Rated R1

I think I have a stock radiator failure amd I was wondering if I cold hear some experiences from anyone else who has blown thier stock radiator.

First I noticed the smell of coolant when I was going to Lowe's this afternoon. When I got there I still smelled so I checked under the car and there was a puddle forming underneath the front DRIVER'S side (thank God). I only live a few miles so I limped back home. When I got home I searched high and low for the leak. I pulled the intercooler and checked all the lines from the ALUMINUM AST so I don't think those lines are the culprit. THe spongy material on the top of the radiator was saturated with fluid as was the top of the AC condenser. This lead me to believe that the plastic top of the POS stock radiator had failed. I let the car idle for about ten minutes until the fans came on and then let it idle for a little while longer and there was no leak.

Basically for those of you that have had a stock radiator fail were these the same symptoms you experienced? I talke to my friend (Dave Disney) today and he thinks it is more than likely the radiator. I just want to be extra sure before I drop a few bills on a new radiator. Anyway, thanks in advance.

Sidestick

iTrader: (1)

Let the car idle & get really hot then shut it off before the fans come on & let it sit for about 10 mins. without letting the fans come on. Without any cooling with the engine running, the temp & press. in the cooling system will go up & should push coolant out thru any crack or crevice.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

your syptoms are the classic syptoms of fd radiator failure.
do yourself a favor and get a bigger radiator
how many miles are on the car? between 80k and 100k?

mike

007007

Yep. pretty much the same thing with mine. smelt coolant after i got back from a drive, woke up the next morning and had a huge puddle under the left side of the car.

Pressurised the system the next day and had coolant weeping from where the bottom tank butts up to the core. time for a new radiator.

jspecracer7

Same symptoms. I've been waiting for my Koyo forever from the rx7store. Good thing I have friends who already upgraded their radiators and let me have their stock one in the mean time. Be sure to ask Jason if he as the item in stock before you order.

rxshun7

I had a similar problem, but i think it was a combination of a bad radiator and a ruptured ast. I went ahead and replaced the radiator with a fluidyne, changed to an aftermarket ast, and changed the thermostat. If you are planning on modding the car and the car has a lot of miles, it would be best to change the radiator anyway sooner rather than later. An aftermarket radiator is a good investment.

Rated R1

Thanks for the replies guys. I always wanted a good aftermarket radiator. I guess my wife will let me buy one now. LOL

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

www.absoluteradiator.com

FD koyo $375, FD Fluidyne $430

Rated R1

Thanks goodfella I saw absolute when I did a search last night. I have read that some people have had fitment problems with the Koyo and the M2 airbox. Has anybody had experience with this? This is going to be my deciding factor between it or the Fluidyne.

RecKleSs

I'm using the Fluidyne rad and it is very well made. There was no problems installing the Fluidyne. I'm not too sure if the M2 and Fluidyne will have any fitment problems. I'm using the RE Amemiya intake. Try starting a new thread.

Good luck.

Redevvl

If you have the M2 airbox, the M2 radiator is a nice match with no fitment problems. I also have the M2 airbox and have the M2 radiator on its way from Jason. He recently got them in stock. They run $495.

Rated R1

I think I am going to go with the Koyo from absolute radiator if they have it in stock and if not then the Fluidyne. One last question though: I read on Steve Cirian's webpage that some radiators did not come with a plug. Does the Koyo and the Fluidyne come with the drain plugs?

tlmuas

Or if you don't have the cash, take it in to a radiator shop and have them pressure test it and fix it for you for like 80 bucks. It'll run like new again. Sometimes it gets clogged up and slows the flow down. I pretty much got my aluminum AST with the radiator flushed clean at the radiator shop, the car seems to run pretty good. I also drive with my parking lights on too to switch the fan on at lower temps. The way to go is Fluidyne for better cooling if you've got the dough.

Blackbeast

Hi!

I am using Koyo Aluminum with Apexi intakes, bought for the same price $375 from Phase 2 Motortrend.com. As far as I know all radiator should and must have a drain plug, at least the ones I have seen i.e Koyo & Fluidyne has them.

I just dropped by Phase 2 yesterday to pickup my shift ****, and they have the Fluidyne in stock, they told me Fluidyne is moving to East Cost and will not be available until late September. So if you want the fluidyne now is the best time, ofcourse I am very satisfied with my KOYO too.

Good luck.

Timmy

GoRacer

iTrader: (2)

That's about when everyon's will fail. You can go to a radiator shop and have them put a new plastic tank if you only have moths in your wallet.

I really wanted the M2 when mine went out but they didn't have them in stock and I couldn't wait two weeks, so Phase2MotorTrend had a Fluidyne for me the very next day.

btw: the box will fit in the trunk but you won't be able to close the hatch.

suprfast

i have the koyo and i am not at all happy with it. i feel that tehre was less hassle with the stock one, but i did not have a temp gauge at the time to prove that fact. right now i am noticing temps rocketing well past the 220's driving around town. i have to keep the heater on and the fans on sometimes to keep from seeing anything around the 230 range. it really pisses me off that there was so much hype and all my fixes to help the problem have failed. i guess all i can do now is attempt to seal off the RAD sides completely so air has to flow through the RAD. if that does not work i will be putting in the stocker again and selling the koyo. if the stocker yields better results i will let you know.
BTW, i am using a defi water temp gauge that has been tapped into the water outlet by the thermostat.
kris

TwinTurboR1

Have You replaced your thermostat? The Koyo should keep the temp down better than stock just look at the size difference.

Dan Johnson

suprfast

i replaced everything when i did the koyo. well short of all the little coolant hoses that i will eventually track down, but i replaced the hoses that were connected to the AST and cap. also the radiator hoses thermostat, with new ring. i did it all how i feel is right. didnt do a waterpump. just getting a tad frustrated with the deal. does closing off the sides of the RAD really help?
kris

the_glass_man

iTrader: (2)

Better make sure you have no air in the system. There is no way the car should be that warm. I don't think the Koyo is at fault. Its the best radiator out there for these cars, better then the plastic endtake stocker.

suprfast

well i am almost positive that there is no air in the system. i disconnected the H2O hose by the throttle body and filled the filler neck until water poured out. then i connected the hose and continued to burp the system. i have driven the car around town, to SAC and back(2 hour drive) and so on and dont have a slightest leak. my water when i check is always filled most of the way up on the water neck and is atleast, if not more than half full in the AST. is there anyone around here(mosesto, fresno, merced) that can take a look at it. i feel ive done everything right. i have about a 70/30 ratio of water to AF and a bottle of water wetter which helped in absolutley no way. it may go up to ricks so he can take a look at it and also check out the ABS light dillema. im running WAY low on funds since the PFC is in the mail. i also have a DP to get rid of the under hood temps. WHAT CAN I DO GUYS.
kris
sorry for taking over the post whomever started it

the_glass_man

iTrader: (2)

Hmm, I would check it out, but I'm not very close. My Girls dad lives in between Modesto and Merced, in Stevenson I believe.
I would try draining and purging the system again. You also want to get that water wetter out of there, because that $hit eats coolant seals!!!

suprfast

yeah i just heard that the redline eats coolant seals too. i have flushed it a few times with no luck. i am guessing that i will need to do a REAL flushing this time. does anyone have a write up on flushing everything from the FD. i found out how to drain the block, but i want to find out how to clean everything on the inside. should i just get some of the prestone FLUSH stuff from kragen? if i flush it do i need to use distilled water. i fill it with distilled when i run it though.
kris

Rated R1

I ended up getting the Koyo from R Xecret. Tony was a very nice guy to deal with and I would definitely do business with him in the future. The install was kind of a pain because I had the brackets put on wrong. But once I put them on it slipped right in. I did have to trim a mounting bracket that holds one of the oil cooler lines. Overall, I am very pleased with the Koyo so far.

juliof

The cooling fans kick on to low speed at 230F this will not change with a bigger rad, so if you are seeing these temps in traffic its normal.But you shouldnt see those temps at cruise at all, generally temps fall under 200F when moving.

Redevvl

Whoops, already replied, sorry.