of the tank and then getting drawn by suction right back into the engine without being cooled. I can only think that Ford engineers perhaps thought about that and that is why the hose barb fitting had such a small hole in it. Otherwise, you idea of using that port to return coollant from your filter sounded great to me.

cpdenton said:

The trans cooler is just a coil inside the lower radiator tank. This hose Is there to actually warm up the trans fluid when cold. It circulats out of the cylinder head back into the lower radiator tank, which houses the trans collier coil, back to the lower radiator hose. It keeps coolant flowing past to coils even when the thermostat is still closed.

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The cooler is a bundle like the engine oil cooler.

As for the hose, it does nothing for heating tranny fluid. By the time it could do something, the tranny is close to operating temp.

I know this thread is old, but thought I would update it regarding the longevity of the Champion radiator I installed in 2013. The radiator has been in the truck for 4 years and for about 40k miles. It has worked great - UNTIL NOW. The seam at the lower right corner of the upper tank is leaking. I have done three coolant changes in those 4 years, and run a coolant filter, so the leak is not a result of improper maintenance. I'll bet the lifetime warranty will be useless, as Champion will probably require I ship it in for "inspection", and that will just cost way too much. Looking at the offerings of the local parts stores (O'Reilly, Advance and AutoZone), I am not at all impressed. Sure, those radiators have "lifetime" warranties too, and I can get a replacement under warranty by taking the failed radiator into the local store. However, those Spectra radiators with plastic tanks that they all sell just look cheap, and I certainly don't like the crimped on plastic tanks. I have had those seals between the tanks and core fail on other vehicles. I might be able to find someone to tig the hole in my current radiator, but it either way it looks like it will have to come out. So, the Champion went 4 years and about 40K with an original cost of $235. Would a parts store radiator have lasted that long? Who knows, but I will probably end up ordering another Champion.

Any chance you could take it out and have someone repair it for a few dollars? Might be another option

I went with the autozone/spectra w/ the plastic tanks.Yup.It looks cheap.Lifetime warranty and being local though.No costly shipping hassles,when it fails lol.

The saddest part about it all,is they're smogging up China.......for trash!