Bad luck. I had some spare time last night and decided to replace the coolant and a new radiator cap. After driving the car today I checked under the hood and saw white spots and I immediately thought "******", radiator cracked along the top. Oh well, I guess it was about time since the radiator looks like it has not been replaced before. Maybe the new radiator cap held pressure too well and found the weak spot in the radiator. In the meantime, is it still ok to fill the expansion tank up and keep driving until I get the radiator replaced?

 

I would not risk driving it much. If not leaking of course you have a little time. Get it replaced asap. Overheating can be catastrophic for the engine...

 

Quite common. Denso aftermarket works fine.

 

Same story with mine. One day last summer I noticed the temp gauge had crept up toward hot. A quick check under the hood showed dried pink dots everywhere. I added coolant for a few days but then order a replacement. That’s where things got “interesting” - Replacement #1 ordered a NAPA Premium. Took it home, installed it, and it leaked in the nearly the same spot as the original. Replacement #2 ordered a Koyo HD via Amazon Prime. Got it in two days. I began assembling it. Then I noticed the fan shroud holes didn’t line up. Every hole was about a 1/4” off. After stepping back and looking closely at the radiator the whole thing was wracked (the whole rad was bent, the top and bottom tanks didn’t line up). I packed it up and it went back to Amazon. Replacement #3 by this point I was annoyed and needed the car back. I checked all the local auto part stores and only Autozone could get one quickly. I ordered it and picked it up that same afternoon. I was a little hesitant due to a rad’s importance and being leery of bargain basement parts. Well, it arrived in perfect shape, fit like OEM, has AZ’s replacement warranty, and l’ve been using it for a year without having to add a single drop of antifreeze.

 

This is not a joke. When I was in the indie shop there was a RX350 next to mine and they were putting in a used engine. The tech got coolant all over the shop floor--I said that happens to me every time no matter how careful I am. Then, I said, what happened? They said owner overheated it.

 

Don't drive with a bad rad dude. Especially in a riot area.

 

Well, my radiator isn't leaking, but I did have a sudden split on my upper radiator hose while driving home from work Friday evening. I don't know if I missed something or what, but I just inspected them a few weeks ago and they felt great.

I was at a red light and my AC starting getting warmer, and then I looked at the temp gauge and it was at 3/4 or so!! Anyway, I cut everyone off and pulled into a parking lot and then had it towed home. I'm glad I was paying attention and also that I wasn't somewhere I couldn't pull off safely.