avoided the milkshake... blown radiator though...

[the great him]

well the title says it all, yesterday on my way home from work i got the faintest smell of hot coolant every now and again, and just thought it was a car around me(as my temp gauge was reading fine). then this morning on my way to work, i smelt the same smell and thought that was odd. so i looked around the front of my hood(from inside the truck) as i was stooped at the light and noticed little whisps of steam coming from around the edges of my hood. GREAT! so the rest of my way to work i kept a close eye on the temp gauge and was watching for more steam. when i got to work i just pulled my runner into one of the bays and left it running, popped the hood and had a look, sure enough there was a little bit of coolant sprayed around, but not a lot, some was on the timing cover and some on the top of the fan shrowd. but i could not see a leak and my coolant was up, so i just pulled the truck out and parked it. then on my way home the, the same smell again, so when i got home i looked again, more fresh coolant(about the same amount as in the morning) so i sprayed it off with the hose and inspected the radiator for leaks. at first i couldnt see any, but when i brought up the rpms i could see where it was pushing coolant out at the seams, both upper and lower caps.:dammit:

im pretty sure this is the original radiator, and if i had not by passed the radiator all together i would have mixed the ATF and coolant and been looking at a new trans and radiator... external tranny coolers for the win!:trophy:

so my question to you guys, for those of you who have replaced your radiators where have you gotten them, im look for the best place to get a new koyo radiator, whats your advice or recommendations?

 

[Hatteras-surfer]

well the title says it all, yesterday on my way home from work i got the faintest smell of hot coolant every now and again, and just thought it was a car around me(as my temp gauge was reading fine). then this morning on my way to work, i smelt the same smell and thought that was odd. so i looked around the front of my hood(from inside the truck) as i was stooped at the light and noticed little whisps of steam coming from around the edges of my hood. GREAT! so the rest of my way to work i kept a close eye on the temp gauge and was watching for more steam. when i got to work i just pulled my runner into one of the bays and left it running, popped the hood and had a look, sure enough there was a little bit of coolant sprayed around, but not a lot, some was on the timing cover and some on the top of the fan shrowd. but i could not see a leak and my coolant was up, so i just pulled the truck out and parked it. then on my way home the, the same smell again, so when i got home i looked again, more fresh coolant(about the same amount as in the morning) so i sprayed it off with the hose and inspected the radiator for leaks. at first i couldnt see any, but when i brought up the rpms i could see where it was pushing coolant out at the seams, both upper and lower caps.:dammit:

im pretty sure this is the original radiator, and if i had not by passed the radiator all together i would have mixed the ATF and coolant and been looking at a new trans and radiator... external tranny coolers for the win!:trophy:

so my question to you guys, for those of you who have replaced your radiators where have you gotten them, im look for the best place to get a new koyo radiator, whats your advice or recommendations?

This is what your looking for - Amazon.com: TYC 1998 Toyota 4Runner 1-Row Plastic Aluminum Replacement Radiator: Automotive
Don't let the TYC label scare you away its 100% KOYO

 

[CodyX36]

I went with one from Performance Radiator about a year and a half or so ago, has worked great. Plus we get deliveries to the shipping department at my work from time to time from them, so free shipping, which was nice.

 

[Nashvegas34]

Did the Koyo/TYC over the weekend, as my original rad had almost 187,000 miles on it. The Koyo looked and felt like a quality product and fit perfectly. The Amazon link above is it, although I bought it directly from Amazon (rather than an Amazon partner), just for ease of return had it been necessary.

 

[the great him]

thanks guys, yeah this is my original(as i can see part of the toyota part number on it), so 236k miles on a radiator isnt bad. im gonna hold off for now and see what kinda deal i can get through our shop on monday, we do a lot of business with a local shop that makes custom aluminum radiators and i might be able to get on at cost. if not, then ill go with the above. im just super happy i dont have to get a new trans right now.:cheers:

 

[Nashvegas34]

Check your trans cooler fittings when you take the original out. Interesting to see what they look like after so long. Mine looked to be in perfect condition.

 

[LittleCaesar]

If you have never changed the radiator hoses and cap as well as the Tstat and gasket, now is the perfect time to do such. All OEM in my book.

 

[the great him]

yeah i was thinking tstat, but ive had no issues of overheating, so... and the hoses are all new, the PO changed them just before he sold it to me.

 

[96743runner]

yeah i was thinking tstat, but ive had no issues of overheating, so... and the hoses are all new, the PO changed them just before he sold it to me.

If you do the t-stat, go OEM. I tried saving a few $ by buying a Beck Arnley brand aftermarket t-stat and (combined with a new KoyoRad radiator) it ran over 20* hotter than it did before (never previously went above 188*). Kind of surprising, but I should've just gone OEM from the start.

Even with the OEM t-stat though, it still runs about 4* hotter than before, because of the KoyoRad radiator. Idk if this is the same as the "Koyo" that everyone else is running, but it is made by TYC also.

 

[T4R_Finally]

Got mine on ebay but only because i had some ebay bucks to use. They seem to be easier to find on amazon but can be found both places for about the same price - around $120 or less shipped. Agree with suggestion as well to go ahead and put new hoses an tstat while you are at it.

 

[the great him]

the hoses are new, less than two years old, no sense in changing those(unless you guys want to pay for them for me...) and again the Tstat is not going bad, the temp is still where it should be (even with a bad radiator) so im not going to fix whats not broken, if at a later date i need to replace it, then i will. but its not a hard job so im not too worried about that. with just starting to work again after being out of work for over a year, i have to build my savings back up as fast as i can so im not going to do anything i dont have to(other than a lift)

 

[4-Ripcord]

Having just installed a new radiator and theromstat yesterday, I can say the thermostat is a super easy job. Takes like 10 minutes if you already have the radiator out anyway. And that says a lot coming from a slow wrencher like me.

I went with the Stant 170*, becuase of the supercharger. My temps are down by like 10*, I love it. Used to be in the mid-high 190s during the winter and now im in the mid 180s. I really needed that before summer starts.

 

[BrianSD_42]

best practice is to change the t-stat every time you do the rad or WP, even if it isnt that old.

The part is fairly cheap;just be sure to use OEM.