Radiator leak?

Change your radiator as soon as possible. It's not worth fixing, other cracks and fractures will occur. I overheated my engine, and ended up having to rebuild it later. I tried fixing it first, removing the radiator, taking it to a radiator shop, reinstall it, then have more leaks later. At $40 per service, it was cheaper to replace the radiator. The cause is the design of the Toyota Radiator, when the caps are formed, the brass is stretched like a plastic trashbag overfilled. Certain areas get very thin and over time tiny fractures will occur. I got an aftermarket 3 row radiator for $140.

It's pretty easy to replace. Drain the radiator, first. Unclamp the hoses. If you have an Auto transmission, remove the cooler lines and plug the lines temporarily. Then remove the four bolts, two on each side of the radiator. Also remove the lower cowling, so you don't have to remove the fan. Lift out. To install do everything in reverse, and refill with your mix of coolant and Transmission fluid, if needed.

Hey! Try replacing the cap first. The seal tends to fail. Keep your eyes open for leaks in that area. Bill

Thanks. I don't know how long this has been seeping like this. I checked tonight, and there was no fluid on the top of the radiator.

I found a replacement radiator for $137 at etoyotaparts.com. Do you know anything about them? I hate getting ripped off. I'm going to price this at the dealer, but I bet it's at least 4x the price.

Since I just did the 180,000 service about 8,000 miles ago, could I re-use the coolant? I have a 5-spd, so I should not have problems like getting ATF mixed in the catch basin with coolant.

Thanks again. Messy job, but not all too hard I guess. Much easier when I was younger.

Bill Chesapeake, VA

$137 sounds like a good price. I paid about the same at NAPA auto parts. I forget the name of the maker but it's a well known after market maker of radiators. One thing for sure they are made better the Toyota OEM radiator. I would not re-use the coolant. Just put in a bottle of Coolant and Water. Some like a 50/50 mix, but this time of the year you don't need that until winter. If your concerned about the environment, dump the coolant at you local mechanic. Whatever you do, don't dump it on the grass, it will leave a brown spot that will take a long while to grow back.

It's not as messy as you would think, I had to do it twice, before finally buying a new radiator. One thing I left out in my instructions, is to remove the lower front cowling (different from the radiator cowling), but you probably figured that out to get to the drain.

Good Luck!!! JW

NAPA usually stocks the Modine. Keep the receipts because they have a lifetime warranty. I'm on my 4th radiator (the second free Modine). I've been told by a Toyota tech and a radiator repair shop that the original Toyota radiators fail around the filler neck because of stress issues. Also the radiators, if not properly grounded, will fail due to electrolysis.

That's the name I was trying to remember. My radiator was failing all over the top cap, mainly around the ridges, and the neck also. I've had it for 5 years now and no problems since I replaced it. Knock on wood!!!

Top seam of my '89 Toyota radiator started "seeping," etc. as described, before 100,000 mi. I had it "rodded out" and redone at a local radiator shop for about $65. That lasted for another 90,000 mi. but the same shop won't redo it a seciond time. I suspect that the top seams on the OEM radiators weren't that good.

$137 is a reasonable price for a new radiator. Don't know where you're located, but you might take a look at Radiator Express, online if you're still comparison shopping.

Based on previous posts, I found the Modine 2272 at a local Napa store and am going to get it today. I looked at a few of the online places, but think I ought to just get this locally and getit installed.

Thanks for the info.

Bill

I called Napa and they carry the Modine, whcih I plan to buy today. I'll also have to pick up some red coolant today. I'm pretty pleased with the OEM parts reliability in this Toyota. I've got 189,000 miles on it so far, and have tried to keep up on scheduled maintenance.

Thanks for all your help, JW.

Bill

No Problem glad I could help, just remember to keep the receipt like Andy said, just in case. I just noticed that my 2001 Land Cruiser had red coolant. I use Redline coolant in my other cars. I don't need Anti-Freeze in So Cal, it never gets cold enough to freeze the coolant.

This seems like a good time to ask if recommended/regular coolant flushes will prevent or delay this type of failure?

180k seems like a reasonable time to me for replacement. Lazy pig that I am, over the years I've lost a radiator in a '79 Celica (110k), '90 Subaru (100k), etc.

I'd guessed this was because I didn't have the system flushed per schedule.

What's a natural death and longevity for the newer radiators with perfect service? ( a guesstimate is fine)

Just wondering....

Good question, It all depends on what you put in it. Plain Tap water is a not recommended, especially if you live in hard water areas, Coolant does help. But the best is distilled water and water pump lube, so I'm told by an old radiator guy. Wetter Water is another highly recommended additive.

Pay attention to how your engine runs and check the water level religiously and check the oil pan for signs of water after you replace you radiator. The symptoms that you are describing is what happened to my 92 V-6 when the head gasket leaked. The water level in the radiator slowly decreased exposing the top of the radiator on the inside. Tiny pin holes formed -mainly around the filler. I thought these were the source of the dropping coolant level, so I just had the leaks welded, and kept driving it. The coolant level still dropped, though. I took it in and found that the head(s) were leaking. The dealer tested the oil and found water in it, and then found the leaking gasket.

The 1989-1995 V-6 had a bad head gasket design. They replaced them up to 100k on warranty and did mine for free at 110k. The only drawback is that they replaced them with the exact same gasket design as far as I know. I found this out when one of the gaskets blew out at 190k and cracked a spark plug in two. It costs me some $$$ the second time.

What you had was co-current problem, head gasket and radiator. My second head gasket blew at 180K miles. I replaced the radiator after cracks appears in different areas after soldering the first ones. That was 5 years ago.

BTW After the second gasket blew, my mechanic recommended I have the engine rebuilt since half of the parts were out and my cylinder walls were scored. New mains, connecting rods, rings, pistons, oil pump, water pump, gaskets and seals. No more leaks, knock on wood.

Thanks for the advice, crashq. I've actually had hte recall performed on this vehicle, at 60,000 miles. I replaced the radiator, hopefully before it became a real problem. My coolant level was not really affected by this small leak.

I try to spot problems before they become big ones, as I depend on this 4Runner.

Bill