Any aluminum radiators that don't crack annually?

[ls1frc]

Hello, I have a mishimoto aluminum radiator. The first one cracked within a couple of months. The second one lasted about a year and a half. I am tired of spending money on the shipping for the warranty and the extra money each time I have to change the coolant.

I read reviews of cold case and it seems they are even worse

I will go back to stock if I have to, but wanted to see if there were other options first

 

[Geotrash]

Hello, I have a mishimoto aluminum radiator. The first one cracked within a couple of months. The second one lasted about a year and a half. I am tired of spending money on the shipping for the warranty and the extra money each time I have to change the coolant.

I read reviews of cold case and it seems they are even worse

I will go back to stock if I have to, but wanted to see if there were other options first

Long time, no see - welcome back! I'm still running my Cold Case that I installed with my cam swap 2 years ago. No problems so far and about 20K on it since then. If I had it to do again though I'd get a stock Denali radiator (1.3" thick core). My tans cooler is relocated to below the bumper on my 2012, so it's no longer dumping heat in front of the rad.

 

[ls1frc]

Haha thank you

My truck is still going strong on the original 6.2 swap, it has about 180k on it now and around 40 or 50k on the engine, it is an absolute work horse

However, I am so tired of this reliability issue

I read cold case you have to trim the tabs, is that true? Perhaps I will just get the denali radiator then. Is that different than the SLT 5.3 radiator that already came with oil and trans cooling?

I plan to tow my 2016 corvette (around 3300 lbs) with this truck this year, so I need something that cools well and is reliable

I see AFE makes one, I have always liked their stuff

aFe POWER BladeRunner OER Series Radiator

aFe POWER BladeRunner OER Series Radiators are designed and manufactured to be a perfect replacement for your aging or damaged, stock radiator. Over time, your stock radiator becomes less efficient due to corrosion and damage from road debris. Leaks can also occur in aging connectors and joints...

afepower.com

 

[Geotrash]

I read cold case you have to trim the tabs, is that true? Perhaps I will just get the denali radiator then. Is that different than the SLT 5.3 radiator that already came with oil and trans cooling?

Yup, still have to trim the tabs AFAIK. I did anyway unless something has changed since then.

Yes. The 5.3's have a 1" thick core, I believe. And every parts house specs that radiator for the 6.2 Denali's also, but the factory Denali radiator is actually 1.3" thick. I know this because I just replaced the one in my 2007 with what was supposed to be the correct radiator for my truck, but it wasn't. So I'm running that one on the 5.3 rad for now and I ain't happy about it.

 

[ls1frc]

Okay thanks for the information

I wonder if there's something with the truck that's causing it to crack radiators. Too much torque?

 

[Sparksalot]

Haha thank you

My truck is still going strong on the original 6.2 swap, it has about 180k on it now and around 40 or 50k on the engine, it is an absolute work horse

However, I am so tired of this reliability issue

I read cold case you have to trim the tabs, is that true? Perhaps I will just get the denali radiator then. Is that different than the SLT 5.3 radiator that already came with oil and trans cooling?

I plan to tow my 2016 corvette (around 3300 lbs) with this truck this year, so I need something that cools well and is reliable

I see AFE makes one, I have always liked their stuff

aFe POWER BladeRunner OER Series Radiator

aFe POWER BladeRunner OER Series Radiators are designed and manufactured to be a perfect replacement for your aging or damaged, stock radiator. Over time, your stock radiator becomes less efficient due to corrosion and damage from road debris. Leaks can also occur in aging connectors and joints...

afepower.com

I put a Coldcase in thecopcar a little over a year ago. No issues with it. I didn’t have to trim anything. It appears the end tank design was revised slightly from earlier versions.

 

[Geotrash]

Okay thanks for the information

I wonder if there's something with the truck that's causing it to crack radiators. Too much torque?

It's possible and would explain why some cold case radiators are cracking and others aren't. I was careful to remove enough metal from my mounting tabs so that there was no direct metal-to-metal contact between the steel frame of the mounting area with the tabs of the radiator, so that the rubber isolators could do their job. I've also read that poor or weak grounds can trigger electrolytic corrosion in aluminum radiators. So if the radiator is grounded to the steel frame through direct contact, it can cause problems.

Electrolytic Corrosion in Radiators Demystified

trade.mechanic.com.au

 

[Doubeleive]

Okay thanks for the information

I wonder if there's something with the truck that's causing it to crack radiators. Too much torque?

i bought the coldcase and they have updated the design, nothing needed to be trimmed. However it did leak within 30 days so I returned it and went back to my stock sized denali radiator
the radiator shop here in town that has been in business for probably 100 years say the aluminum radiators all leak (eventually) and they could pretty much wager on them leaking in a year. they repair radiators, regular and aluminum but mine was leaking in a non-repairable spot (top inside corner edge) which was really hard to find since it was a very slow leak and was drying from the air and not leaving any drops on anything i only spotted it because there was a dry discolored spot with a slightly redish tint after i pulled the fans out and looked with a flashlight.
I initially considered getting another cold case since it was under warranty but the 1st one took about 3 months to get and they were still on backorder so I said screw it. Mishimoto didn't seem to be any better either.

 

[Foggy]

That AFE radiator doesn't really list the exact specs... so IDK on core thickness...
I've had my Mishimoto in for almost 3 years now with no problems...
So I wonder if there's something whacky going on with your mounts or core support ?????

My 14 is almost the same specs as your 6.2... I didn't know cam motion did VVT cams
for our Gen IV's...
I did the Gwatney cam... I think your prob idles smoother with the wider lobe sep !!

When I had my SC on, my trans still ran warmer than I'd like it to even with the big
mishi radiator...
Once I took out the factory aux cooler and did the one below my bumper (with a fan)
it's so much better towing.. But I think my intercooler was shedding a lot of heat into
to air stream ( it's first of course)..
It's still there, but I took off the SC for repairs and decided to go with Cam and
have my heads just massaged a little bit

 

[ls1frc]

I did install the hummer h2 mounts when I did my motor, perhaps they don't cushion enough idk

Maybe stock rad + an external cooler is the way to go

 

[swathdiver]

The 5.3's have a 1" thick core, I believe. And every parts house specs that radiator for the 6.2 Denali's also, but the factory Denali radiator is actually 1.3" thick.

Learned something new today! I thought the K5Ls and 6.2s ran the same radiator.

ACDelco shows the specs as:

5.3 with KC4 & K5L - 21742/20935856 - 34 x 18.5 x 1 Core Size
6.2 with KC4 & K5L - 21648/22840115 - 34 x 18.5 x 1-1/16 Core Size

These 6.2 Denali radiators are the same number in my 6.2 Sierra pickups too. Cool beans, thanks!

 

[Geotrash]

Learned something new today! I thought the K5Ls and 6.2s ran the same radiator.

ACDelco shows the specs as:

5.3 with KC4 & K5L - 21742/20935856 - 34 x 18.5 x 1 Core Size
6.2 with KC4 & K5L - 21648/22840115 - 34 x 18.5 x 1-1/16 Core Size

These 6.2 Denali radiators are the same number in my 6.2 Sierra pickups too. Cool beans, thanks!

Technically, I suppose they could. But now that I've replaced the factory radiators in both of our XL Denali's, I can say that the measured thickness of the cores in both of them was about 1.3". Go figure.

 

[swathdiver]

Technically, I suppose they could. But now that I've replaced the factory radiators in both of our XL Denali's, I can say that the measured thickness of the cores in both of them was about 1.3". Go figure.

Those are ACDelco specs but there was one application showing the same part number as 1-5/16 wide. At least we know they are different! About a year ago the price doubled on my 21742 so the 21648 looks much more attractive!

 

[Tozan]

I have a two year old Cold case. It stated leaking a month ago...

 

[Rocket Man]

Once again I’m glad I never went with an all aluminum radiator. I’ve seen people complaining about the “cheap plastic end tanks” on the stock radiators year after year. My OEM 02 Denali radiator was still going strong after 19 years and 150k miles so when I decided to replace it as a maintenance item, guess what I went with.

 

[91RS]

Just get the OEM one (not aftermarket replacement, actual OEM). They last 10+ years.

 

[Geotrash]

Just get the OEM one (not aftermarket replacement, actual OEM). They last 10+ years.

This was what I intended to do when I replaced the radiator in my 2007 a few weeks ago. However, the OEM unit was out of stock everywhere in town, so the best I could find locally (needed it quickly) was what I installed, which was a Carquest-branded unit with a 1" thick core and listed in the parts catalog as a replacement for the correct GM part number. And what I later learned was that the part number that GM has been spec'ing for the 2007 XL Denali I have isn't actually what came with it from the factory either (1.3" thick core). All of the GM parts houses list 19256745 which according to the GM parts sites replaces what came with it from the factory, but again it's a thinner core, so while it fits it does not have the same cooling capacity.

So that's the quandary. The aluminum radiators offer a 2" thick, 2-row core which as I've learned first-hand is a boon for towing heavy in the summer. And, getting either the correct radiator for the truck or finding a true OEM-quality equivalent isn't as easy as it seems. Hence why the Denso part number from Chris is key. It's the only one I've found that is actually a proper replacement for the radiator in the Denali, specifically. And because Denso makes many of the radiators for OEMs, including GM, it is an excellent quality replacement.

I used to have an Acura Legend for which many companies make aftermarket radiators that are supposed to work. But they don't. Small differences in the molding of the filler neck for example meant that the original radiator cap design wouldn't fit, necessitating a workaround that generated new problems, etc. The only solution I could find was a Denso radiator because that's who made the original.

 

[Charlie207]

I'm just here for the leaky aluminum radiator club. I'm pretty sure it's the core, but who knows. It's too wintery and/or muddy to mess around. I just keep adding coolant and hope something good happens.

 

[Rocket Man]

I'm just here for the leaky aluminum radiator club. I'm pretty sure it's the core, but who knows. It's too wintery and/or muddy to mess around. I just keep adding coolant and hope something good happens.

Radiator core or heater core?

 

[Charlie207]

Radiator core or heater core?

I'm assuming radiator.