Drop in radiator advice...

[deezdad]

180 t-stat recommended even with a fmic in front of it running both coolers w/ stock fan?

 

[Antbankstwo3]

Yes sir, it has both coolers.

I'm on it! That's nice lookin too!

 

[Antbankstwo3]

180 t-stat recommended even with a fmic in front of it running both coolers w/ stock fan?

That is what was recommended to me. I have a 180° T-Stat. When I get mine it was suggested to keep it in.

 

[Red C5]

ALRADCO.com
Choose with or without coolers. I ran with oil and trans cooler and it was AWESOME! Keep the 180 stat in there.

We don't offer it without any coolers anymore, no demand for them.

Got the radiator on Monday, I am not easily impressed and opened it up to see how dinged up and how many fins were bent. I pulled it out of the box and was jaw dropping astonished! And that was only how well it was packaged! It was packaged up in a nest of shock resistant foam, all around. I pulled the packaging off and my eyes really widened. This thing is a piece of work and is extremely beefy! I can't wait to get it in. Needless to say, I am very impressed. I think I will stick a 180 Thermostat in it. I did install a billet neck so it should pop right back outI think I will install the alky while I have a bunch of stuff off the car. Should give me more room. Sorry for the big ass pics, I don't know how to fix it. Thaks ALRADCO!

View attachment 227074 View attachment 227075 View attachment 227076 View attachment 227077

Glad you're happy. Thanks for your business, we appreciate it.

Any 4th of July specials??

Not likely. We're having a hard time keeping up with demand and keep running

 

[Coelacanth]

I've checked out those Alradco rads, they look great. My '86 GN is puking coolant after every short drive. After replacing the rad cap, thermostat & housing on the weekend (took out a 180°, put in a 160°), assuming it was overheating, the problem persists. The upper rad hose never seemed to have pressure and while initially warming up the car after replacing the t-stat, I never saw the coolant level bubble and drop down...so it seems likely that the rad isn't flowing. So, no doubt the Alradco rads are nice units, but what are some middle-of-the-road, more affordable options for the budget-conscious? I'm working on 2 cars ('70 Charger, the GN) and I just replaced the rad in the Charger last summer with a Champion aluminum rad. It was about $175 shipped, if I remember correctly, and works great.

If money was no object, I'd buy an Alradco, but I'm trying to get the GN driving this summer and that won't happen for around $550 shipped. What are some other recommendations that are more affordable, perform at least as good as stock, and will install with few hassles? I don't mind doing a bit of work to get one to fit but at the least, I'd want all the inlets/outlets to be in the right place and the right size. I've seen these APDI rads on eBay for half-price, seems hard to believe a rad that's barely $100 would do the job...have any of you tried one, or have other budget-friendly, low-hassle options?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/380615399284?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[87-WE2]

Did you drill a steam hole in the thermostat? Sometimes this will help to get things flowing. You may just need to "burp" your system since you opened it up.

Also - a long time ago, I had a 78 Buick Regal that would puke coolant after short drives. Found a pin-hole leak in the heater core (carpet was wet). I bypassed the heater core due to the PITA-factor of changing it, and it stopped puking coolant. The pressure loss caused by the leak would allow the coolant to boil in the lines.

 

[Coelacanth]

Did you drill a steam hole in the thermostat? Sometimes this will help to get things flowing. You may just need to "burp" your system since you opened it up.

I initially did, but ended up cutting out most of the 1/16" steam hole when I had to cut down the Stant t-stat to fit the hole in the block. I didn't bother re-drilling it again because the previous 180-degree t-stat wasn't drilled, and the same problem happened with both...puking coolant all over. Since I never even saw bubbling action in the coolant with the rad cap off while running the car after the t-stat R & R, and the top hose never seemed to have pressure in it, the signs seem to be pointing to the rad being the problem.

 

[87-WE2]

If hot water never reaches the t-stat, it will not open. If the t-stat never opens, you won't see circulation in the radiator.
I would pull the t-stat altogether to see what happens before spending the money on a radiator.

You can get an F-body radiator fairly cheap from the parts store, but you will lose your oil cooler and transmission cooler. It's not exactly a drop-in replacement from what I've read here, but it's pretty close and a less expensive option. Many don't operate with an oil cooler anyway, but I wouldn't be caught dead without a tranny cooler.

 

[Coelacanth]

It's a new t-stat. Shouldn't it work regardless of having a steam hole drilled or not?

 

[Gunmetal87]

180 t-stat recommended even with a fmic in front of it running both coolers w/ stock fan?

Good to know. When I install my Alradco, I'll replace the 160 t-stat that I've been running with the stock radiator.


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[Pronto]

F body radiators have trans coolers. Sounds like you have a large air bubble in the engine and need to burb it.

 

[87-WE2]

F body radiators have trans coolers. Sounds like you have a large air bubble in the engine and need to burb it.

Thanks for the correction on the trans cooler. I agree - the air that's in the block needs some way to escape. Drilling a hole in the t-stat is an easy way to accomplish that.

 

[Charles Young]

If hot water never reaches the t-stat, it will not open. If the t-stat never opens, you won't see circulation in the radiator.
I would pull the t-stat altogether to see what happens before spending the money on a radiator.

You can get an F-body radiator fairly cheap from the parts store, but you will lose your oil cooler and transmission cooler. It's not exactly a drop-in replacement from what I've read here, but it's pretty close and a less expensive option. Many don't operate with an oil cooler anyway, but I wouldn't be caught dead without a tranny cooler.

I did the fbody swap this past weekend and it went pretty well. It was virtually a drop-in other than dealing with a couple cooler issues. I used the one Earl recommended on the board, an 89 IROC camaro radiator. I used the built-in cooler for the oil and an external for the tranny. I read somewhere on the board not to use the built-in cooler for oil but could find no clear reasoning for that position. It takes some fittings but I found every fitting I needed at the local NAPA. Paid $88 for the radiator at Advance and about $15 in brass fittings plus a little hose. If anyone knows why using the built-in cooler for oil is not a good idea, please let me know but it seems to work well. Oil pressure seems to be a little higher, maybe less restriction somewhere. I had tried taking out the tstat first but it didn't help. At the end of the day, I just left it out for now but will probably put one back later in the Summer. Car runs real cool. On sunday it was in the low 80's and the car barely got into the 150's. Yesterday, I ran it about 20 miles on the interstate in 90+ degree weather and it ran about 165 or a little less. AC was not on.

 

[earlbrown]

That's interesting your oil pressure increased when you used the internal transmission cooler for oil. I would have thought that cooler wouldn't flow as well with oil since it's designed to be used with much thinner ATF. If everything else is equal, that means a parts house trans cooler flows better than a factory GN oil cooler.


Great! More crap to dwell on and test...... LOL

 

[First-time-turbo-owner]

on (say for example) a 85 degree day.... will a stock fan on a alradco radiator be good enough to keep up with a 160 thermostat? (and I'm using a tt chip with fan programmed to come on at 167ish degrees

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How do you program in to have the thermostat come on at 167?do you have to have the TT chip or can this be done on a stock chip?

 

[salvageV6]

A bigger restriction would cause the pressure to go up.

Of course that depends also upon where the gauge is plumbed etc.....

 

[Pronto]

TT chips are programed for 167. Stock chip is way higher than that.

 

[earlbrown]

A bigger restriction would cause the pressure to go up.

Of course that depends also upon where the gauge is plumbed etc.....

There's no place to put a gauge that's post-pump/pre-cooler. If the gauge is around the brass block, it reads pressure after all the bypasses and coolers and stuff.

 

[Pronto]

The fittings on the stock oil cooler in the radiator are larger than the trans fittings so it is logical the oil cooler flows more than what the trans cooler would be able to. Using the trans cooler to cool the oil doesn't make sense. Some aftermarket trans cooler catalogs say "not for engine oil cooling". The aftermarket oil coolers have much larger inlets.

 

[robzombie]

The fittings on the stock oil cooler in the radiator are larger than the trans fittings so it is logical the oil cooler flows more than what the trans cooler would be able to. Using the trans cooler to cool the oil doesn't make sense. Some aftermarket trans cooler catalogs say "not for engine oil cooling". The aftermarket oil coolers have much larger inlets.

X2!

The smaller inlet and outlet of the trans cooler is causing the oil to flow less, not more or the same as an oil cooler with the bigger lines which allows the oil to pass through more freely.

That is the reason why it shouldn't be used as an oil cooler.

Oil viscosity is also higher than trans fluid especially when cold and should be another consideration of why not to use the in tank trans cooler for engine oil.