Leaking Radiator
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Panama City, FL
Leaking Radiator
Not much in the Search, so I figured I'd throw this out...
I developed a leak in the (Supercool) radiator of my '99 F-150 XLT 2WD 5.4L at 102K. The coolant was replaced at 70K. The leak was at the top of the passenger side. My first notification was the smell.
After checking on replacement costs (roughly $250 - $300 w/o labor), I decided I'd take it downtown to the friendly Radiator repair shop to see if it was repairable. The guy walked out when I pulled up, popped the hood and told me yep, it's the same as all the other ones.
Apparently, he fixes a lot of Ford light truck radiators. He told me they aren't very strong where the cores meet the header tank, and that's where they let go.
He also said the aluminum cores are really bad about clogging.
So, if you develop an extra hole or two in your radiator, you might want to save a chunk of change and get yours fixed rather than replacing it.
I developed a leak in the (Supercool) radiator of my '99 F-150 XLT 2WD 5.4L at 102K. The coolant was replaced at 70K. The leak was at the top of the passenger side. My first notification was the smell.
After checking on replacement costs (roughly $250 - $300 w/o labor), I decided I'd take it downtown to the friendly Radiator repair shop to see if it was repairable. The guy walked out when I pulled up, popped the hood and told me yep, it's the same as all the other ones.
Apparently, he fixes a lot of Ford light truck radiators. He told me they aren't very strong where the cores meet the header tank, and that's where they let go.
He also said the aluminum cores are really bad about clogging.
So, if you develop an extra hole or two in your radiator, you might want to save a chunk of change and get yours fixed rather than replacing it.