Started my truck on site the other day to come home and within a minute there's a puddle of coolant on the floor, rad leaking on the drivers side crimped edge, luckily it stops as it gets warm so still able to use the truck, I've been looking for a radiator and ouch !

 

Several options

Rock is  $422 to my door for a standard rad with crimped tanks, guess it's chinese this is for a purchase price of just over $100

Mishimoto on ebag $1151 to my door, no crimped tanks and MIUSA, purchase price is $750

 

Other option is I do have a new old stock Northern Radiator ally rad with the inlet/outlet on the correct sides but no trans cooler, would need to make mounts and weld them to the rad to use this, it is IIRC 19 or 22 x31, 3 core, I do have a large seperate trans cooler with electric fans that would work.

 

I'm leaning towards the Mishimoto as I don't trust chinese stuff and don't really have time to mess around figuring out the Northern

No option of buying here, Mishimoto have a UK outlet but don't stock and will not stock the 1298 rad

Is the Mishi worth the $$

Well seeing as no one has commented on a Mishimoto I'm assuming no one has fitted one so I'm going to figure out how to use the Northern radiator, might even try the twin electric fans and ally shroud that is with the rad

I have no experience with the mishimoto, When I was shopping for a radiator I did not want to spend that much money, nor could I afford one but I do believe with their all aluminum cores and tanks, and price they better be top quality.

 

I just went with a auto parts store radiator, The store said it was a Murray but the box said spectra, I dunno but it’s been fine for several years, it’s just an oem replacement with its plastic tanks, If it does fail in the future I would just swap it out with another, it’s almost easier to put in another than it is to repair or clean them 

I've heard good things about moshimoto and if when I need one that's what I'll be getting. I don't mind spending more for something that will last for ever and I have no plans on selling my pile of rust.

I bought the cheapest eBay special I could 6 yes ago when the tank split on mine, so far so good. If that helps at all. 
I also have known people to run the cheap aluminum ones from eBay with good results.

Even my OEM radiator the rubber seals gave up started weeping after 300k miles. I just bought another factory style radiator from NAPA. The biggest thing is good cap the releases at the right pressure and pH of the coolant is kept fairly neutral.

Still not made the decision erring towards the Mishi as I hate doing things twice but looking at a Mishi and injectors as my MPG is garbage and at £1.50 a litre $500 for injectors is nothing.

 

To be fair I do have a towing tune set on LVL 9 all the time but I do notice idle load is low and I do get some smoke, If I go 7/10's on injectors then the quad won't be on 9

 

Truck has 170k on it and injectors are stock

I also would vote on just getting a auto part store on. Oriellys, Napa etc. That's what I've always had/used. Worked great, I couldn't justify spending that much for the mishimoto right now

Like last one I got from NAPA was a 4 Seasons radiator which is a good quality. 

Thing is I'd be at £400 for a parts house plastic tank radiator to my door with all the shipping duty and vat,  more than likely MIC, £700 plus for the Mishi MIUSA and by design and the materials it's made of and how it's made will not leak

 

Although I've just spotted this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234260153582 which to say i'm liking it is an understatement (shame it's French) so my truck just might get a tub of rad seal for the time being

 

On the rad I just cannot make my mind up

Well it took a while to decide, brought on by the leak getting much worse.

Ordered and paid for  a Mishimoto off of ebay.com, several hours later full refund and a message saying company does not ship to the UK at the present due to Covid and shipping delays, not sure what the covid situation is in the USA but here we're pretty much back to normal.

So sent a message to 2 other ebay companies that have a ebay UK listing for a Mishimoto radiator.... same message back, can't be me as I've got 100% good FB

 

I'd already tried DAP BTW but they had no stock and no idea when they would have stock.

Tried Jegs... no stock

Tried everywhere else a search threw up.... no shipping to the UK..... GGRRR it's 2021 FFS

One more place to try Summit..... turns out not in stock but orderable for dispatch early December.... good enough for me and $70 cheaper on the total even the ebay ones, rad was the same price as everywhere else but the shipping was noticeably cheaper.

MOT inspection has run out so got to look the truck over for that.... I know I some work to do on it so early December is ok for the rad..... we'll see if this gets refunded

Wow!!  What lot of hassle to get something that should be easy to get!

 

I would try to hold off using stop leak if you can.   I used it once early in the life of my truck for about three years because of a leaking heater core.  The heater core still leaked and slowly got worse.  When I replaced the heater core, I could not get the coolant to clear up - even flushing and changing it out three times.  I finally installed an external coolant filter system which cleaned it up in 3 weeks.  

 

My original radiator started leaking at the driver side tank seam at 309,000 miles.  I replaced it with a NAPA radiator and it now has 50,000 on the new radiator and is doing fine.  No issues with pulling 20,000 lbs combined weight over 6% grade mountain passes during the summer.

 

- John

Edited November 17, 20213 yr by Tractorman

5 minutes ago, Tractorman said:

Wow!!  What lot of hassle to get something that should be easy to get!

 

I would try to hold off using stop leak if you can.   I used it once early in the life of my truck for about three years because of a leaking heater core.  The heater core still leaked and slowly got worse.  When I replaced the heater core, I could not get the coolant to clear up - even flushing and changing it out three times.  I finally installed an external coolant filter system which cleaned it up in 3 weeks.  

 

My original radiator started leaking at the driver side tank seam at 309,000 miles.  I replaced it with a NAPA radiator and it now has 50,000 on the new radiator and is doing fine.  No issues with pulling 20,000 lbs combined weight over 6% grade mountain passes during the summer.

 

- John

Sometimes it's the case when getting stuff shipped internationally from the USA, thing was 3 ebay companies listed international shipping but all three declined, 1 refunded and 2 messaged to say no, don't see the problem myself especially if using ebays GSP which one of them didn't BTW, never has a problem with GSP.

I've just ordered front and rear brake caliper rebuild parts from Rock for a complete set of calipers for a 02 to 07  as I scored a full set for £10 plus post from a guy here, that order will arrive early next week so there is no problem really.

I tried a little stop leak a month or so ago, didn't stop the leak so didn't bother using any more, I use Cat ELC coolant probably have 40 gallon of it for customers machines I work on so have just been topping it up.

 

On the stock radiator I'd read a few reviews where tanks had got cracked, bits broken off etc due to shipping, that's no use to me as once here I own it really as shipping back would be more than the rad is worth at least with a aluminium rad it's a lot more durable and I can weld/repair aluminium anyway so long as the core is good I could repair most damage

1 hour ago, Tractorman said:

My original radiator started leaking at the driver side tank seam at 309,000 miles.  I replaced it with a NAPA radiator and it now has 50,000 on the new radiator and is doing fine.  No issues with pulling 20,000 lbs combined weight over 6% grade mountain passes during the summer.

 

Same here. Personally I wouldn't spend big money on a full aluminum Mishimoto radiator. Just quick look your spending way too much on name brand. I just popped over to RockAuto and its 137 USD for a OE Radiator. Then if I wanted full aluminum radiator there is one on RockAuto for 311 USD. Way less the Mishimoto Radiator I seen priced as high as 700 USD.

1 hour ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

Same here. Personally I wouldn't spend big money on a full aluminum Mishimoto radiator. Just quick look your spending way too much on name brand. I just popped over to RockAuto and its 137 USD for a OE Radiator. Then if I wanted full aluminum radiator there is one on RockAuto for 311 USD. Way less the Mishimoto Radiator I seen priced as high as 700 USD.

OE from Rockauto is £400 to my door,  The aluminium one from Rock is £500  no clue as to where it's made, Mishimoto is £700 MIUSA

If a OE radiator with plastic tanks arrives at my door damaged the cost of shipping it back would be more than the radiator is worth and I don't get the shipping duty and Vat back either just because it's scrap so what do I do simple order another and cough up another £400 eeerr no thanks

As for the Rock aluminium one..... doesn't say where it's made so thats a no as I don't mind spending more money to make sure I don't buy chinese stuff

Just seems extremely expensive for full aluminum radiator. 

Probably is but at least I know where it's made and it should arrive undamaged.

 

Here's one.... I recently bought a A/C condensor for a later ram from a company here that sells surplus stuff for other companies

this had arrived here from the USA, it has/had some pipework on one side, this was all smashed and bent beyond repair, I paid £3 for it , removed the damaged parts and I have a good condenser, stuff gets smashed by couriers rather regular

2 minutes ago, wil440 said:

stuff gets smashed by couriers rather regular

Truly sad no one cares enough to handle freight properly. I've seen a FedEx driver start dropping kicking computer part boxes off his truck into my yard. I told him to load it back up and return to sender. Then called FedEx and reported him. Then called my computer part supplier and had new parts sent. Then called my customer and explained the delays in building there new computer. Yeah just one bad freight handler and it had huge impacts all the way around. 

1 minute ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Truly sad no one cares enough to handle freight properly. I've seen a FedEx driver start dropping kicking computer part boxes off his truck into my yard. I told him to load it back up and return to sender. Then called FedEx and reported him. Then called my computer part supplier and had new parts sent. Then called my customer and explained the delays in building there new computer. Yeah just one bad freight handler and it had huge impacts all the way around. 

Totally agree but just think how many couriers handle stuff to get to me all probably on minimum wage and couldn't give a monkeys, where I used to work one guy delivered  for TNT on a daily basis and got to know him quite well, he was careful but the back of his truck looked like a bomb had gone off, I asked him why, he told me the night time loading people just don't care and as you say just throw stuff around, he did say they are worse with packages with the "fragile" tape on them  I don't use that now

Do you have any radiator shops that can custom make you one aluminum

That aluminum radiator from RockAuto has horrible reviews

1 hour ago, Dieselfuture said:

Do you have any radiator shops that can custom make you one aluminum

That aluminum radiator from RockAuto has horrible reviews

I only know of one radiator shop local ish to me and all they do is recores on brass copper, I asked them to take the ends off of a rad that I again bought for next to nothing brand new and the tanks were very badly dented (another shipping damaged peice)  they took them off and dropped them back to me and I straightened all the dents out  and basically made them look brand new, I dropped the tanks back to them for them to solder them back on, the idiots had ripped a huge chunk of the fins out trying to get one area to seal, radiator basically unsaleable, was for a 68 or 69 charger, still have it in my workshop gathering dust waiting for me to find a section of fins from somewhere, it doesn't leak but it looks like a pigs ear.

 

Worst thing was I very nearly soldered them back on myself, wished I had I'd have made a better job so a custom aluminium rad for less than £700 I doubt, here in the UK our manufacturing base is all but extinct

I looked at the rock ally one but it was not in stock when I looked.... glad it wasn't if the reviews are not good, the Mishi has good reviews only bad one I have read was shipping damage and that was bent fins ( I have a radiator comb) and a bent mounting bracket ( I could fix that)