electroCrunch
New member
It's working perfectly for me and his since day 1. It's holding up to the Phoenix temps quite well, and outperforms the cooling of the OEM unit by a noticeable amount. Buy it, you won't regret it.
New CSF 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner Heavy-Duty All-Aluminum Radiator
- Thread starter Battle Born Offroad
- Start date
It's working perfectly for me and his since day 1. It's holding up to the Phoenix temps quite well, and outperforms the cooling of the OEM unit by a noticeable amount. Buy it, you won't regret it.
msh03046
New member
I know this thread is a few months old, but I was referencing it some time back while shopping for an aluminum radiator for my truck. I ended up getting the CSF, and I came back to read thru it again today because I was trying to determine the new coolant capacity. I didn't see a definitive answer to the question, so I just went for it anyway, and thought I'd share my observations.
I can say that after performing 3 x fill and drain, with distilled water to get a complete cleanse of the system, I was consistently getting ~10qts of liquid from the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator as well as the water that made it's way into the overflow (seemed to get about half full during the fill procedure). Based on the OEM radiator and overflow holding ~8 qts I'd say the entire system seems to hold ~2 qts more than the original radiator. For my truck, which has the rear heater, I should see a bump from a total of 9.5 qts to ~11.5 qts once I get the coolant back in the system. Unfortunately I forgot to grab a bottle of coolant concentrate to get the ~1.5 qts of pure water left in the system to 50/50 (prior to topping off with 50/50 premix), so I'll be finishing the final fill tomorrow evening.
Of course I'd like to add that this is entirely "unscientific", but I was draining into a clear 18qt container, so I feel like I was pretty close. If anyone has experienced anything different feel free to chime in
I'll follow up tomorrow evening with the final amount I end up getting in there, but I expect it to be very very close. Also, heads up, draining the radiator is messy because it is a simple plug, and liquid will only trickle out unless you take the plug all the way out. After the intitial blast of liquid settles down (lift that catch can high!) it takes quite some time to fully drain. Unfortunately I didn't time it, but I was able to do a complete motor oil change while waiting for the second drain to complete.
I can say that after performing 3 x fill and drain, with distilled water to get a complete cleanse of the system, I was consistently getting ~10qts of liquid from the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator as well as the water that made it's way into the overflow (seemed to get about half full during the fill procedure). Based on the OEM radiator and overflow holding ~8 qts I'd say the entire system seems to hold ~2 qts more than the original radiator. For my truck, which has the rear heater, I should see a bump from a total of 9.5 qts to ~11.5 qts once I get the coolant back in the system. Unfortunately I forgot to grab a bottle of coolant concentrate to get the ~1.5 qts of pure water left in the system to 50/50 (prior to topping off with 50/50 premix), so I'll be finishing the final fill tomorrow evening.
Of course I'd like to add that this is entirely "unscientific", but I was draining into a clear 18qt container, so I feel like I was pretty close. If anyone has experienced anything different feel free to chime in
I'll follow up tomorrow evening with the final amount I end up getting in there, but I expect it to be very very close. Also, heads up, draining the radiator is messy because it is a simple plug, and liquid will only trickle out unless you take the plug all the way out. After the intitial blast of liquid settles down (lift that catch can high!) it takes quite some time to fully drain. Unfortunately I didn't time it, but I was able to do a complete motor oil change while waiting for the second drain to complete.
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msh03046
New member
Finished the final fill today, and I ended up putting in 1.5qts of concentrate (to bring the remaining 1.5 qts of distilled water to 50/50) along with 8.5 qts of 50/50 mix. It does seem that installing the CSF radiator did bump the overall capacity by 2 qts from 9.5 to 11.5.
I also did 13qts of ATF drain and fill as part of this maintenenance cycle, and while driving the truck to get the ATF to operating temps (for the final ATF level check) I noticed that the coolant temps remained in the low 190s the entire drive.
I'm in NW Florida, and temps were in the mid 50s this evening (I went ~45 miles of mixed highway and local roads). I never captured the coolant temps with the factory radiator, so I don't have a point of reference, but thought I'd share in case someone found the data useful.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the decision to get this radiator. The only two suggestions I have for improvement would be some sort of weeping hole for the drain plug, and some hooks on the front to hold the radiator in place prior to bolting it in.
I also did 13qts of ATF drain and fill as part of this maintenenance cycle, and while driving the truck to get the ATF to operating temps (for the final ATF level check) I noticed that the coolant temps remained in the low 190s the entire drive.
I'm in NW Florida, and temps were in the mid 50s this evening (I went ~45 miles of mixed highway and local roads). I never captured the coolant temps with the factory radiator, so I don't have a point of reference, but thought I'd share in case someone found the data useful.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the decision to get this radiator. The only two suggestions I have for improvement would be some sort of weeping hole for the drain plug, and some hooks on the front to hold the radiator in place prior to bolting it in.
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phattyduck
Elite Member
No reason to stick to exactly 50/50 on the coolant, especially in Florida where you will basically never see below 20*F. I have run 40/60 ratio in most of my vehicles (when using concentrate, obviously) for a LONG time. Better cooling, since water is a much better conductor of heat. Still plenty of freezing/boilover protection. You do need to change it slightly more often, but that's it.
-Charlie
electroCrunch
New member
It's still working great for me. No issues. Yes, works great with OEM hoses/clamps.
Dude, it's a legit radiator. It's not some koyo or mishomoto crap. CSF is legitimate. They've already made this radiator available for other vehicles for years, including race vehicles which I have for years on my time attack miata which gets straight abused. You don't have to sweat the quality of the unit.
I'm out here stressing it in the AZ desert. It works better than my OEM unit ever did. As far as trans temp cooling performance, It seems to work at least as well as OEM. Hard to say since I've had an auxiliary trans cooler for a long time, both before and after the CSF.
If you're on the fence and want/need a new radiator for your 3rd gen, you won't be disappointed.
(wonder how many sales i've gotten CSF by now lol)
T4R2014
Elite Member
Good to know. Can you use the OEM radiator cap too? I notice the CSF cap is rated for 1.4 bar. OEM for a 1996-2000 is 0.9 bar. I would imagine the higher pressure cap would just move the failure point in the system to something less forgiving.
T4R2014
Elite Member
Ordered one of these units, I'll report back after installing. I think two years on the market is enough time for them to find issues and "continuously improve". As far as packaging and presentation, very impressive. Somebody put in the effort, not your typical half ass aftermarket part buying experience. Just some food for thought, FCP Euro sells CSF radiators. Considering their replacement policy, I think that points to confidence in the brand.
2TH4IST
Member
It's a good looking radiator. Replacing a koyo aluminum due to it being a bit thicker. The koyo quality is better then the csf. The csf was covered in aluminum dust from "buffing" the aluminum (like what you get with a scotch Brite pad).
I have has zero issues with the koyo, no issues with the csf besides the dust crap. Will be swapping in the csf soon w/a e-fan.
I have has zero issues with the koyo, no issues with the csf besides the dust crap. Will be swapping in the csf soon w/a e-fan.
T4R2014
Elite Member
Figured, the Koyo is definitely pretty, and my plastic tank Koyo has been great for three years now so I have no doubts on quality. They completely lost the battle when they decided to skip the transmission cooler. I can't even figure out how someone pitched the idea to get it into production. They made a product that isn't drop-in for 80% of 4Runners.
Endlessblockades
Senior Member
Maybe they figure that folks looking for aftermarket radiators are enthusiasts who have made other arrangements for ATF cooling. Also, people with manuals don't want that extra plumbing hanging around down there. Most likely it came down to cost of mfg. I am interested to see how the CSF performs and also the e-fan. I'm running too warm at slow speeds, myself.
T4R2014
Elite Member
You could argue an enthusiast understands why Toyota did that in the first place. Toyota spent way more R&D money on that cooler than Koyo can dream of. And if you overheat your transmission with an untested bypass I don't think Koyo will do anything to help you, they simply kicked the ATF cooling issue to the consumer when they could've made a bypass kit to go with it. You want the engine coolant to warm the ATF to a suitable operating temp sooner. Adding extra coolers in series is meant to limit the degree of variation in temps across all conditions. There's got to be something to it since even variations of the latest ZF 8HPs come with a thermostat controlled heat exchanger, reason being is that newer ATs have way less parasitic loss due to advancements in materials and fluid specification. Downside is that you don't have that parasitic drag to get to operating temp as fast.
More food for thought, most manufacturers do not make a standard replacement manual transmission radiator anymore. Even from a cost standpoint, once you have a large scale manufacturing operation going on you aren't really saving anything by eliminating a feature that will cater to a larger audience.
Pretty sure some of the CSF racing radiators for BMWs or other Euro cars come with SPAL e-fans. It's an OEM supplier so I would assume more reliable and better QC than some Flex-A-Lite POS. Biggest issue is finding a reliable way to control it, aftermarket electronics are usually shite. You can't really touch the OEM viscous clutch in reliability. Another option for you would be to swap the oil out of a new Aisin clutch for a thicker oil to increase engagement. This is very common in the Land Cruiser scene. Pretty sure Timmy just made a video comparing performance with this mod.
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Endlessblockades
Senior Member
Fair dinkum, mate, That's why I am always interested to see how alternatives play out. I'm following the SPAL e-fan thread our man here is working on and any general info I can glean from various member's approaches. Best of luck to all.
T4R2014
Elite Member
Sick, idk how I missed that thread but it's right on the money.
Exactly my issue! The new Denso OEM replacements are 0.5" wider than stock and do not clear the Shrockworks brackets. I couldn't find any information on the actual dimensions of this unit, other than the core being 25 7/8. However, looking at the photos, it looks like the side flanges would be easy to clearance, if necessary, so I bit the bullet. Radiator will be here Friday and I'll install this weekend. I'll post pics and provide actual dims.
phattyduck
Elite Member
I have the same issue. Clearanced the Denso radiator brackets as much as possible, but there is still plenty of interference/rubbing - though mine is mostly down on the radiator skid plate. Not a good thing for reliability. Please update the thread with your results...
-Charlie
Charlie,
The CSF drops in between the brackets, no problem. Measurements I took are: Bracket to Bracket: 26 3/4
CSF Flange to Flange: 26 1/2
CSF core width: 24 3/8
The problem with this radiator (for me at least) is the mounting holes on the radiator do not line up with the holes on the radiator support. Vertically the holes are correct, but the spread is too narrow. I'll need to slot the radiator support holes to mount it. Minor annoyance but still irritating.
Overall, the radiator seems very nice. I'll know more when it's installed and will post some pics.
tommylovito
New member
CSF Part # and Fitment
I have a stock 4runner 3rd gen that just recently had the stock radiator crack at the filler neck. I am looking to replace it with the CSF, was it drop in fitment? What has your experience been? What part number CSF for 3rd gen 4runner?
Thanks all
I have a stock 4runner 3rd gen that just recently had the stock radiator crack at the filler neck. I am looking to replace it with the CSF, was it drop in fitment? What has your experience been? What part number CSF for 3rd gen 4runner?
Thanks all
T4R2014
Elite Member
Literally read this thread.
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