Bad Radiator??

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azure

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I'm pretty sure this is a bad radiator, but want to confirm with you guys 100%. I could get a pressure tester and maybe should, but want to see if it's really obvious. I've just never diagnosed a radiator before. 99 Suburban, overheating pretty quickly. No big puddle of coolant on the floor, but strong smell. Then I noticed that at the base of the radiator, I think it's called radiator support, it's like a plastic "tray" that the radiator sits on/in, and it is full of coolant. Also the fan has coolant sitting in it. None of the hoses or fittings coming from the radiator seem to have leaks, so is this open and shut case of needing a new radiator? Thanks!
 

TigerEyz3

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Sounds like an "open and shut case of needing a new radiator" to me.

Only way coolant can get where you described is from the radiator, hoses, or spraying into that location - the last of which is highly unlikely. I recently replaced my radiator due to a crack in the driver side tank. Your leak seems to be much more prolific as I didn't have any overheating issues or coolant collection like yours.
 
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azure

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Thanks TigerEyz. How did you know about the leak? You could see it visually with the radiator installed?
 

TigerEyz3

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First indicator was smell - only smelled it at the front, and it was stronger on one side of the engine bay than the other.
After narrowing down the general location, I started looking for the leak visually. Traced the liquid back to the highest point with a flashlight and voila! right below the inlet neck on the tank (driver side).

Since this wasn't the first time I had a radiator leak in this location (different radiators), I opted to upgrade to an all aluminum radiator - hopefully I'll never have to deal with radiator problems again.
 

TigerEyz3

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Just another thought worth exploring before purchasing a new radiator... hoses do go bad over time and can leak. Inspect them (upper and lower hoses) thoroughly and replace as needed. If they feel "soft" or "squishy" (compared to a new hose), that's a really good indicator they need to be replaced. Certainly a good idea to replace hoses if you're replacing the radiator and/or water pump.
 
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