Radiators keep breaking...

[toeout]

Here's the situation:

Vehicle: 2006 Chevy Express with a 4.8

Around 01/15/13 we had the engine replaced due to porous Castech head. They installed GM Goodwrench remanufactured engine. At the same time we also had them install a new radiator, Pro-Vista, that I bought from Rock-Auto.

2 weeks and 2K miles later the radiator developed a leak between the core and the end tank on the passenger side. I bought and installed a new radiator from Advance Auto. Around the same time we also had tiny leak of coolant somewhere, which turned out to be throttle body coolant hoses. These were replaced. Also the radiator cap was replaced.

For the next 7 weeks and 8K miles there were zero problems.

Today, the end tank on drivers side cracked and drained the radiator within seconds. I saw the temp gauge raising and pulled over. The van was towed home.

I just bought another radiator from Amazon, an AC Delco, which should be OE part.

Am I just having [censored] luck with aftermarket parts or is there some underlying cause?

The engine has 10K on it at this point and runs like top.

 

[eljefino]

Could be electrolysis? Is everything grounded that should be, is everything isolated that should?

 

[bullwinkle]

Chinese plastic junk? I had the same problem with a Spectra Premium all-aluminum radiator that I bought for the Super Duty-I figured all-aluminum=better heat transfer ability, better cooling-but it developed a leak within a month, and I had to put the original brass one back in. Exchanged it for another one, now I have a new $300+ radiator I may never need.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Could be electrolysis? Is everything grounded that should be, is everything isolated that should?


Electrolysis doesn't work. That wouldn't crack the plastic.

How about possibly a bum pressure cap? It's easy enough to test.

 

[Kool1]

I bought a Koyo radiator that is "Made in China". The quality seems fine on this radiator with no leaks but I just don't know when it might start leaking on me. The quality of non-oem parts is really hit and miss; however, even OEM parts are sometimes made in China and that makes me wonder.

 

[HerrStig]

Bad radiator mounts? Excessive vibration?

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Kool1
I bought a Koyo radiator that is "Made in China". The quality seems fine on this radiator with no leaks but I just don't know when it might start leaking on me. The quality of non-oem parts is really hit and miss; however, even OEM parts are sometimes made in China and that makes me wonder.
+1 on Koyo, using several at this time.

 

[toeout]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Could be electrolysis? Is everything grounded that should be, is everything isolated that should?


Electrolysis doesn't work. That wouldn't crack the plastic.

How about possibly a bum pressure cap? It's easy enough to test.


The pressure cap is less than 2 months old and it's also AC Delco, identical to the old one.

How do you test one?

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: toeout


The pressure cap is less than 2 months old and it's also AC Delco, identical to the old one.

How do you test one?


With a tester. It's just a small air pump with a pressure gauge and used with an adapter to attach the cap. Assuming you don't have one as most people don't, just stop by a garage and ask someone to test it for you. Any place I've ever worked would do it for free and it won't take long.

If you're the sort who needs to see things with your own eyes you could buy a tester, but that's going to cost more than a new cap. As an alternative, just use some sort of pressure gauge that will read in the appropriate range and tee it into the cooling system. You want to use a gauge that will read at least up to 2 bar or so. Allow the engine to warm up from stone cold and note the maximum pressure reading. This is a one time thing, so whatever half-assed adapter you can rig up using [censored] you find in a closet or laying around somewhere is fine so long as it doesn't leak.

 

[CErnst]

Ranger's radiator died after 11 years. I replaced it with a Ready-Rad. That lasted 1 year, but had lifetime warranty. Got another ready-rad...that lasted 4 weeks. I made O'Reilly give my money back and I bought a Visteon from RockAuto, Visteon being the OEM for that vehicle....that was years ago and no problems since.

 

[toeout]

The van is going to the Chevy dealer in two days to have the rear axle replaced, so I'm going to ask them to test the cap then.

Unless the cap tests to be bad, I have to believe it's the [censored] radiators at this point. If the coolant system was severely overpressurized, something would give much sooner than 8K miles. And wouldn't rubber hoses burst before plastic tanks?

 

[yonyon]

Why would good reinforced rubber hoses burst before cheap plastic tanks?

 

[rationull]

Could a bad head gasket cause this, or would combustion pressure theoretically just cause all the coolant to blow out the pressure cap before it would crack anything?

Surely you'd see signs in the coolant of that, though.

Pressure testers and block testers are available for free to borrow from AutoZone, FWIW, not sure if you have AutoZone in TN though.

 

[toeout]

Good point. I'm just dismayed by the junk that's being sold and bitter about having to replace another radiator. With the transmission fluid and engine oil going through it also, it's always colorful mess.

 

[toeout]

Originally Posted By: rationull
Could a bad head gasket cause this, or would combustion pressure theoretically just cause all the coolant to blow out the pressure cap before it would crack anything?

Surely you'd see signs in the coolant of that, though.

Pressure testers and block testers are available for free to borrow from AutoZone, FWIW, not sure if you have AutoZone in TN though.


The engine has 10K on it, so I doubt it's the headgasket. We do have Autozones, but I'll bet the dealer will do it for free since I'm already dropping $$$ for the axle replacement.

 

[JHZR2]

Pro-Vista? AAP? Do I even need to guess the COO?

My mercedes have original radiators - every one. 30+ years, 250k miles? No big deal for a plastic radiator...

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: rationull
Could a bad head gasket cause this, or would combustion pressure theoretically just cause all the coolant to blow out the pressure cap before it would crack anything?


That's sort of a yes, no, and maybe kind of thing as I see it. It would take a large combustion leak to overcome the ability of a healthy cap to release the pressure _unless_ the cap is wet with liquid coolant which can't flow out quickly enough. The hitch is that even a small combustion leak that doesn't cause much in the way of high pressures can cause a tank to become brittle over time.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
Bad radiator mounts? Excessive vibration?


That's what I was thinking. Could the radiator be experiencing a torque or twisting force due to the mounts not being in alignment, either left to right or top to bottom or both?

 

[Donald]

Maybe in replacing the engine and/or radiator they did not use all the radiator mounting bolts, or lost a mounting part or assembled the mount in the wrong order.

I would go to the dealer and get a printout of the radiator and associated mounting parts. See if everything is as it should be.

Replace the rubber parts in the mounts and the radiator cap.

 

[JimPghPA]

Check that the release pressure of the new cap is the same as the factory specified old cap.