Had my accessory belts replaced today at a reputable 3rd party and the guy told me that since my radiator was turning green in color on the top, that it was about to crack and fail. The hot AZ summer has an adverse affect on rads. Realize the car is 16 years old but only 72k miles, has anyone else ever heard this or been told something similar?

 

Can you inspect the solder connection around the filler "neck" for cracks? I'd get a second inspection/opinion. I understand wanting to catch it early. If it does need replacing, I imagine there are a few things like hoses that should be done as well.

 

Everything looks in tact. Basically I think I'm gonna sleep on it. The sky will fall eventually, but who knows when...

 

Rent a pressure tester and see if you can get the radiator to leak coolant. You can also spray soapy water along the top seam to see if it will bubble while testing. Many oem radiators crimp on the plastic end tanks that fail over time.

 

Isn't the radiator under pressure as you drive the car? Maybe a naive question but just curious about the need for a pressure tester. I've looked over the entire unit (as much as I can see) and especially where the hoses meet the radiator and I don't see anything suspect right now. I used to live next to a Toyota mechanic and talked to him about the issue, bottom line is he had an 01 Avalon and didn't replace the rad in his car until he had 250k miles and that was only because his wife rear ended somebody. I think I'm going to leave well enough alone.

Thanks for the input.

 

pressure will build as you drive the car but its hard to look at any sources of leaks when driving If there is enough pressure build up, you can find yourself in an overheat situation with the coolant boiled out.
A pressure tester is a safe way to discover leaks when the motor is cold. If it holds pressure then rest assured there are no cracks.
Having lived in AZ for quite sometime, i've encountered alot of shops that try to scare customers into unnecessary upgrades with cooling systems.

 

Good point of course I guess I meant to say that I have looked at the car right after driving it and all looked well. Thanks for the info. I've decided to fix it when it breaks. Maybe use the AAA service for once.