Top radiator tank split

[mckennar]

Installed a new radiator cap yesterday. The old cap had been "modified" slightly in that the rubber stopper was missing, so coolant was able to flow into the overflow tank at will with nothing stopping it/no pressure buildup.

While this hadn't caused an overheat event yet, I wanted to prevent it just in case.

So 340k...


PLUS new radiator cap...



PLUS

Possibly stock (not likely) definitely old radiator


EQUALS


Boom.

Drove about 5 miles before I realized this. Temp gauge never went above 1/2 way however I wasn't getting any heat out of the vents which is concerning.

Pulled over, emptied a warm gallon of water (been in the black truck all day) into the radiator (promptly leaked a lot of it out), drove about a mile home with the heater on. Heat coming out was almost too hot to keep my hand in front of it.

Let the truck run for another few minutes when I got home (kept feeding it water) and the temp needle never went up. No tailpipe smoke that I could see but I haven't run it since it cooled off.

The kicker is that I'd ordered a new KoyoRad radiator early-last week (so much for 2 day shipping, Amazon Prime...) and it isn't here yet... Really frustrating because this is a 183k mile engine I pulled from my wrecked truck and finished the install last week. The original engine from the truck was great but the crank pulley had turned the snout conical and destroyed the keyway and there was no going back from that.

Anyhow. Fingers crossed I didn't pop the head gaskets.

TL;DR If your top tank looks greenish-brown like mine, it's probably due to be replaced.

There's also a matching crack at the bottom of the tank that I'm pretty sure took the ATF cooler with it. Good thing I have a B&M installed.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Installed a new radiator cap yesterday. The old cap had been "modified" slightly in that the rubber stopper was missing, so coolant was able to flow into the overflow tank at will with nothing stopping it/no pressure buildup.

While this hadn't caused an overheat event yet, I wanted to prevent it just in case.

So 340k...


PLUS new radiator cap...



PLUS

Possibly stock (not likely) definitely old radiator


EQUALS


Boom.

Drove about 5 miles before I realized this. Temp gauge never went above 1/2 way however I wasn't getting any heat out of the vents which is concerning.

Pulled over, emptied a warm gallon of water (been in the black truck all day) into the radiator (promptly leaked a lot of it out), drove about a mile home with the heater on. Heat coming out was almost too hot to keep my hand in front of it.

Let the truck run for another few minutes when I got home (kept feeding it water) and the temp needle never went up. No tailpipe smoke that I could see but I haven't run it since it cooled off.

The kicker is that I'd ordered a new KoyoRad radiator early-last week (so much for 2 day shipping, Amazon Prime...) and it isn't here yet... Really frustrating because this is a 183k mile engine I pulled from my wrecked truck and finished the install last week. The original engine from the truck was great but the crank pulley had turned the snout conical and destroyed the keyway and there was no going back from that.

Anyhow. Fingers crossed I didn't pop the head gaskets.

TL;DR If your top tank looks greenish-brown like mine, it's probably due to be replaced.

There's also a matching crack at the bottom of the tank that I'm pretty sure took the ATF cooler with it. Good thing I have a B&M installed.

Count your blessings that it was the only the radiator that cracked and not the tranny cooler! Lottery ticket might be a good investment too...

As for Amazon prime, those bastards are taking a week to get my GPS unit to me. 2 day shipping my ass...

 

[mckennar]

Count your blessings that it was the only the radiator that cracked and not the tranny cooler! Lottery ticket might be a good investment too...

As for Amazon prime, those bastards are taking a week to get my GPS unit to me. 2 day shipping my ass...

I have a B&M installed (just, like last weekend). I put a piece of hose between the in/outlet for the trans cooler in case it ruptured internally. There is a split at the bottom tank but it doesn't appear to be all the way through.

My concern is that even though the temp gauge didn't go above 1/2 way, I wasn't getting heat out of the vents. So perhaps the coolant level was below the in/outlet for the heater core but it was at or above the coolant temp sensor? Fingers crossed.

Re: Amazon Prime: So far the only two things I actually needed from Prime have been late (ear pro for 4 July and this radiator). Crap I don't need, like a 64 pack of toilet paper and a gallon of vaseline I ordered my buddy as a joke, arrived a day early. Go figure.

 

[Kotrin]

I've noticed that certain people who sell through Amazon and say Prime have 'small printed non disclosed' shipping information missing. Otherwise besides finding that out a few days ago, I've received everything with-in the 2 day window.

One of them was in regards to Prime available only if you ordered XXX.XX amount. Another was listing prime but wasn't offering it when I was in 'check-out'. Never did figure out why, I just found someone else who was selling it and didn't change stuff in the 'shipping' stage of check-out.

 

[mckennar]

I've noticed that certain people who sell through Amazon and say Prime have 'small printed non disclosed' shipping information missing. Otherwise besides finding that out a few days ago, I've received everything with-in the 2 day window.

One of them was in regards to Prime available only if you ordered XXX.XX amount. Another was listing prime but wasn't offering it when I was in 'check-out'. Never did figure out why, I just found someone else who was selling it and didn't change stuff in the 'shipping' stage of check-out.

This was sold by Amazon... and holy crap even though it says "Prime" now they're saying it won't ship for 1 - 2 months. Didn't say that before I clicked "buy". If I go into my order history it says shipped from Maryland and now there's an "Exception" and delivery date unavailable. Awesome.

I have a spare, uncracked 3rd gen radiator from an old build but I'm pretty lazy. I don't trust myself to put the new one in when it gets here if I have a functional radiator...

 

[nobb]

Judging by the part number, that appears to be the OEM radiator. Really surprised by this sort of stress crack, it's a very unusual place for a radiator to fail at.

 

[Gadgetguy]

:humble: I'd put in a new radiator if I were you :humble:

 

[Kotrin]

This was sold by Amazon... and holy crap even though it says "Prime" now they're saying it won't ship for 1 - 2 months. Didn't say that before I clicked "buy". If I go into my order history it says shipped from Maryland and now there's an "Exception" and delivery date unavailable. Awesome.

I have a spare, uncracked 3rd gen radiator from an old build but I'm pretty lazy. I don't trust myself to put the new one in when it gets here if I have a functional radiator...

Dude, sorry thats crazy long. I I have seen where they
have one or two left and when ordering I miss it and its delayed. Hopefully that makes sense?

 

[mckennar]

Judging by the part number, that appears to be the OEM radiator. Really surprised by this sort of stress crack, it's a very unusual place for a radiator to fail at.

I agree. I've seen maybe two, possibly three other posts here and on TTORA of it happening in a similar place, but the crack on my truck is much larger than those depicted in the other threads.

Dude, sorry thats crazy long. I I have seen where they
have one or two left and when ordering I miss it and its delayed. Hopefully that makes sense?

They indicated that there were "only 10 left" before I clicked buy. Now they're at "only 7 left".

:humble: I'd put in a new radiator if I were you :humble:

I agree. Amazon's customer service is super responsive. They said if they can't get me a location and an ETA by the end of the day today, they'll next day air a Denso (only other one they have in house) and refund the difference + 10%. Color me impressed.

 

[Gadgetguy]

Amazon has never done me wrong either. They have a huge reputation to hold up and do a great job at it.

 

[soupkitchen]

dude! I put a new cap on about a week ago and wouldn't you know it my tank cracked today too! Even had a pin hole in a heater hose show itself.

Just put in a new radiator and several hoses all seems good now! Good luck man!!!

 

[2old2soon]

Mr

I'm a long-time Prime member, and a heavy Amazon user. Came across the following article the other day, which basically says that behind the scenes, not all is as it seems. I was especially disturbed to see how real and fake items can be co-mingled by Amazon, without the buyer knowing.

Amazon's Chinese counterfeit problem is getting worse

 

[RS Dude]

Judging by the part number, that appears to be the OEM radiator. Really surprised by this sort of stress crack, it's a very unusual place for a radiator to fail at.

My original rad had a small hairline crack about a inch long near the neck when I replaced it at around 230k miles.

 

[mckennar]

Amazon has never done me wrong either. They have a huge reputation to hold up and do a great job at it.

My Denso will be here tomorrow before 8pm, and I see a pending credit for $36.57 on my credit statement. Not all bad.

dude! I put a new cap on about a week ago and wouldn't you know it my tank cracked today too! Even had a pin hole in a heater hose show itself.

Just put in a new radiator and several hoses all seems good now! Good luck man!!!

Wow crazy timing, eh? I've been looking on CL for 4Runners (because having 3 in my yard isn't making my POA angry enough) and quite a few of them have a greenish-tinted top radiator tank. That's now a trigger for me.

I'm a long-time Prime member, and a heavy Amazon user. Came across the following article the other day, which basically says that behind the scenes, not all is as it seems. I was especially disturbed to see how real and fake items can be co-mingled by Amazon, without the buyer knowing.

Amazon's Chinese counterfeit problem is getting worse

That's crazy. Thanks for the article! I've always just assumed that the stuff I bought on Amazon was legit due to it being fulfilled by "Amazon LLC" and not some ebay crap shoot with no "big name" behind it.

Full disclosure here, the company for whom I work generates a portion of its revenue from Amazon (we handle small supplier fulfillment and warehouse consolidation).

 

[jgue467]

...

Amazon's Chinese counterfeit problem is getting worse

No different than ebay or walmart, buyer beware. When it matters (and cooling parts do) shop & buy name brand from your local reputable parts dealer, like in this case Stant.

 

[mckennar]

Update: Denso arrived last night from Amazon. Packaging was absolutely awful like everyone says. The heat melted the glue holding the styrofoam packaging to the cardboard box and when I opened it, all of the styrofoam blocks were in a pile at the bottom.

Spent last night straightening fins, straightening brackets and making damn sure the tanks weren't compromised. Everything looks good, I'm going to install it Saturday.

 

[mckennar]

Small update. After straightening as many fins as I had the patience for, and also straightening the "hooks" that hold the radiator in place while you get the bolts started, I dropped the Denso into place (w/new radiator cap) and filled it w/Toyota Red.

All of the holes matched up first time, no leaks, temps are (from what I can tell) decent. And it has been *hot* here. It was 91f last night at 9pm. In the mid day sun in a black vehicle in traffic with the A/C on towing a ~2000lb trailer yesterday afternoon (around 95-96f w/humidity) the needle never even blipped, no boiling in the overflow, all looks good.