Radiator Seepage

[Mr Ramsey]

I have a 5.7L Hemi in my 2012 Ram Tradesman (2d, 8ft bed)

Found a small seepage on the bottom of my radiator, along with an odor of antifreeze, (but no heating issues). Have looked for the leak to JB Weld a patch, but cannot see source of the leak with the engine off and shroud, fan etc. moved back and cannot see radiator with truck running because of all the stuff in the way. Thinking my best option is to just buy a new radiator and DIY the install.

My question; Should I spend 3x the price to get an OEM from moparpartsgiant.com? Is OEM really superior in quality, or would I just be paying for the symbols? I have found several aftermarket varieties on Amazon and RockAuto, with much better pricing, but am unsure of quality. Dealer wants literally 10x the price of some of the aftermarket ones, but I think moparpartsgiant.com despite their draconian return policies, might be my best source for OEM, if they are infact real OEM parts. Any advice or information would be incredibly useful. Thank you.

Also, I seem to be having trouble finding the proper antifreeze. Dealer tells me I cannot use anything but dealer supplied, but I think that sounds fishy. Does anyone know how to determine definitively, which is the proper kind?

 

[LeeD]

I’ve had good luck with aftermarket radiators in the past but that was 20 years ago
You should be able to find Chrysler specific antifreeze locally or even from RockAuto.

 

[aszumilo]

You can get the Mopar antifreeze from Summit, for about $24 a gallon.

Pardon Our Interruption

I used Zerex G05 in my 2011. If you go with this, I recommend flushing the cooling system to get all the old stuff out.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/zerex/oil--chemicals---fluids/antifreeze/antifreeze---coolant---vehicle-specific/df3a6469dc0a/zerex-1-gallon-yellow-concentrate-antifreeze-coolant/afza/g05/v/a/97149/automotive-truck-2011-ram-1500

Also, for a full fill/replacement, make sure you get the concentrate and not the pre-mixed stuff. Pre-mixed is usually a couple of bucks cheaper, but you'll need more of it. That makes it cost more. Pre-mix is usually for topping off.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I typically try to go OEM on something like a radiator. Greater liklehood it'll be made to meet OEM specs. Mainly b/c Mopar is probably sourcing top tier radiators ...their quality controls is probably better. Those are assumptions..but some I've deemed to generally be true for 'most' oem parts. If the truck is nice and you depend on it, that's one thing. If it's a beater, then aftermarket is probably better. But like you, I look at cost too. So ya have to weigh the costs.

I've had some aftermarket radiators for some vehicles (not Ram's) I've used in the past successfully. Then, on the other hand the aftermarket radiator I put into my Jetta TDI is NOWHERE close to the quality or cooling capacity of the OEM radiator. In fact in traffic the car wants to heat up where it NEVER did that in the past. Of course I didn't know how different they were going to be until I had the new one unboxed side-by-side with the original radiator. And I didn't buy the cheapest aftermarket radiator either. In that case I would have been better off trying to buy a better radiator closer to OEM ...or OEM. But then, it's a seldom-driven car so, it works fine most of the time. I did put an AC delco radiator in my H3 and that was an exact replacement. I'm glad I did. Been a good radiator. No problems.

You really need to compare the actual specs of each radiator...the one you're looking at to the OEM one. Little details matter. Passages? How many, how large? Construction type. How many fins per inch? The type of plastic? Every aftermarket radiator is going to say "highest quality" and "Meets or exceedes OEM specs". But if costs are a driving force, just find a good one from RockAuto and hopefully it'll be fine for you.

Also check your truck's coolant water chemistry. Did something cause your radiator to corrode and leak? Was the coolant old or out of spec? Could be. A lot of radiator and heater core problems are caused by coolant out of the correct pH range ... or if there's stray voltage in the system galvantically 'eating' the metal away. It gets acidic too after a while. PH is logarithmic so a little off the scale translates to a LOT being either too basic or acidic. Coolant strips are not accurate enough. Get a $10 ebay pH tester which you calibrate. I have three so I can I tripple-check..and I find them spot-on. I test my vehicles every year. Probably needs to be done again, now that I think about it. Correct by adding a pinch or two of Citric acid to go up the acidic scale, or Sodium Hydroxide to go more basic. 8.6-8.9 is the target to shoot for, and you cant get that precise with test strips. Yes, antifreeze has inhibitors too ...but get the pH as close as you can. Ensure good coolant make-up so your new radiator (and heater core) lasts a long time. Science tells the story:



Also check your coolant hoses too. A small leak at the clamp or a small almost-invisible stream of a leak could be spraying onto the radiator. Maybe it's not the radiator but a hose leak shooting an invisible stream onto the radiator?? Probably not, but everything is possible and it's happened to others. Use distilled water from the store...not tap water ..if you change your coolant.

So, do your checking... I'm sure the right aftermarket radiator will be fine. (fingers crossed). Good luck