champion, koyo, denso radiator ?

3

3bears

Senior Member
argg
yes I do searches...that's hwo I know I have options..I wont go with a cheap aftermarket from autoozne, oriellyes , etc. Last one was a Denso...they are supposed to last....right ?
my denso radiator just started leaking at the pinch points to upper tank. Installed 8/17/ approx. 50k ago. Only use Toyota red antifreeze mixed at minus 50..its only gotten to minus 38 lately :) Have block, oil and tranny heaters.
So not usre if I should go with a aluminum champion...or a aluminum koyo..but kind of don't want to spend $400 plus
Im sad my denso did not last longer...

any updates or thoughts ?
 
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I have a Champion I've ran it for about 8 months now and I ran it all summer at the sand dunes with my truck in 4x4 with a mix of overdrive on and off depending upon terrain. Also have fresh toyota coolant in it and before my rad swap I flushed the old rad / cooling system with some prestone coolant flush and then twice more with distilled water and all heaters front and rear on full blast. By doing this for my truck in particular only took 3 flushes for 100% clear water to come back out. I also did a new water pump, thermostat, timing belt etc etc etc at the same time.

Anyhow after rambling to sum things up for ya, I have a champion cooling systems three row all aluminum rad for my 2000 4runner it's worked PHENOMENALLY paired with toyota pink / red whatever you wanna call it and a brand spanking new tstat and water pump.

In addition to this for my truck the champion rad actually did fit directly as advertised however prior to my order I researched this and many people said it took slight modifications. I've wheeled hard and put some crazy dune filled mileage on my truck and the thing hasn't budged at all nor has the fan shroud attached to it.
 
Installed my Koyo in 2013 and have about 120k miles on it with no issues. Not sure if they're still made the same, though.
 
I opted for the Champion specifically to get rid of those pinch joints. Only have a few months and less than a thousand miles on it though.
 
T4R2014 said:
Find a made in Japan OEM. That is a 20 year part.
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I went out of my way to make sure it was...that's what pisses me off.

ive read champions can have fitment issues...I know nothing about the other aluminum.

maybe next one will have a electric fan...maybe not...but don't need a fan at minus 30
already eliminated my trans oil cooler that was needed in Oregon on the back roads and crawling
oh I miss those days....used to think I hit cold days back there in the mountains near hoodoo...santiam pass. couple feet of snow...down to 10 degrees...hah
man to be back in meckenzie bridge area....the unknown and known hot springs on back roads .skylight caves. other ice caves..remote mountain akes that were warm enough to swim in
crap
 
3bears said:
ive read champions can have fitment issues...I know nothing about the other aluminum.
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It's hit and miss. The ears that hold the thing in place while you line up the bolts ~ those are absolutely worthless. I trimmed mine off with a hacksaw and smoothed the cuts with a file. Some have issues with the rivnuts not matching the holes in the core support, mine was close enough that I needed only start all the screws while it was loose, and then tighten them down. Others have needed to slot the core support holes a little, and a couple people have been worried about the rivnuts working loose so they removed them and used nuts on the back-side (nylock or loctite recommended).

I did have an issue with the overflow nipple threads, but after chasing them with a tap it was fine. I wouldn't say it's Great quality, might even go so far as to say it's a touch expensive for what you get, but the simple fact that it's all welded together, without those failure-prone pinch connections, was what sold me.

There's a Koyo all aluminum radiator too... extreme conditions tend to require better quality parts, so that might be a better option for you.
 
For the truck I am rebuilding I ordered 3 Denso radiators, every one of them arrived broken, and made in Taiwan. I finally got frustrated and bought a significantly more expensive Mishimoto. It arrived in perferct shape, and comes with a lifetime warranty. I dont recall where it was made, but the quality was much nicer than the Taiwan Densos. I haven't finished the truck yet, so the jury is still out on leaks and such, but it has a lifetime warranty, so hopefully its good to go and if not they can send me another one
 
I’ve used 2 Autozone C1998 radiators in 3rd gens over the last several years. So far operation has been flawless.

They are Spectra Premium C1998 radiators.

They appear almost identical to the OEM radiator in all aspects other than they don’t have the “PAK-66” whatever numbers molded into them like the OEM, the tranny cooler nipples are slightly different, and the drain valve has to be removed and doesn’t have the nipple.

Fit and function has been the same as OEM.

I can’t figure why folks badmouth the Spectra one and then buy a China, Taiwan, Korean, or other aftermarket. Seems odd, especially when they have it shipped to them.
Way easy to take a part to the local Autozone for a replacement and you can inspect it right there in the store for handling damage. In my area they have them in stock so you can have it that day.
 
Dieselchessy said:
I’ve used 2 Autozone C1998 radiators in 3rd gens over the last several years. So far operation has been flawless.

They are Spectra Premium C1998 radiators.

They appear almost identical to the OEM radiator in all aspects other than they don’t have the “PAK-66” whatever numbers molded into them like the OEM, the tranny cooler nipples are slightly different, and the drain valve has to be removed and doesn’t have the nipple.

Fit and function has been the same as OEM.

I can’t figure why folks badmouth the Spectra one and then buy a China, Taiwan, Korean, or other aftermarket. Seems odd, especially when they have it shipped to them.
Way easy to take a part to the local Autozone for a replacement and you can inspect it right there in the store for handling damage. In my area they have them in stock so you can have it that day.
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from research others had said only use DENSO, so that's what I did, if im only gonna get 2.5 years out of it then maybe the autozone ones are just as good
 
Just call 1-800-Radiator and use whatever they deliver. They sell thousands of rads every day. It's 122 bucks for the Koyo 1998 Radiator. I bought mine from a different place because 1800 Rad wasn't near me when I needed the part.

1-800-420-2693 - is the national number. 122 bucks is about the best price you will find, and the warranty is lifetime. They sell thousands to all the body shops in the country every day, we used them daily when I was working in collision repair.
 
shadow247 said:
Just call 1-800-Radiator and use whatever they deliver. They sell thousands of rads every day. It's 122 bucks for the Koyo 1998 Radiator. I bought mine from a different place because 1800 Rad wasn't near me when I needed the part.

1-800-420-2693 - is the national number. 122 bucks is about the best price you will find, and the warranty is lifetime. They sell thousands to all the body shops in the country every day, we used them daily when I was working in collision repair.
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not sure, but when I did an internet search of Koyo 1998 I come up with Koyorad 1998....made in china
 
TheSaturnV said:
Looks like you can get the OEM Toyota radiator on Amazon for $166.

Amazon.com: Genuine Toyota Parts 16410-YZZAJ Radiator for Toyota 4Runner: Automotive
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That’s a Taiwan Denso. No where near the original radiator manufactured 20 years ago.
Companies globally source now, there are all sorts of environmental standards now, everyone outsources manufacturing of almost everything.
Toyota parts today are from Korea, China, USA, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, ect.....
The parts today aren’t the same as the parts 20 years ago. It’s just the way it is.
Toyota isn’t immune.
Chinese Takata air bag..........
 
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