Good Radiator for JGC 1995

Well, you more likely would need a new motor, not a new rad if you kept on driving it....

You need to find out why it overheated. Changing parts on a whim gets expensive... Blowing fluid out is 'not' a sign of a dead radiator 'usually'.

It is the result of a dead thermostat or a dead rad fan clutch or a dead rad fan or a bad waterpump pissing out all the coolant or simply a leak that could have happened in any of the hoses under the hood causing low fluid causing overheating.

Or it could be a plugged up rad, but that doesn't happen suddenly, it happens slowly and you get overheating warnings usually. You also can look inside the rad and see if the cores are blocked.

When you fill a system, you have to fill the rad before the overflow bottle.

If you have to get a new rad, then I recommend a rad shop that will make you one in metal. The half plastic ones are trouble in the long run.

Mike

I agree with Mike. Find the cause of the overheating before replacing parts. The best way is by pressurizing the cooling system with a special tool, and watch the pressure. (The tool runs about $30 is worth the money to own.)

This will show external or internal leaks. Fix these before replacing anything.

If the pressure does not drop, then have a closer look at the thermostat, radiator cap and the radiator itself.

The best test I've ever seen for a suspected plugged radiator is to drain and remove the unit, insert a garden hose in the top with a towel wrapped around the opening for a tight seal, then turn on the water full-blast. If the radiator is in good shape, water will pour normally out the bottom. If not, water will trickle out the bottom and geyser out through the top opening instead.

If your overfill bottle was DRY, you should be suspicious of a leak first. When the radiator is at fault, the overflow bottle will usually be full, not empty.

First place I look for a leak ALWAYS is the weep-hole in the underside of the water pump. This can go unnoticed for years. The fix is to replace the pump, as the seals are worn and have failed.

Ayup. You can also get a small bottle of radiator dye from a radiator shop or a dealer. Fill the radiator, burp any hoses, and fill the bottle.

I had a pretty good leak going, but it was the water pump, not the radiator. Looked just like a bulldog during a beer party.

Careful, that plastic radiator tends to crack in the two side tanks, particularly the one on the passenger side down near that fitting. It can stress crack all the way up.

There are reasonably cheap pumps that attach to the radiator filler and apply pressure. Dont overdo it, and I still recommend the dye to make it easier to see. The dealer type turns any leaky area a bilious greenish yellow and you do not need a fluorescent light to see it.

JD Adams wrote:

Additional dye is good if you're unable to spot what's already leaking. Some leaks don't show up until the cooling system is under pressure, particularly water pump leaks in the early stage.