Aluminum Radiators On the Cheap...

[icanfixall]

This location has been selling these aluminum radiators for some time. Several members here have got them. Any updates for those looking for an inexpensive cooling system upgrade...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0Q...emZ130567238730QQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEWAXQ3aIT

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

What are your guy's opinions of these rads? i need a new rad now.

 

[icanfixall]

So far the feedback is great but time will tell. I paid over $645.00 with shipping for my aluminum Rodney Red.Its a two row but the rows are 1 1/4 inch wide.Its a cool running unit. If I had to fault it for anything and this is a stretch at that... Its the fact that its att tig welded together. No easy way to get it apart....But when will I ever need to do that.I'm sure the Cahmpions are the same being welded togehter.. Just buy one.You can buy three of these before yo reach the cost of what I have.Quality costs no matter where you buy from. I just have not heard anything bad here about these radiators giving poor performance.....

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

So far the feedback is great but time will tell.

the guys that tested my rad today said that if i baught one from a-zone or the like it would be around $350. for $100 less i can get mabey a better performing rad and some more style never hurts anything.

 

[ford390gashog]

My radiator just blew the top tank! So being that its mid week and I have no cash I bought the OEM style brass radiator which is part number CU1165 and got it from my local A zone after they price matched Amazon.com which has it for $239.00! Anywhere else is over 300.00+ for the same part number!


EDIT: Amazon had it for 239.00 now they are all sold out and now the number goes to a vendor page for 363.00!!!

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

I am pretty sure i will get the alluminum one in the link.

 

[tknomaj]

If I had to fault it for anything and this is a stretch at that... Its the fact that its att tig welded together. No easy way to get it apart....But when will I ever need to do that.I'm sure the Cahmpions are the same being welded togehter.. Just buy one.You can buy three of these before yo reach the cost of what I have.Quality costs no matter where you buy from. I just have not heard anything bad here about these radiators giving poor performance.....

But Gary the alternative is one that is glued together and they may come apart easier but never when I would want them to have worked with glued radiators before learned my lesson in MOAB LESSON LEARNED

 

[franklin2]

The cheap ebay aluminum radiators are not glued together, they are welded also. I have one.

Just remember if you get an aluminum radiator, you should not run the old school low silicate green coolant with the anti-cavitation stuff in it. Silicates in the coolant are what protect aluminum in your cooling system, and the original truck cooling system was fine with low silicant coolant because it did not have any aluminum in the system.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

The cheap ebay aluminum radiators are not glued together, they are welded also. I have one.

Just remember if you get an aluminum radiator, you should not run the old school low silicate green coolant with the anti-cavitation stuff in it. Silicates in the coolant are what protect aluminum in your cooling system, and the original truck cooling system was fine with low silicant coolant because it did not have any aluminum in the system.

So did i just wast my money on the fleet charge that i just baught??

 

[GenLightening]

If I had to fault it for anything and this is a stretch at that... Its the fact that its att tig welded together. No easy way to get it apart....

One other 'bad" thing about my Rodney Red is that it's just so damn shiney! Now I have to keep the engine compartment clean and start chroming/polishing more parts to make it look right.

 

[wmoguy]

This location has been selling these aluminum radiators for some time. Several members here have got them. Any updates for those looking for an inexpensive cooling system upgrade...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0Q...emZ130567238730QQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEWAXQ3aIT

This is the one I bought. Alas I have not been able to test it as the 94 is down for the count. I fully intend to flog it in a few weeks and shall report back on it's cooling abilities.

 

[icanfixall]

This is just a note about replacing your radiator. First know what you have. A new shiny radiator from anywhere may not cool your engine. check the fins per inch count and the tube row count. These counts are important if you expect to cool as good or better than before. An aluminum radiator is going to cool better than what you have now. Thats just a simple scinece fact that aluminum displaces heat quicker than brass. If you went from a 4 row with 15 fins per inch to a 3 row with 12 fins per inch... You made a mistake. The stock radiators were 4 row with 16 fins per inch as I recall... Its been a few years. Also a dimple core radiator will not cool any better than any other core will. The industry tried to force feed us that the dimples stamped into the tubes slowed down the flow of coolant thru the radiators. That was to allow more time for the hot coolant to exchange the heat into the brass radiator.... I have to fly the flag on that idea...

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Just remember if you get an aluminum radiator, you should not run the old school low silicate green coolant with the anti-cavitation stuff in it. Silicates in the coolant are what protect aluminum in your cooling system, and the original truck cooling system was fine with low silicant coolant because it did not have any aluminum in the system.

what about this ^^^? i need a nw rad asap and if my fleetcharge is going to eat away at this alluminum rad then i can't get an alluminum rad.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

so coolant with low silicate content eats away at alluminum. fleet charge uses low silicate. so why do you guys say buy the fleet charge, it is great stuff and then say to buy an alluminum radiator. from what i have been reading these two products CAN NOT go together.

So what is what here. some one set me straight. i really need to figure out what i am going to do for a radiator. i am really getting tired of driving that POS crown vic. whoever designed that thing should be castrated with a dull spoon and then shot.

 

[franklin2]

I did a lot of research as apparently you have now, and what I finally went with is Zerex GO5 coolant. Yes, it's one of those newfangled hybrid coolants. I believe the powerstrokes run something similar, since they run aluminum radiators also. If you really want some protection, Zerex has a coolant that is red, and is used for fleet service. But it was so expensive, that I did not go with it. And I also found out that I am lucky and can even buy the red Zerex coolant if I wanted from one of my local Napa's, because a local trucking company uses it and they keep it in stock. The other Napa I went to had he GO5 in stock but not the red.

Here's a link. http://www.valvoline.com/products/brands/zerex/antifreeze/42

I have used this coolant for about 3 years(when I put the aluminum radiator in) and I have had no mysterious waterpump/hose/oil cooler leaks. I just have to keep it separate from my other vehicles which use the regular green coolant.