3 radiators in 2 months top seal leak

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This is crazy...
2002 Honda Accord V6
AAP radiators keep leaking at the top seam... its seaping out.. Everyone at work said change the Thermostat.. I not only changed the thermosat but put on new silcone hoses... Okay no new leak for about a week then poof all of sudden i see fluid seaping out the top... I tried KOYO RAD and our house brand. Im not sure what to do.

Anyone know what can cause that????

Water pump is new no leak any place else

Also used Penofrost blue Honda Coolant.... been using it for years.

Also I bought a new MADE IN JAPAN Radiator cap..

I just dont want to keep doing this job over and over again... Also the car does not overheat....
 
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Is it just possible that we have crappy radiators where I work?
I want a denso but there is a long wait on them on amazon and i have a lifetime warrenty on the one at work... Co Workers tell me that some are good and some are bad its just luck...
 
After three (I am guessing they're all covered by a warranty) then I'd pay the price and get one from the dealership. There is a glut of cheap junk autoparts being sold through the big box stores.
 
OEM should be a Denso, which can be had from RockAuto for ~$70. This is what I'd use. Or a Denso from the supplier you choose.

I've never had a problem out of a Koyo though either.
 
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Three radiators. I'd be fighting them for $$ or credit for my time reinstalling the garbage they're selling. After two I would have sourced a radiator elsewhere.
 
Cheap crap parts, I went through this for a long time with one bum new part after another from these low rent parts places now I only use them if I have to. Get your money back and buy a Denso from Rock, they are decent.
Sometimes OE is the best way but sometimes the the prices seem they have been conjured up by some crack smoking fiend and other times actually cheaper than aftermarket it always pays to check the price at the OE dealers first online and at the dealership sometimes you can save on the shipping and have it the next day.

There was another thread where someone was concerned that the Denso is now made in China, the common misconception is Chinese is Chinese and its all crap. Nothing could be further from the truth, there are some legit Chines companies that make good quality products and stand by them and put their name on it. Look at everyones favorite power tools Milwaukee, Chinese owned and manufactured tools produced under an old good US brand name.

There are companies like Denso, Hella, Bosch, Hilti, Behr, Etc that produce very high quality parts in plants they own and control then others like the hose/line manufacturer like Sunsong who are Chinese but produce a high quality product and do not try the hide the fact they are Chinese, the lines they make rival OE in many cases and generally are much better than Edelmann or Gates.
Some Saab and VW OE lines rotted out faster than a toupee getting blown away in a fan factory, the Sunsong are a much heavier wall tube, proper spec hoses and good crimps and they fit perfectly on top of that, they are also much more corrosion resistant. OE Saab line almost $400 Sunsong $75, you don't buy OE.

The parts AA and some of the other sell are the lowest of the low when it comes to their house brands, it is lowest bidder crap from low quality sweatshops in any number of countries with fancy packaging, I swear sometimes the packaging and printing of the boxes cost more than the trash inside.
 
Who manufactures the house brand for AAP?

I bought a AAP/Carquest for my Toyota pickup back in March of this year, and the box label was plainly marked Spectra Premium. Working good so far.

I do know how you feel though about getting bad parts. The Cardone reman power steering pumps from AAP were a nightmare.
 
I put a denso radiator in my 02 accord 4cyl about a month ago and all is good. I bought it from rock auto. I bought two radiators and two condensers from them and they were packaged very nice.
 
Get a Denso, IME with Honda/Acura the Honda/Acura Service Denso is indistinguishable from an Aftermarket Denso save the "Honda" on it and a couple hundred out of your wallet.
 
5+ years ago I installed a TYC radiator in an 01 Civic purchased from Amazon, perfect fit and still working fine. Turned out the box said Koyo Rad, made in China.

If I had to purchase now, I'd likely go with the Denso for name brand and extra peace of mind. As fyi, last Denso radiator I purchased for a Tacoma not long ago, was made in China. Seems it's become similar to rotors with the brand behind it being an important factor imo.

I will say, the 3 rads in 2 months does leave open the possibility that something else may be going on.
 
If the front of the car is bent from a previous crash it may be putting the radiator in a mechanical bind. The radiator needs to "float" in its mountings.
 
I have replaced the radiator in my Integra and CRV with Denso parts from RA. They both have been trouble free for a few years now. FWIW the one in the CRV was made in China and the one for the Integra was made in Taiwan.
 
I had this issue when I replaced a rad several years ago. I finally dumped the new AAP rad cap and got one from the dealer. No more issues.
 
Originally Posted by BigD1
Who manufactures the house brand for AAP?

I bought a AAP/Carquest for my Toyota pickup back in March of this year, and the box label was plainly marked Spectra Premium. Working good so far.

I do know how you feel though about getting bad parts. The Cardone reman power steering pumps from AAP were a nightmare.


You don't really know as they change suppliers often depending on the lowest bidder for the contract. Whatever you do never buy a rack or pump, A/C compressor, or any reman part from these places the failure rate for most of these parts is astronomical.
 
My guess would be leaking upper hose at the clamp or a bad cap. Wash the coolant off with water, let it dry then start the car and stand there and watch until it leaks.
 
Originally Posted by JamesBond
My guess would be leaking upper hose at the clamp or a bad cap. Wash the coolant off with water, let it dry then start the car and stand there and watch until it leaks.

Yes, OP should look into this.They can mimic a top seal leak by dripping coolant into the same place. While three bad radiators in a row is possible, his luck has to be really bad to encounter this.

You said you bought a made in Japan cap. Is it OEM? Sometimes, OEM caps don't fit right onto aftermarket rads. If you don't put the old hose clamp back into the same groove on the hose, it can leak. While you're at it, might as well replace the old clamp for good measure.
 
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