Hi all,
I realise this tread has been on for quite some years and now that I have found my radiator to leak as well on the soldering seam between the tanks and the core header, I am naturally looking at either refurbishing or a new radiator.
The post I would like to hear more about is from Ovelordofmars who referred to the aluminium radiators made/sold by
http://www.genesisautoparts.com/
Strangely enough this link does not open anything whatsoever. or maybe it's me who cannot access their site because my IP is not within the USA?
What is their radiator part number for our M1009?
Or how can I get onto their catalog?
Thanks for any/all advice and help.
Cheers,
Jake
Hi Jake,
From what I could find back when I replaced my radiator, Genesis auto parts is no more, or they sold out, etc.
However, after replacing the stock radiator with another stock radiator at the cost of $400+, and then having more problems with it, had it repaired... repaired again... then it was so bad it would have cost $$$ to have it fixed
(as they would have had to desolder both tanks and re-core it), and even at that none of the rad shops even wanted to mess with it. Also found out from a rad shop who had been in business for 40+ years, that these radiators had a major design flaw from the start which caused them to "flex" to much which is why they kept breaking and leaking
(thats why they added the "metal straps" to each side, but it didn't fix it).... And also that the cores were Very Thin/small, which is why these were a so called "4 core" radiator in the first place, but they don't do any more cooling than a well built 2 core.
I was tired of the stock rads to say the least, let alone the truck being down every time it happened, let alone having to do all the work and etc over and over to pull, repair, reinstall etc etc etc. As I had pulled the radiator at least 5 or 6 times in just a few years.
So I decided that I was going to move to a full aluminum Rad, as I had also had problems with the plastic/aluminum aftermarket "box store" radiators in other vehicles. There are some companies that can make a custom full aluminum radiator with the trans cooler and oil cooler built in, but they were Big Bucks. Another option was to get a rad for the antifreeze, then add on external coolers for the oil and transmission fluid...
However, what I ended up doing was getting a "chinese" ebay full aluminum radiator, which also has the transmission cooler and oil cooler built in. From what I understand, these are the same units that GenesisParts was selling.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ROW-RADI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
After the shipping company damaged the first one, had to get an exchange. But when the second one arrived, Radiator looked good, nice welds, good solid construction. Just check it over good when you get it, I even pressure tested mine right off the bat. As if you have any issues, with it being ebay, the first 30 days is the time to find them and return it for an exchange.
HOWEVER, it was not without a few problems that i had to solve. My radiator did Not come with the adapter set that it should have, it was apparently missing. The main thing being that the ports for the oil cooler and trans cooler were not the correct thread pitch in the radiator itself. So I had to figure out what size/thread the radiator ports were, then what the truck lines were. I bought two adapters linked below, and I think I bought some adapters for the.... coolant level switch? can't remember for sure... from the local parts store as well in order to make it work. Can't remember exactly what those adapters (size etc) were that I bought from auto parts store. But here are the two that I also bought off ebay. The M16X1.5 Male to 1/2" NPT Female is very hard to find
anywhere. Ebay was one of the very few places that I did find it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metric-to-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Straight-1...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
YES it took some problem solving. YES it took some searching for the correct adapters and etc. Maybe you can get the adapter set that mine should have came with and not have these issues, but you'd have to contact the seller and etc first.
BUT in the end, I am
VERY GLAD that I went this route. After getting all the right adapters and etc, and installing the radiator, I have not had Any Issues at all. Truck stays nice and cool, Everything has worked great, and I do not expect to have to pull the radiator again any time soon.
**IF** it did ever develop a leak, the nice thing is if you have a tig welder (or other aluminum welder) you can fix it, or a welding shop could fix it.
This route may not be for you, but its what I ended up doing.
In any case, Hope you find a solution that fits you that you're happy with
Peace