Lb7 aftermarket radiator..thoughts please

R

rjustman

New member
I have been posting about this truck I just recently purchased..I have tried to flush the radiator with purple power ,simple green etc etc..it's still plugged and truck is still getting hot while pulling..I bought a radiator from performance radiator in Phoenix and when I got it home and pulled it out it's tiny..it's only 1 7/16 inches thick..factory is over 2" thick..so I didn't install it..I took it back to radiator shop and told them that I must have the wrong radiator.we compared it to my brother in laws radiator on his half ton with the 5.3 and it looks like it's suppose to be in that truck..she (owner/manager)argued and argued and told me that you can't go off core thickness anymore with radiators.she told me that radiators are like your cell phone,the older dinosaurs were big and bulky..that's the same way with radiators..that they don't need thick cores anymore and you can't just go off core thickness..she guaranteed me that I couldn't get my truck hot using it..she's been doing this for 32 years she said and she sells 100 a day with not one single returned unit..

Looking at a mishmoto radiators they still run a 2.2" thick core for an lb7

What y'all think..install it or get money back and just pay a shop to clean out the one I have..an oem radiator is 4-500 bucks..

Richard
 
If they will take returns once it's used, go for it.

Did you clean the radiator externally too?
 
No matter which radiator you decide to install be sure to thoroughly flush they COMPLETE system as well as the block. You may want to take it to a local shop and have the system power flushed if you are seeing that much junk in it... Did someone use stop leak in it???

Get all the bad stuff out then install the new radiator and run a mix of water and coolant to prevent future rust and lubricate the cooling system. I would also recommend a dose of water wetter or Royal Purple Max Ice (or whatever it is called) to help cooling as well...
 
Yeah dude dumped 3 yes 3 bottles of stop leak in it to stop the adapter plate leak it had in it..I've already seen a drop in temps while pulling as we did a test run but it's still getting up there and I'm sure on a 5 mile plus grade like we have here I'll be pulling over to let her cool off..

I plan on buying come clr and a big big jug of that purple power and flushing it without thermostats in it..we did notice just filling radiator up with a diluted amount of purple power we were getting actual chunks out..but that radiator is heavy and you can tell it's got pluggage by the amount of time it takes to see water on other side when flushin it,while we had it out..I can't seem to get any chunks out of block,im sure there's stuff in it but we can put hose in the over flow and pull too hose while truck is running and no thermostats and it's all clear water..

I'm all ears guys I want a reliable truck I can use..I'm not looking for,peformance or anything just a usable truck..

Thanks

Richie
 
Have you properly fixed the leak?

If yes, then move on to getting the system professionally power flushed. You've got blockage in there that will be bad for the engine no matter which radiator you have out front...
 
Yes I fixed leak first week I had it..I didn't know I had a cooling problem till I hooked up to 5th wheel.where would I go for a pressure cleaning? I know a gm tech that said it's a waste of money to go through dealership..for what they use and do you can do better at home with what I'm doing..it just might take longer..

I'm not doubting you just asking where I might could go and what to ask for..

Thanks for the help.
 
Talk with a local diesel performance shop and see what they recommend... I've never had it done, but I know some shops have a machine that can reverse flush the cooling system under pressure and will keep flushing forward and backward until the system is clean and the contaminates are removed.

In the future never us a stop leak type of product, unless you are stranded and it is a life or death scenario as it will cause some serious damage to the truck.

Worse case scenario if you can't find a shop to do it, flush it multiple time the way you have been before installing the new radiator to keep from plugging it. I would think that in AZ you would have quite a few shops that do cooling system flushes.
 
10-4 I'll look into it..yeah I never use that stuff.the jacka$$ I bought the truck did to try and plug a hole the size of my thumb lol
 
Our 1990 BMW 535i had the previous owner treat the radiator too... it was fine while we lived in the Pacific Northwest, but when we moved down to Las Vegas we had to drive with the heater on to keep the car from overheating!!! When I replaced the radiator I cut the tanks off and found that 2/3 of the lower portion of the core wouldn't flow at all... I flushed it MANY times and it was good to go from then on.
 
Just found a local radiator shop that'll tear it down rod flush and tank it with new end tank for 110out the door
 
Called 2 performance shops,a few lube drops,and a dealership and none of them said they had the tools to clean the cooling system under pressure by back flushing,regular flushing,and back and forth..no one..
 
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