Radiator brands.

[wtd]

The driver's side, side tank on the radiator in my 1998 Chevrolet K3500 with the 7.4L has cracked. GM no longer offers a radiator for this truck so I was wondering what aftermarket brand of radiator has worked well for you?
I have used Murrey ones on our 92 Cavaliers that only lasted a few years and don't fit like the original one did. Rockauto has a few different brands that I have never heard of and I'm not sure getting one online is the best thing to do in case of a warranty issue.

Thanks for any input.

 

[nthach]

I’ve tried an Amazon one for a GMT400 early Blazer. Didn’t work. Ended up getting a Spectra Premium instead.

 

[mrsilv04]

I've used TYC without any issue.

 

[ls1mike]

The only thing I have really had to do to the Caprice was the radiator. Tanks are top and bottom and the top one fails. Seems common.
I picked up a 99 dollar special off of Ebay about 3 years ago for 99 bucks. Works perfect. When I had my 89 454 1 ton GMC I ended up getting a radiator from LMC truck. It was very good quality.

 

[Chris142]

Nissins, Valeo,Visteon and Denso are all oem suppliers and are generally good. CSF is my next choice.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Call a local radiator shop, they might have some advice and maybe can source a reliable unit for you.

 

[D60]

On the imports like Spectra I personally believe it's luck of the draw AND changes with time. A Spectra for a GMT400 might fit great today while a Spectra for a GMT900 fits poorly.

But several years pass, Chinese factories move, merge, consolidate or work in "cost saving" measures and the Spectra that fit great four years ago uses a different mold today.

So, I'm not saying it's not worth asking but give the most weight to recent experiences.

And yeah, it might be worth buying locally just because you can return it easily. Watch for damage, too. One common place is the lower pegs that drop into rubber isolators -- assuming your application employs this design.

 

[wtd]

The only thing I have really had to do to the Caprice was the radiator. Tanks are top and bottom and the top one fails. Seems common.
I picked up a 99 dollar special off of Ebay about 3 years ago for 99 bucks. Works perfect. When I had my 89 454 1 ton GMC I ended up getting a radiator from LMC truck. It was very good quality.

I just checked LMC. They don't carry one for my year truck with the 7.4L. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[wtd]

On the imports like Spectra I personally believe it's luck of the draw AND changes with time. A Spectra for a GMT400 might fit great today while a Spectra for a GMT900 fits poorly.

But several years pass, Chinese factories move, merge, consolidate or work in "cost saving" measures and the Spectra that fit great four years ago uses a different mold today.

So, I'm not saying it's not worth asking but give the most weight to recent experiences.

And yeah, it might be worth buying locally just because you can return it easily. Watch for damage, too. One common place is the lower pegs that drop into rubber isolators -- assuming your application employs this design.

I agree. I'm going to probably go with something local even though it will cost more because I'm sure I will have to warranty it at some point and trying to ship it back to someplace online will probably be a hassle. I've not bought an aftermarket radiator yet that I didn't have to warranty within a few years.
A lot of the aftermarket radiators that I have looked at so far all have the 1696 numbers in their part number so I'm sure it's the same radiator just branded differently.

 

[SHOZ]

I have a Koyo racing one on my Gen Coupe but see they have OE replacements too on RA and elsewhere, been a good radiator.

 

[dogememe]

I think the biggest problem with radiators is damage during shipping/handling.

It seems many customers get 10+ years of life out of the radiators that we sell at the parts store. I don’t find many people warrantying them out compared to how many we sell.

But infant mortality or whatever you want to call it is high. Sometimes it feels like a good half of them come damaged in some way.

AC condensers are even worse because they’re thinner. They either get bent into a C shape on the way to the store or they work great and last the life of the car.

 

[wtd]

I think the biggest problem with radiators is damage during shipping/handling.

It seems many customers get 10+ years of life out of the radiators that we sell at the parts store. I don’t find many people warrantying them out compared to how many we sell.

But infant mortality or whatever you want to call it is high. Sometimes it feels like a good half of them come damaged in some way.

AC condensers are even worse because they’re thinner. They either get bent into a C shape on the way to the store or they work great and last the life of the car.

I ended up ordering the one from Autozone. It should get here tomorrow. Lifetime warranty. I got 20% off having it shipped to the house plus free shipping. Online reviews are actually pretty positive, and everyone says it fits like OEM. We shall see. Hopefully it doesn't arrive damaged and hopefully it lasts.

 

[DuckRyder]

https://www.classicindustries.com/shop/1998/chevrolet/truck/parts/cooling-system/radiators/

 

[GMBoy]

I ended up ordering the one from Autozone. It should get here tomorrow. Lifetime warranty. I got 20% off having it shipped to the house plus free shipping. Online reviews are actually pretty positive, and everyone says it fits like OEM. We shall see. Hopefully it doesn't arrive damaged and hopefully it lasts.

That was smart move because basically it will be one of the brands you saw on RA but with a local hassle free warranty. I have installed several of the ones on RA as well as AZ and they all work the same and haven't had troubles.

 

[wtd]

That was smart move because basically it will be one of the brands you saw on RA but with a local hassle free warranty. I have installed several of the ones on RA as well as AZ and they all work the same and haven't had troubles.

That is good to know. I decided it was worth paying extra to be able to warranty it locally if I have to.

 

[wtd]

The radiator arrived pretty early so I was able to get it installed today. It wasn't without some issues though. It took a while to get the original one out because the access to the lower oil cooler line was in a very tight spot and the lines going to the power steering cooler were in the way.
The Duralast replacement looked almost identical to the original and fit back down in place like factory. I did have to use the provided adapters for the transmission cooler lines since the threads in the replacement radiator were smaller than the original ones. I did have some issues trying to get them to seal up after installation. I guess time will tell if they stay tight enough to not leak. They were leaking where the original lines screwed into the adapters and not where the adapters screwed into the radiator.
I don't think I have any other leaks but there is still coolant dripping down from where I unhooked the various coolant lines and it's sitting on the bottom of the core support.

 

[Chris142]

The radiator arrived pretty early so I was able to get it installed today. It wasn't without some issues though. It took a while to get the original one out because the access to the lower oil cooler line was in a very tight spot and the lines going to the power steering cooler were in the way.
The Duralast replacement looked almost identical to the original and fit back down in place like factory. I did have to use the provided adapters for the transmission cooler lines since the threads in the replacement radiator were smaller than the original ones. I did have some issues trying to get them to seal up after installation. I guess time will tell if they stay tight enough to not leak. They were leaking where the original lines screwed into the adapters and not where the adapters screwed into the radiator.
I don't think I have any other leaks but there is still coolant dripping down from where I unhooked the various coolant lines and it's sitting on the bottom of the core support.

Those copper adapters gotta be real tight. Often they put an oring in there as a gasket.

 

[wtd]

Those copper adapters gotta be real tight. Often they put an oring in there as a gasket.

The copper fittings were actually not what was leaking. It was leaking where the original transmission lines went into the copper fittings. The design of the original transmission lines don't allow for any type of gasket.

Here is where the original radiator cracked.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I ordered a spectra premium, showed up in a Spectra box - actually had a Koyo label on the bottom.

I wonder how many radiator factories there really are?

 

[Randy_R]

CSF at Rock Auto. Saw their bio on Rock’s website. The box it came in looked good too. We’ll see how it holds up. Last I had a local shop do. Lasted only two years. Came from Autoparts.com is what the shop told me. Formerly JC Whitney. Warehouse only 3-4 miles from my house in LaSalle. This one I did myself.