Radiator Life
 

I've been working under my car the last few days. Looking up at the radiator I wonder how long the stock radiator will last. Since I sometimes take long trips, I hate the idea of having the radiator pop 500 miles from home. So, I was thinking of replacing the radiator before it fails. But should I do it now (87K miles and 10 years) or wait. So help me decide by telling me when your stock radiator failed. Thanks.

I would wait. I have seen them last the life of the car. Now if it gets hit, that a different story.

I Drive An 06 MR. My Factory Radiator Starting Leaking from The Top At Around 100K. I Didn't Abuse It By Any Means, It Started Leaking Where The Metal Was Crimped To The Plastic. I Managed To temporarily Fix It By Using Stop Leak, But Ended Up Buying A Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator.

How is the quality and cooling of that full size Mishimoto? I am in a similar boat as the OP and I am about to do a coolant pressure test because i have a leak coming from somewhere, Im willing to bet its a hose as the radiator looks dry and its wet by the thermostat. Regardless I would like extra cooling and Mishimoto offers a dual fan shroud with slim fans.

Same with mine at about 140k.

I bought a low millage stocker on here for 50 bucks and back in business.

Stock radiators seem to last about 100k plus or minus 50k before the tank leaks where it's crimped to the core

Sounds good, I'll ride the stocker to 100k and then replacement.

Instead of replacing it you could try maintaining it. Flush and fill perhaps?

I flush and replace coolant mixed with distilled water every 30k. None of this is going to maintain the seal between the core and tank that is the usual place where leaks appear or keep the plastic the tanks are made of from becoming brittle.

I've seen a pliers that is made for squeezing the crimps where the aluminum core fastens to the tank. I asked a radiator repairman if this would fix a radiator like ours. He claimed that there is also a gasket inside that needs replacing and uncrimping to replace the gasket is about impossible. Aluminum bends once or twice and then breaks.

Mine failed in spectacular fashion about 18 months ago. It pissed all over the place when the tank and core decided that they had been together long enough.

Chad at CBRD took great care of me when I needed help. Had a new rad in hand within 24 hours. Couldn't say enough good things about the customer service and the quality of the replacement rad.

Rather than considering the total mileage of the car, maybe consider the total age of the rad. 10 years for a plastic component is a long time.

Good luck.

Very well put!

A 100k is an easy number to remember. Nobody knows the future but I think there is a reasonable chance to make that mileage without failure from what has be said here and I'd be throwing away about 30% of value if it could last to 140k.

Why are you asking the question if you know the answer? Flushing the cooling system and changing the fluid will help stop the seals in the system from deteriorating, ever count the teeth in the mouth of a "radiator repairman"? Don't fix it maintain it.

Mine leaked around 110-120k miles. Leaked right at the fill neck. I replaced it with a Mishimoto, and eventually a CBRD one. Mishimoto was fine and worked well for two years, even on track. Just eventually swapped cause I like the slim CBRD one more.

I'm asking the question because my DSM OEM radiator went about 140K before it popped the seal between the top tank and core. It was of the same construction as the Evo radiator. So, I was wondering if the Evo radiator is similar, better or worse. So far in this thread, and I didn't expect this thread to even get the attention it has, no one has stated that their radiator blew before 100k. It appears from admittedly meager information here that the Evo radiator is no better than the DSM radiator.

Now, one thing that might make a difference in my case is that I attempt to maintain pressure in my radiator. I know from personal experience that most Evo radiators are not pressurized. How do I know this – most made in Mexico radiator caps sold by the biggest cap maker have a service life of less than 30K. I have a kit for pressure testing cooling systems and radiator caps. I tested my made in Mexico cap a few days ago and it held zero pressure and got replaced. Most people don't own a pressure tester. Well, a radiator with zero pressure should outlast a pressurized one.

As for maintenance, I already wrote that I change coolant at the recommended interval and mix antifreeze with distilled water. What other maintenance are you referring to?