When to Replace a Radiator
In this article, I will explain the different things that can go wrong with your radiator, and how they happen. Not all radiator problems call for replacing it. The first thing to keep in mind is that radiators are made up of different materials, depending on the vehicle's year, make and model. Most of the older vehicles from the 80's and back have brass radiators, and most vehicles newer than that, have aluminum radiators with plastic tanks. Both styles have advantages and disadvantages, and since they are made of different materials, then they also have different problems. Race cars usually have fully aluminum radiators to save on the weight, and the aluminum's superior heat dissipation properties tat a high powered engine needs, to keep it cool.
Since most of the radiators that you see these days are going to be made with an aluminum 'core' that has plastic (ABS) tanks, which crimp onto the aluminum core. The common problems with these types of radiators are
1. Corrosion from the inside.2. Leaking or broken coolant tanks.3. Internal leaks from the transmission fluid cooler (only if the vehicle has an automatic transmission).4. Leaking radiator core.5. Clogged radiator core.
Let's start with the corrosion from the inside problem. The main causes of this are improper coolant types or mixtures. The vehicles with aluminum in the radiator take a special coolant. It helps coat and protect everything on the inside of your engine's cooling system. If you have the wrong coolant, it can actually cause electralisis and 'rust out' your cooling system from the inside. If you are lucky, it will only eat up the radiator. This happens because of the difference in the metals between an iron engine block and an aluminum radiator. If this happens, then there is just no way around replacing the entire radiator.
When the tanks on the radiator start leaking, it is not always necessary to replace the entire radiator. On the newer vehicles that have the plastic tanks, all you have to do is bend back the 'prongs' on the radiator core that hold the tank to the core, and remove it. Replacing the tank is just as easy. Place the tank on the core (wit the gasket properly seated int he tank), and start carefully bending the 'prongs' back into place so they will hold the tank. It does not hurt to give each prong an extra 'little' squeeze with your pliers to make sure the gasket is properly seated. Tings to keep i mind when you do this is since the tanks are cheap (like $30 a set), change them as a set. This will allow you to clean the radiator core out (while it is apart) and get a few more years of use out of it.
If you ever check your coolant, and there is a brown mess in there, then it is possible that the transmission fluid cooler has ruptured in the tank of the radiator. This will cause transmission fluid to get int he cooling system. That is not a bad thing, the transmission fluid can be flushed out of the cooling system. Where it gets scary is if coolant gets into the transmission. If coolant gets into the transmission, it will cause instant major damage to the transmission, and it will need to be rebuilt or replaced. It happens, but not very often. The only 'thin line' of protection that you have in this case is that the pressure in the transmission cooler is much higher than the pressures in the coolant part of the radiator. So the fluid from the transmission will push out of the cooler, and your transmission will start acting up before any major damage is done...usually. So if your transmission starts messing up on you, one of the first things to check (besides the fluid level) is the coolant, just wait until the system cools down enough not to burn you, when you open it.
Another common problem with radiators is leaks from the radiator core, itself. To draw a 'mental picture' of how the core is made, it is simply a series of small lines that run from one end of the core to the other, so the coolant can flow freely between the tanks. All of the 'spider webbing' between these lines is just 'extra' surface area do give the wind more 'strength' when it comes to removing heat from your engine's cooling system. Getting a hole in one of the 'lines' is very easy to fix. Most people will tell you to pour some magic chemical or food product in the radiator, that will promise to seal the leak. I take a firm stance against such band-aid fixes. These type of chemicals are not good for your cooling system in general, because the radiator is essentially a series of many small coolant leaks, because of the way the antifreeze flows through the 'lines' in the core. If the leak stopper stuff does what is is actually supposed to do, then it would clog up your radiator, and you can give it to the scrap man, next time he comes to your neighborhood. The way I always fix these type of leaks is simply by going to my toolbox, ad getting my trusty needle-nose pliers. Then take the pliers, and crimp the 'line' on each end of the hole, so the coolant cannot flow through that particular line any more. It will not have much effect on the ability to cool te engine, and it will save you a lot of time and money. When I do this, I have never had to use any such type of snake oil pour it in bandaid fixes. Do it right the first time, so you do not have to do it again.
The last possibility of radiator problems (that I can think of) is a clogged radiator core. Clogged cores can sometimes be fixed by reverse flushing the radiator. You should have a shop do this, as it involves a bit more than just a water hose as many other people (that just don't know) will tell you. The bad thing is that on the newer radiators with the plastic tanks, is that the core is made of aluminum. Aluminum is not as durable as the older brass radiators (they don't make them like they used to). The corrosion from the cooling system settles to the bottom of the radiator, and as the coolant circulates through the system, it pushes the 'corrosion' into the lines in the radiator core. When they get into that radiator core, they start eating at the aluminum, and sticking to the sides. If you try to flush out a radiator like this, then it will cause a bunch of tiny holes in the soft aluminum, as the corrosion starts to 'tear away' from the inside of the lines. The older brass radiators still have the same problem, but the brass is much more durable than aluminum, and your chances of successfully flushing the radiator are a lot better.
Okay, hopefully this article has helped you figure out what to do, when your car, truck, or van's radiator starts giving you trouble. Keep in mind that it is not always necessary to change a radiator if you can apply some of these simple remedies to be able to get down the road a little bit longer. If your radiator is not giving you any problems, you should still check out the things that I mentioned in this article, just to make sure that nothing will come up in the near future.
Thanks for reading.
