Hey all,

A trusted mechanic told me it would be a good idea to replace the radiator on my 98 gs400 with 140k miles. The top part of the radiator can be described as dry or brittle looking. Looks like very fine hairline cracks if u will.

I have been searching but cannot find any regular replacement interval. No one seems to include this in their 100k service along with the waterpump tstat etc.

So long story short, what are signs of radiator needing replacement and about when should they be replaced anyways?

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 99 gs 300. Mine cracked the way you described around 190k I think. It wasn't a catastrophic failure. I would see a faint steam in the morning on my way to work. Realized it was cracking and got a new one off of rockauto for $100 shipped. I replaced it myself.

 

All depends on wear. If you're seeing wear then replace it.

The key thing is this is an infrequent maintenance item, much like timing belt maintenance. If this one made it 14years/ 140k miles, maybe you can expect the new one to last another 14years.

If you see yourself going to replace it within your lifespan, you might as well replace it as soon as it is convenient; and get some good use out of the new one(rather than push your luck and drive the old used one to the ground).

I regretted trying to last on old shocks for too long, thinking the old ones were still usable. Now I realize if i changed sooner I could've get more use out of the new shocks and a well-running car rather then suffering through with the old parts.

 

thanks for the sound advice guys, tiger do you mind linking me to which one @ rock auto you bought? You can pm me, sometimes CL deletes other websites links

much appreciated!

 

Hairline crack is the sign. 140k miles on a radiator is not bad, compare that to a BMW avg replacement every 50k.

 

Just checked. I bought SPECTRA PREMIUM Part # CU2222. Just saw I purchased it a little over a year ago. So the original one failed around 197-198k miles. This one has been fine and has about 13k on it.

 

When it starts leaking or signs of wear

 

When it leaks, replace it! But otherwise if you can see signs of the plastic starting to crack, or corrosion at the seams then it's a smart move to replace it as soon as it's convenient for you, it may save a tow and some headache down the road.

Unfortunately almost everything on a bimmer is a 'wearable' item, I have quite few friends that are into bimmers, and they are constantly replacing the same parts over and over, as well as all the typical electrical shorts and randomly working functions in the car. Very nice driving cars when new, but I'd never spend a dime on one that for sure. But after the first 50k time get friendly with the parts counter guy and a worn out debit card.

 

I replaced mine just recently. I still got 130k on mine. Nothing was wrong but I just figured replace it before it goes bad. Also replaced the thermostat and hoses at the same time.

 

Also keep in mind that once you do replace the radiator, a few mechanic friends suggested that you should do a radiator flush ATLEAST once a year. Depending on the type of weather climage you live in (since I'm in Houston I often do it twice due to our summer heat). Doing so does the following:
1)Remove rust and deposits from your cooling system,
2)New antifreeze has corrosion inhibitor
3)All the old antifreeze is removed and the pump is lubricated with a flush
4)New antifreeze will help the engine run at the proper temperature and prevent freezing (especially if you live in colder climate),
and if you're still not convinced? Remember that new antifreeze acts as a lubricator, keeping seals and gaskets lubed in your engine in addition to acting as a rust inhibitor. Blown head gaskets, leaking intake manifold gaskets, water pump replacement, heater core replacement and radiator replacement are all examples of expensive repairs that all could be caused by failure to change your coolant.

 

above is mostly sound preventative advice to change out the coolant more frequently (with the manufacturer specific coolant).

The only clarification of opinion I'd throw in is most people would say you want to do a coolant Drain and Fill, and not a Flush. Not sure if you really meant Flush or you really just meant a D/F

It's pretty much similar to the discussions on changing auto transmission fluid; you can just do this partial D/F on the radiator which is a quicker easier task that you can do more frequently.

 

I plan to replace the radiator + drain and refill.
I've already replaced the tstat at 120k miles with the timing belt etc. Ill add the hoses too

Thanks everyone for the insight, and thanks tiger for the part!

 

I meant a drain/fill - flushing it out. I'm sure some use different language, but essentially that's what I meant. And you are correct Ray! I'm about to replace my radiator soon as well. There are signs of leakage (I just closed in on 94k on my 05 GS430).

 

yea, flush typically means adding a chemical flush additive with water, or sometimes just completely "flushing" it with water until it runs out completely clear, then putting in right amount of coolant to get the right ratio (happens at the end of a chemical flush too).
So be careful if you're talking with a mechanic that you don't confuse these terms and get a service you didn't want.

then again, my pet peeve is people who use motor when they mean engine with respect to automotive repair; but i let it slide these days.

 

I bought 1 off of eBay for around 100 bucks shipped. LMK if you need help with dat install.
It worked pretty good btw