Cracked Radiator...All aluminum or OEM, best option?

So, my overflow nipple broke off my radiator randomly today, and I need a new radiator. I was going to go Denso/OEM, but I also saw that CSF and a few others make all aluminum options. Unfortunately, those are 2x the price, but if they're more reliable and work better, I'll do that, so I was looking for feedback on those. Have any of you used an all-aluminum rad in your 1st gen?

 

How do you use your truck (daily driver or off-roader) and what cab type do you have? Guessing the radiator is original? If you're going with an aluminum rad, I believe Champion makes the right size for AC/RC and CSF makes the right size for DC/ Sequoia. I run a CSF in my DC. The CSF radiator won't fit on ACs or RCs though.

The potential for plastic portions to crack and cause strawberry milkshake was one of the reasons I went with aluminum, but that sucks you saw the plastic crack at the overflow like that. My truck stays very cool in the desert with the CSF so I'm happy with it. With my CSF, my truck also slipped out of park and hit a fence that screwed up my A/C condenser and related support, but the radiator was fine.

 

Its a DD and offroader so it sees hard miles and it’s an AC. I didn’t realize the radiators would be different based on cab that’s wild. I run CSF in my M3 so that’s what I was looking at. I just want reliability and if I can get better performance than even better

 

Yep, access cab and regular cab have different dimensions on the front end body parts, CSF radiators will hit the hood on them unfortunately. Our resident Toyota tech with an RC confirmed this.

And maybe I confused Mishimoto with Champion, but Mishimoto is the one that definitely fits AC/RC. I'll try to find the exact difference in measurement between the two rads if I can.

 

Just to be clear, cracked plastic on the radiator won't cause a pink milkshake (mixing of ATF and coolant)... the radiator will just leak coolant. In order for a pink milkshake to occur, one or both of the seals have to fail at the inlet or outlet of the ATF heat exchanger. First pic shows the entire heat exchanger. The second and third pic show close-ups of a failed seal. Third pic shows a good seal.

 

I wouldn’t do it. Just buy Denso (OEM). A lot of the all-aluminum radiators come with their own shortcomings. One person with either CSF or Mishimoto kept popping leaks (happened twice). I recall something about no trans pass-thru, but it’s been a minute so I’m fuzzy. I swear there are issues with shrouds, potentially similar? Hell we need a thread dedicated to radiators!

If you do go OEM to enjoy the same level of longevity and protection you already had, I’d be careful who you order from, radiators are virtually always damaged in transit with vendors like scAmazon, fleaBay. Rock Auto has a 100% success rate for forum members w/shipping. And they are a forum vendor, anyone on here can give you a 5% off coupon to sweeten their already-low pricing.

 

Denso OEM. It got us all this far. Pretty sure most ppl get 170-200k miles. Make sure you replace your thermostat at the same time

 

Do you guys know the part number for the AC denso on rock auto? They show base w/o double cab, crew cab and crew cab w/o double cab which is confusing lol.

 

@inv3ctiv3 just use the parts finder at www.densoautoparts.com and choose the correct radiator. Copy/paste the part# they give you into RA's system.

You're correct: RA's system makes no sense. Denso's own part finder should be better.

 

I’m on my second Denso radiator, first was the factory one. Replaced my radiator at 212k miles. Current replacement is at 269.5k miles, so has almost 60k on it. Zero issues. Paid $80 for it. This one is a no brainer to go OEM.

 

thanks!

yea I agree just wanted to see if there was a better option which there usually never is haha

 

On Denso's site it says the same thing when looking up by my vin number:

"

$180 221-0517 Radiator

221-0517
Required Qty: 1
Body Type: Standard Cab Pickup
w/o Double Cab"

"221-0518
Required Qty: 1
Body Type: Crew Cab Pickup
w/ Double Cab"

Interesting that it lists both Standard cab and crew cab with a double cab for my vin number.

 

That's better. That's the typical language:

• With double cab: This is a DC pickup truck.
• Without double cab: This is an AC or RC pickup truck (i.e. not double cab)

You see the same language used with lighting - headlights etc.

We don't use the term "crew cab", so the RA language using "crew" was totally out of place.

 

Just replaced mine 2 weeks ago on '02 access... went with Denso (OEM) from rock Auto and super cheap in my opinion.... replaced upper lower hose and thermostat (Gates brand) and got a new cap....
changed in it in a little over an hour!!
I researched aftermarket and as soon as I seen possible bolt up issues I decided against it.... I think mine was Original so the truck made it 225k on it.... bottom and top caps both were pushing fluid out.... seems like the fail spots to keep an eye on!! bottom was more significant...

 

last fall i knowingly bought a crap e bay radiator for my wrecked tundra. I was desperate for a radiator to get truck mobile through the winter. I think i paid $80 shipped for it? It was pretty poor quality. It had a single core and was leaking at the seams. It didn’t surprise me any though. What did surprise me was that it survived through the winter, all the way through the end of this summer. I was working the truck fairly hard hauling firewood in the summer heat, and it didn’t miss a beat. Now that i removed the engine from that truck (and swapped it into a different tundra), there’s no way i would trust reusing that year old radiator. I think the name of the e bay sellers description was something like, US MADE LIFETIME QUALITY WARRANTY. It was so blatantly obvious that it was cheap junk though.

 

I ended up with the Koyo replacement (also from rockauto), Denso was out of stock and its as good as the original Denso.

Maybe better as iirc it had an ever so slightly thicker core.

 

Does it have pass-thru for transmission? I'm having a hell of a time remembering which of the aluminum radiators didn't have that.

 

Yep.

 

So my truck came with a bunch of receipts and in 2019 it had the waterpump, thermostat, etc replaced which was about 50k miles ago....Is there anything else I might not be thinking of that I should do while doing the radiator?

 

Fan clutch. You have to pull the radiator to replace it.

 

ok sounds good. Do you think I really need to do an entire cooling system overhaul with the waterpump and all of its got 50k on it? I’d prefer to just do all that later since it’s just a radiator that needs it right now.

 

Nah, it should still be good. Just check for leaks.