Need a Radiator - Thoughts on eBay ones?

[redfarmer84]

hey guys.....new to the forum and own a few dodge trucks and several over the years. i guess it is a good thing that I haven't been here until now cause the trucks have been so trouble free!!!!! haha.

Noticed a coolant smell coming from the 2002 Dodge 1500 (4.7 engine with 120,000 miles) and its been smelling that way for about a year now. I have known about the neck on the overflow bottle leaking for about 4 years but it was so small you couldn't even call it a "leak". Left it alone until last month when I bought a new one and put it on. Within the past year though....the coolant smell got strong to the point it reminded me to change the bottle. Now.....I still smell it and that made me investigate further. The reservoir was a little bit low (about a quart or so), so I filled it up, then placed a fresh sheet of cardboard under the truck to see if there were any leaks from the installation of the bottle or anywhere else. I let the truck run for about 10 minutes with the heater on high to circulate everything and noticed there was a leak coming from the 2 front hoses to one of the coolers. Well.....looking further I found that it wasn't coming from there but there was about a 2 inch long crack in the plastic tank on the right side of the radiator!!! Now I need a New Radiator. I saw some on eBay for about $70 - $80 with free shipping and they say they are OE quality. Well.....looking at the OE MOPAR ones, those are $200 plus on eBay; so have any of you tried the cheaper option?? Have any expierence with those? Any other suggestions? would like to avoid paying $200 if i can since there seems to be a "good" one for less. I will be installing it myself.

Sorry for the long post, I just like to give you a good history and synopsis of what the situation is!

 

[RonJon '06]

Welcome to RF. I replaced mine a year ago but got the $250 variety.....no problems so far.

 

[MegaMouseGW]

Never trust an e-bay radiator or you will have to buy a second one. Best thing to do is to go to a radiator shop and get a good double or triple pass radiator. By replacing the single pass oem radiator for a double or triple pass radiator you increase the cooling efficiency of the system and the life of the motor.

This is what I stuck in my daughters truck: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-380319-3/overview/

Not much modifying to make it fit, but it was tight.

 

[redfarmer84]

Anyone else have any expierence with them? Just wondering the difference between OEM, O'reillys choice, and the eBay one. Not really looking for a "high performance" one that I will have to make fit.

 

[hotkarl]

It's not about high performance with the 4.7
Heat kills them dead! For the benefit of your engine (& ultimately your wallet) don't cut corners on your cooling for a 4.7

 

[MegaMouseGW]

It's not about high performance with the 4.7
Heat kills them dead! For the benefit of your engine (& ultimately your wallet) don't cut corners on your cooling for a 4.7

^^^^ This. The 4.7l engines are very prone to heat death. So a high performance radiator is very good insurance. The one I linked only needed a couple brackets made so it could be secured in my daughters truck properly. Not a biggy at all, just a bit of time to do the job right the first time.

If it comes down too it you may look into getting an SRT10 radiator. It should drop right in with no modifying at all.

 

[redfarmer84]

Thank you for the input. Basically I am just scared about the modifying to fit becuase the truck is my grandfathers and he is having his mechanic put it in. I wouldn't want to get the call saying "hey you ordered me the wrong radiator because Mr. Jones said it doesn't fit". His truck has the different smaller radiators on it too (trans cooler, a/c cooler??). Would the Summit Racing radiator you linked work with all of that? If we go with the better radiators like you suggest, would like to keep it around the $200 range without getting too much more than that. Which SRT 10 radiator you talking about? the OEM one or aftermarket?

I need to get something ordered today.

 

[KGBIGCOUNTRY]

See if its splitting in the seam on the side. Its a know issue with them if thats the case and the dealership has an updated style. I had mine replaced years ago.

 

[redfarmer84]

See if its splitting in the seam on the side. Its a know issue with them if thats the case and the dealership has an updated style. I had mine replaced years ago.

Nope....its a crack right in the front about 2 inches long. it's on the upper right side of the radiator looking from front on the plastic part.

 

[redfarmer84]

Thank you for the input. Basically I am just scared about the modifying to fit becuase the truck is my grandfathers and he is having his mechanic put it in. I wouldn't want to get the call saying "hey you ordered me the wrong radiator because Mr. Jones said it doesn't fit". His truck has the different smaller radiators on it too (trans cooler, a/c cooler??). Would the Summit Racing radiator you linked work with all of that? If we go with the better radiators like you suggest, would like to keep it around the $200 range without getting too much more than that. Which SRT 10 radiator you talking about? the OEM one or aftermarket?

I need to get something ordered today.

Just wondering if anyone had anything to add to what I said/asked as quoted above. Thanks!

 

[hotkarl]

I'm interested in this as well. I'm most likely gonna put a new upgraded 4.7 in, so I'd like to also upgrade the cooling system.

 

[redfarmer84]

Thank you for the input. Basically I am just scared about the modifying to fit becuase the truck is my grandfathers and he is having his mechanic put it in. I wouldn't want to get the call saying "hey you ordered me the wrong radiator because Mr. Jones said it doesn't fit". His truck has the different smaller radiators on it too (trans cooler, a/c cooler??). Would the Summit Racing radiator you linked work with all of that? If we go with the better radiators like you suggest, would like to keep it around the $200 range without getting too much more than that. Which SRT 10 radiator you talking about? the OEM one or aftermarket?

Still looking for some input on the message quoted above. Thanks guys...