radiator leaking, what replacement is everyone using

[Fifty]

The radiator on my 2015i 6.2l 4wd 8 speed yukon XL Denali decided to start leaking on the drivers side.

Trying to determine which is the best option to put in and if there are any features I need to be aware of since I think the yukon xl denalis all have the max tow options.

I do offroad this truck so Im hesitant to go with another crimped radiator. Its our camping vehicle. So 40k miles and no issues. 2 campng trips with washboard and bolts loose and radiator leaking...

 

[Doubeleive]

oem will be the most dependable, although not always the cheapest. if it's not a "needs to be done today" thing then you can order one from places like rockauto and save a few bucks

 

[Fifty]

IM finding that I need to see if I have "NHT" in the build sheet or not. There are two different radiators for my year yukon.

I really wish I could find a well built non crimped radiator. But it looks like that wont be the case.
I should probably get new radiator hoses since im in there. I have a new oem thermostat and temp sensor on the shelf since the truck was nearing 10 years old... even with only 45k on the clock

 

[Joseph Garcia]

As you stated, change ALL of the radiator and heater hoses, while you are replacing the radiator, as they are probably original.

 

[Doubeleive]

IM finding that I need to see if I have "NHT" in the build sheet or not. There are two different radiators for my year yukon.

I really wish I could find a well built non crimped radiator. But it looks like that wont be the case.
I should probably get new radiator hoses since im in there. I have a new oem thermostat and temp sensor on the shelf since the truck was nearing 10 years old... even with only 45k on the clock

a quick look at rockauto only shows one gm oem part number, weird apparently there are some strange changes going on in 2015+
looking at the oem one for my 18 silverado the oil cooler is now on the right side, transmission cooler is a separate piece
but "some" may still have a left side oil cooler and transmission cooler on the right

 

[mjgirard]

While you have the radiator out check the water pump too.
I needed a water pump in February and decided to replace anything associated with the water pump because my Tahoe is a 2001 and it is our trip vehicle. I even replaced the heater connector Ts along with belts, tensioners and the radiator.

 

[Tahoe14]

Don’t forget your 5% discount code at Rockauto, every little bit helps.

 

[Fifty]

It looks like there are two ports on each side, so an internal engine oil cooler and internal transmission fluid cooler.

Someone recommended the mishimoto radiator. Pricey… $200 more than I can get an oem one for (shipping adds a lot to the oem one)

Seriously debating that…

 

[Doubeleive]

It looks like there are two ports on each side, so an internal engine oil cooler and internal transmission fluid cooler.

Someone recommended the mishimoto radiator. Pricey… $200 more than I can get an oem one for (shipping adds a lot to the oem one)

Seriously debating that…

those all aluminum ones (all brands) are prone to leaking, usually within a year or two
the reviews don't lie in this regard..... just a heads up.
a few of us have experienced it already, including myself mine lasted less than 3 months and summit refunded my money (once I returned it)

 

[Fifty]

Dang. I have a buddy with an excursion and his is going on 4 years.

Well… I can tig aluminum… if it does leak and it’s somewhere I can fix it.. there is that.

I just pulled the Amazon trigger on it.

 

[Doubeleive]

Dang. I have a buddy with an excursion and his is going on 4 years.

Well… I can tig aluminum… if it does leak and it’s somewhere I can fix it.. there is that.

I just pulled the Amazon trigger on it.

good luck, I had bought a coldcase which "seemed" to have the best reviews, when it started leaking I pulled it out and took it to a radiator shop that has been here over 50 years and they said it was un-repairable, it was leaking out of one of the fin crease exiting one side of the tank end. when I had bought it was on backorder for 3 months, and I wasn't going to wait another 3 months for a replacement so I just returned it.
one guy here has had the mishimoto for a couple years but may have a turn of bad luck not too long ago if I remember correctly.
anyway it could go well, fingers crossed.
only thing I can suggest is perhaps keep the mounting bolts just snug so it can expand/shrink and maybe not get stressed or twisted

 

[Fifty]

I’m getting new rubber mounts. Just in case

 

[Fifty]

Mishimoto went in today.

Fitment was ok. The lower fan mounts were off and I had to trim the fan shroud.

The mount for the ac lines on the passenger side was too far off and I had to zip tie the bracket instead of bolt it.

A lot thicker than stock, so that is good. Hopefully it lasts a good while.

 

[Fifty]

So far so good. It does stay a lot cooler than the oem cooler. I’m afraid that it might trip a code.

Where before it would be in the 210 range it’s in the 200 range, and when it would be in the 190-193 range it’s in the 170.

I only know these numbers as I converted my colorado to a new radiator and spal fans and had to retune the ecu fan pwm controller and drove around logging the Yukon because the oem fan tunes and ect targets were the same.

 

[snives]

I took the Tahoe to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes this past weekend and ended up blowing the radiator. It cracked on the front corner of the drivers side inlet tube, about a 5" vertical crack. Plastic end tanks, smh. So, I'm looking at getting a 3 row aluminum aftermarket radiator and have looked at ebay and amazon and finding mostly Chinese ones, but the ones that made my short list are the AlloyWorks ($320) and the Mishimoto ($1000) one. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with either of these. Or if there is another one people trust/have had good luck with then chime in.

 

[Fifty]

So far I’ve been happy with the mishimoto. We had two heat waves since the install and the ecu has had no problem keeping the ect in the targets

I was worried with how much thicker the core was that the truck would have a hard time staying in the target temps.

The only fitment issue I had was the bracket that held the ac lines on the passenger side.

 

[Geotrash]

I took the Tahoe to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes this past weekend and ended up blowing the radiator. It cracked on the front corner of the drivers side inlet tube, about a 5" vertical crack. Plastic end tanks, smh. So, I'm looking at getting a 3 row aluminum aftermarket radiator and have looked at ebay and amazon and finding mostly Chinese ones, but the ones that made my short list are the AlloyWorks ($320) and the Mishimoto ($1000) one. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with either of these. Or if there is another one people trust/have had good luck with then chime in.

Like Wes, I had an all-aluminum 2-row radiator in my 2012 for 3 years before it started leaking. The original was still fine, but I wanted what I thought would be better cooling and better durability. And like Wes's, mine was unrepairable but also no longer returnable. In my opinion, they're a marketing gimmick. Denso is the OEM manufacturer, and that's what I put in it when the aluminum radiator came out. The OEM radiator in my '07 went 16 years and 240K. Hope you guys have better luck, but I'm on my 4th Suburban/Yukon now, with a total of 716K miles on them, and the only radiator that I will ever put in any of them again is OEM or Denso.

 

[Doubeleive]

I took the Tahoe to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes this past weekend and ended up blowing the radiator. It cracked on the front corner of the drivers side inlet tube, about a 5" vertical crack. Plastic end tanks, smh. So, I'm looking at getting a 3 row aluminum aftermarket radiator and have looked at ebay and amazon and finding mostly Chinese ones, but the ones that made my short list are the AlloyWorks ($320) and the Mishimoto ($1000) one. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with either of these. Or if there is another one people trust/have had good luck with then chime in.

the Mish should not be $1000 unless the price has gone up significantly recently for some reason, you shopping at Macy's for that one?