I've always liked Griffin radiators. Never a bad one yet in my cars.
Are all radiator brands about the same?
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I asked Spectra about "Made in Canada". Maybe maybe not depending on model was the answer. I told them i wont buy a Chinese product and they asked which model i was looking at.
Part# CU2740 2005 Acura MDX Touring.
No answer from them so i guess China!
Part# CU2740 2005 Acura MDX Touring.
No answer from them so i guess China!
Trav, thanks for doing that little bit of investigation. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do (replace radiator, just add ATF cooler, etc).
Anything you can buy from JEGS should be ok.
Summit Racing should have good ones.
Anything from Autozone.. might as well go to a scrapyard, depending (salvage yard, sorry.) You will get used OEM. Better than Mexico stuff from Autozone.
Summit Racing should have good ones.
Anything from Autozone.. might as well go to a scrapyard, depending (salvage yard, sorry.) You will get used OEM. Better than Mexico stuff from Autozone.
I've had 3 spectras all made in canada also all installed in different gm's never a issue. 50+k on the current one. Works well still.
On the Ford diesels there is considerable cooling to be had with the oil to water cooler, especially at low speed where the airflow is limited. I burned up a trans that had only the oil to air cooler. Ford warrantied the trans and upgraded the radiator to one with cooler inside as part of the warrantee. I think they realized they had made a mistake on the first one.
Ready Rad is commonly available at many auto-parts stores. Keep you paperwork. While they are not real bad, I replaced the same radiator 3 times under warranty for one of my commercial accounts. I then ordered a fourth, from a second source. They had a different part number label stuck on top of the ready rad label. Needless to say that one wasn't acceptable. Back to a third source and I am now holding thumbs that this one will be OK. The particular vehicle may have some cooling issues, not sure but we don't ask that many questions from out commercial accounts.
Originally Posted By: partspro
Ready Rad is commonly available at many auto-parts stores. Keep you paperwork. While they are not real bad, I replaced the same radiator 3 times under warranty for one of my commercial accounts. I then ordered a fourth, from a second source. They had a different part number label stuck on top of the ready rad label. Needless to say that one wasn't acceptable. Back to a third source and I am now holding thumbs that this one will be OK. The particular vehicle may have some cooling issues, not sure but we don't ask that many questions from out commercial accounts.
i have a rough time with '''ready rad'' name brand the package says made in Mexico [repackaged there Mexico] but made in china [tag ] this is part of NAFTA repackaging !!! on over 10 of them have been tried at a failure rate from opening box to pressure test before running the engine ...is 70 % !!!so junk parts have short time of glory and money saved ! if it costs a bit more for the better plus time is not wasted and money not is lost......
Ready Rad is commonly available at many auto-parts stores. Keep you paperwork. While they are not real bad, I replaced the same radiator 3 times under warranty for one of my commercial accounts. I then ordered a fourth, from a second source. They had a different part number label stuck on top of the ready rad label. Needless to say that one wasn't acceptable. Back to a third source and I am now holding thumbs that this one will be OK. The particular vehicle may have some cooling issues, not sure but we don't ask that many questions from out commercial accounts.
i have a rough time with '''ready rad'' name brand the package says made in Mexico [repackaged there Mexico] but made in china [tag ] this is part of NAFTA repackaging !!! on over 10 of them have been tried at a failure rate from opening box to pressure test before running the engine ...is 70 % !!!so junk parts have short time of glory and money saved ! if it costs a bit more for the better plus time is not wasted and money not is lost......
Napa's radiators are supplied by Spectra.
One of the plastic tanks on my truck's OE rad cracked back in March due to old damage from a wreck that finally opened up, spraying coolant everywhere. I needed to get to work the next day, so my choices were pretty much Spectra and Ready Rad since those were the two that were immediately available. My cousin has a commercial account with Napa, so I rolled the dice with them. Both brands offer lifetime warranties.
My radiator was $125 with a commercial discount, compared to about $170 retail in store for either Spectra or Ready Rad. The radiator came in a Napa box, but everything inside the box was from Spectra down to the instructions. Both the box and radiator were labeled "Made in Canada."
So far, so good. Fitment was perfect. The radiator dropped right in and mounted up to the factory mounting points without any issues. No adapters or Mickey Mouse make your own radiator stuff...it was a true direct fit. Hose neck locations were also a perfect match for OE along with the fittings for the trans lines. So far no leaks or any quality issues to speak of. I am happy with it.
FWIW, my OE radiator was made by Johnson Controls apparently. It had Johnson Controls and Carlisle stamped on one of the plastic tanks. I think Carlisle made the tanks and Johnson Controls made the metal parts and finished assembly.
One of the plastic tanks on my truck's OE rad cracked back in March due to old damage from a wreck that finally opened up, spraying coolant everywhere. I needed to get to work the next day, so my choices were pretty much Spectra and Ready Rad since those were the two that were immediately available. My cousin has a commercial account with Napa, so I rolled the dice with them. Both brands offer lifetime warranties.
My radiator was $125 with a commercial discount, compared to about $170 retail in store for either Spectra or Ready Rad. The radiator came in a Napa box, but everything inside the box was from Spectra down to the instructions. Both the box and radiator were labeled "Made in Canada."
So far, so good. Fitment was perfect. The radiator dropped right in and mounted up to the factory mounting points without any issues. No adapters or Mickey Mouse make your own radiator stuff...it was a true direct fit. Hose neck locations were also a perfect match for OE along with the fittings for the trans lines. So far no leaks or any quality issues to speak of. I am happy with it.
FWIW, my OE radiator was made by Johnson Controls apparently. It had Johnson Controls and Carlisle stamped on one of the plastic tanks. I think Carlisle made the tanks and Johnson Controls made the metal parts and finished assembly.
Ready Rad would not be my first choice. We had alot of them 'bent'. That is not straight between the plastic tanks. Never had an issue with them cooling OK, but I had the same situation as one of the previous posters. Repeat failures, find another source, AND when it arrived it was a re-labeled Ready Rad.
Radiators and A/C condensers are the main two auto parts that I won't buy online because they so often have bent fins right out of the brand new undamaged box.
So therefore I want to inspect it and get a pristine one before checking out at the register, because these fin dents and mashed places greatly affect cooling performance.
So therefore I want to inspect it and get a pristine one before checking out at the register, because these fin dents and mashed places greatly affect cooling performance.
3 years ago my OEM radiator died on the Ranger. I replaced it quickly with a Ready-Rad. That lasted 1 year. I replaced it again with another Ready-Rad warrantied out. That lasted 3 months. I purchased a Visteon (OEM for that truck) and no issues since. I had to get a little stern for O'Reilly's to give me my money back rather than another Ready-Rad...but I got it. I will not buy another Ready-Rad.
This makes me kinda laugh, in a way. People talk about European cars being 'expensive' to maintain. The OEM radiators are usually made by Behr for my BMW's. An OEM Behr, or Nissens (I've seen hundreds of them used, never seen one fail prematurely) can be had for <$200, and lasts as long as it's supposed to. Sometimes for <$150, and are readily available all over the web. I have a feeling the radiator for my truck is going to cost quite a bit more.
Originally Posted By: CErnst
3 years ago my OEM radiator died on the Ranger. I replaced it quickly with a Ready-Rad. That lasted 1 year. I replaced it again with another Ready-Rad warrantied out. That lasted 3 months. I purchased a Visteon (OEM for that truck) and no issues since. I had to get a little stern for O'Reilly's to give me my money back rather than another Ready-Rad...but I got it. I will not buy another Ready-Rad.
Where did you find the Visteon?
3 years ago my OEM radiator died on the Ranger. I replaced it quickly with a Ready-Rad. That lasted 1 year. I replaced it again with another Ready-Rad warrantied out. That lasted 3 months. I purchased a Visteon (OEM for that truck) and no issues since. I had to get a little stern for O'Reilly's to give me my money back rather than another Ready-Rad...but I got it. I will not buy another Ready-Rad.
Where did you find the Visteon?
What does the mob here have to say about Denso radiators? I need to replace the one on my Frontier which failed at an embarrassingly-low mileage of 28,000. Nine years old, though. It leaks at the bottom where the fins are crimped (?) into the plastic tank bottom. Only 107 from Amazon.
Well, I will tell you mine. I bought a new radiator for my Sienna (the old one got damaged) and I bought it from sparkplugs.com I think. When it arrived it had a broken or bent something on it and when I called the vendor, they got a Denso engineer on the line and they were most helpful. Denso sent a new one via next-day air and a return tag for the old one. Besides being extremely apologetic they were very interested in knowing what went wrong with the one that was sent since there was no visible damage to the outside of the box.
Anyway, the quality of the aftermarket was the same as the OEM (same manufacturer) and that was many miles ago. So far no issues whatsoever. Like you, the Denso aftermarket one was just a bit over $100 vs. a Toyota branded one for a lot more.
Originally Posted By: Nayov
What does the mob here have to say about Denso radiators? I need to replace the one on my Frontier which failed at an embarrassingly-low mileage of 28,000. Nine years old, though. It leaks at the bottom where the fins are crimped (?) into the plastic tank bottom. Only 107 from Amazon.
Anyway, the quality of the aftermarket was the same as the OEM (same manufacturer) and that was many miles ago. So far no issues whatsoever. Like you, the Denso aftermarket one was just a bit over $100 vs. a Toyota branded one for a lot more.
Originally Posted By: Nayov
What does the mob here have to say about Denso radiators? I need to replace the one on my Frontier which failed at an embarrassingly-low mileage of 28,000. Nine years old, though. It leaks at the bottom where the fins are crimped (?) into the plastic tank bottom. Only 107 from Amazon.
Spectra >> Ready Rad or Tough One
Circling back around to this thread, I never did anything with the MDX's radiator. And, fortunately, the cooler fittings haven't gone south yet. But I feel that the longer I go, the longer I press my luck on what is a fairly widespread and documented problem (ATF cooler fittings failing, allowing the coolant and ATF to mix inside the radiator). The fittings on ours have some visible corrosion on the outside, but it's not too bad. The problem, here, is there is sometimes internal corrosion that hasn't yet made it to the outside. If you see corrosion on the outside, the advice is to change it, as there's probably corrosion on the inside as well. So I feel that I'm overdue on this.
Many Pilot/MDX/Ridgeline owners have found generally good success with Spectra Premium radiators. I can order these online from Amazon or eBay for about $100-120 delivered, but there are also numerous reports of damage in shipping (boxes damaged leading to fin damage, etc), so I prefer to buy locally for this. I got a 30% off promo code in my email this morning from Pep Boys, and that prompted me to actually buy one. Pep Boys sells the Spectra Premium brand, and the model for our MDX (CU 2740) is $199. With 30% off, my out the door price with tax is about $145, which is pretty reasonable. It should be to my local store on Thursday. I will inspect it for damage at the store before I take it home. Assuming it's not damaged, I plan to install that this weekend.
I will document with pictures and post a thread and link that here to close the loop on this.
Many Pilot/MDX/Ridgeline owners have found generally good success with Spectra Premium radiators. I can order these online from Amazon or eBay for about $100-120 delivered, but there are also numerous reports of damage in shipping (boxes damaged leading to fin damage, etc), so I prefer to buy locally for this. I got a 30% off promo code in my email this morning from Pep Boys, and that prompted me to actually buy one. Pep Boys sells the Spectra Premium brand, and the model for our MDX (CU 2740) is $199. With 30% off, my out the door price with tax is about $145, which is pretty reasonable. It should be to my local store on Thursday. I will inspect it for damage at the store before I take it home. Assuming it's not damaged, I plan to install that this weekend.
I will document with pictures and post a thread and link that here to close the loop on this.
Do you plan to do the Ridgeline too, or just wait a few more years before tackling that radiator? I know they used to have the same problem, but I'm not sure if they fixed the later years.
Wonder if it's worth popping the lines for a look-see.
Wonder if it's worth popping the lines for a look-see.
Originally Posted By: Nayov
What does the mob here have to say about Denso radiators? I need to replace the one on my Frontier which failed at an embarrassingly-low mileage of 28,000. Nine years old, though. It leaks at the bottom where the fins are crimped (?) into the plastic tank bottom. Only 107 from Amazon.
Denso makes a good OE and aftermarket radiator, i have no problems with them. Good fit and finish, well crimped and decent materials.
Spectra makes good stuff if its Made in Canada.
What does the mob here have to say about Denso radiators? I need to replace the one on my Frontier which failed at an embarrassingly-low mileage of 28,000. Nine years old, though. It leaks at the bottom where the fins are crimped (?) into the plastic tank bottom. Only 107 from Amazon.
Denso makes a good OE and aftermarket radiator, i have no problems with them. Good fit and finish, well crimped and decent materials.
Spectra makes good stuff if its Made in Canada.
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