other then overheating, are there any preventative symptoms of a failing radiator?

I've felt the inside - close to the engine - part of the radiator a few times, say within 10-20 minutes of shutting the truck off, and it feels cool to the touch over almost the whole radiator. Is this normal?

I've never felt the radiator immediately after shut-down, so i've always thought that it just cooled off quick, but I could be wrong.

One thing I'm famous for doing, is if I'm pulling a heavy mountain, I'll turn the heater on 2-3 notches to help keep the heat out of the engine. I've always thought this was the reason the radiator cools down so fast, am I right or wrong in this logic?

One other thing I can say, is that even after a long highway drive, say 2-3hrs, I can park the truck for barely 45 minutes and start it back up, and it will have completely cooled back to the C mark on the gauge.

The temp gauge has never gone past the 1/2 mark, and the truck has never overheated.

The aluminum heads and intake dissipate heat very quickly. Your radiator is designed to dissipate heat, so it doesn't sound unusual for it to cool down quickly after operation.

The lower radiator hose will be WAY cooler on a radiator that's up to snuff.

Joel

correct if wrong, but the heat on the inside of the vehicle comes from the heater core...a small radiator with a fan attached down by the passenger side feet --under the glovebox. this blows the hot air through the vehicle.

so it is kind of like having 2 radiators....

Yes, I know for a fact that that lower hose is always way cooler then the top.

Thanks for the input.

correct if wrong, but the heat on the inside of the vehicle comes from the heater core...a small radiator with a fan attached down by the passenger side feet --under the glovebox. this blows the hot air through the vehicle.

so it is kind of like having 2 radiators....

Correct, but the heater core is too small to provide enough heat exchange to keep the engine cool. Although, running the heater full-bore can help suppliment the engine's cooling system.

Joel

Ramblin, you are probably about to slap me at this point:uhoh: :rofl: , but 9yrs+, 150Kmi+ is about it for a plastic/aluminum radiator. I'd keep a close eye on it. They don't necessarily 'plug', but the thin aluminum coolant passage tubes in the radiator build small amounts of scale/corrosion. Radiators loose heat exchange capacity over time/mileage. Coolant changes help slow the process, but it still happens.

G/luck
Joel

Ok, I'm just gonna play it safe and be gone with it :smooch:

Anyone know of a good replacement?

griffin or becool. great replacements. i've been looking at them for a while. trying to decide if i want to upgarde the cooling system (trans/oil/radiators)

just about any raditor (with in the limits of the measurements )will work. some have grater capacity and additional lines for oil/ trans, etc. already inside. you can always make brackets to mount whatever you want.

just take some measurements and get a summit or jeg's catalog. they have a ton of them.

**not sure--haven't looked yet--but i don't think there are any electrical plugs running to the radiator...i don't think....

How easy is it to replace a radiator? What needs to come off to do the job?

Marc

just a thought, if you a worried about blockage, try this.

get an old radiator cap that fits this mount. tap a hose into it (use a screw in tap) take the feeder hose that goes into the engine off (take it off at the radiator mounting--hell, remove all hoses going to and from the radiator)

break out the compressed air hose and blow through the tapped hose...see if anything comes out. this would show if anything was blocked--nothing would come out.

of course a flush and refill would then be in order after this...

I got a Modine from NAPA when I was having all my cooling problems. Couple hundred bucks. The install is very easy. Disconnect the 4 hoses (if you have an auto). Take off the upper fan shroud (2 bolts/2 clips?). Undo the two bolts up top. I think that's it! There are no electrical connections. I did it on my Jeep, too, when that two piece POS began leaking.

I don't tow anything or go offroad, so I didn't put in a particularly heavy duty rad.

Just after I took the old one out, I put the hose in the top. It was clear that the flow was significantly less than the new rad.

You won't lose much ATF, but remember to top it off afterward.

http://www.napaonline.com/masterpages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=MO&PartNumber=2749&Description=Radiator

$282...bit more than I remembered for the all metal NAPA replacement.