It looks like the copper rods from the troyer efan kit have rubbed a hole in my radiator. I ordered the new mounting bracket and I'll get a new radiator too but what is the gold colored oil that is leaking from the same area? These radiators are dual core right? What does that mean? Ive been keeping an eye on all the guages and everything seems to be working fine but I can't figure out where this oil is coming from. Any ideas, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

My 04 and my 07 have Gold colored antifreeze. I expect yours does too.

 

this is not antifreeze. the anitfreeze is the dried white crystalline stuff all over the front of the motor. This is definitely an oil of some kind. Not motor oil. It's way to clean. Has no smell. It's a light gold colored oil. It's mostly on the passenger side and seems to be accumulating under the radiator and occasionally drips onto the garage floor. Are the any oil lines that run through the radiator for any systems?

 

all the oils in the truck have a distinctive smell to them. only oil is the tranny fluid going through the coolers but thats red. but i guess just check all of the fluid levels and see what it could be. gold oils are only gear oil and motor oil but you would definately smell the gear oil. and the motor oil depends on how old it is. but since its in the front of the truck i would think it is antifreeze too.

 

Looks like it may be the same thing as this thread:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/en...help-pics.html

 

Most long-life anti freezes form a white almost talc powder like residue when they dry. I can almost guarantee you that it is Ford Long Life Gold Coolant.

In answer to your question about "dual core radiator", I think they use a single core now. My '99 was a 2 row core. My '02 was a single row core. Both had the tow package. A lot of people think that the single row core is somehow inferior to a 2 row core. I would personally rather have a single row core. They cool every bit as good as a 2 row and maybe better and are less complex (less chance of a leak in the core) There's more to the story but i won't bore you with it here.

 

Please bore me with that story...I would like to hear your logic on that one. I had a single core (as most do) when I bought my trailer and started towing a lot. The new radiator more than cured the overheating problems I was having and then some. It is so efficient my second fan doesn't even turn on anymore. It was almost impossible to get the truck warm enough to even set the turn on temps for my second fan.

 

ok, does the antifreeze have an oily substance that would separate when it dries?

 

the antifreeze is 50/50 mix. the water probably evaporated and left pure antifreeze behind. pure antifreeze feels kinda oily slick.

 

That makes sense. I'm just gonna order the new radiator. If the leak stops then I'll have identified the oily substance.

How do I tell if I have the stardard duty or heavy duty radiator? Are they different sizes? If I order the heavy duty and have the standard, will it still fit?

 

The dual core radiator is substantially thicker than a single.

When I did this on my 98, the only thing I had to change was the fittings for my transmition lines. I just got one at the junk yard off of a F-250.(hint, hint) It came stock dual core radiator anyways. My shroud did not go back on, because, I hate having to work around them, but, that is just me.

If you are ordering a *NEW* radiator, then, I would say that you should not have to change anything, just use your old fittings. As far as the shroud goes, I am not certain.

And my 2 cents comparing the single and dual core argument, the dual core is FAR MORE superior to the single. Always has been and always will be.

 

You can also get a brand new 2 core from just about any radiator shop. Just tell them you want a radiator for a '97 F-250 LD. It should come in as the correct one. You can tell the 2 core because it's twice as thick as the single core. All the other dimensions are identical, this the reason it will bolt right in. Should be no moddifications required to the trans lines either...mine didn't.

I do respectfully have to say I disagree with running a mechanical fan without a shroud. The shroud is what makes the fan soo efficient and can actually drastically effect cooling ability. My radiator would accept the stock shroud just fine...but I already had the electrics.

I'm with you though...I can't wait for this guy to come back and tell us how the stock, single core radiator is superior.

 

I'll be back, Galaxy, just been more than a little bit busy.

 

The only mod (for lack of better term) I had to do was, change the fitting that is inserted in the radiator to accept the F-150 transmition line. The 250 line this one accepted was a size larger. (May have been the difference in the LD and the HD version?.)

As for the shroud, I agree with you on the cooling efficency. I am planning on doing a lightning swap in the near future as well, and, the e-fans were in the plan when I did this as well. I just had to switch priority for a while before I could buy them...

 

I've already got the efans. Shroud is a non issue. Ordered the new radiator from fordparts.com for about $150 less than the local stealership price. They looked up the VIN determined it's a dual core. Thanks for all the input. I'll be back if I have any trouble with the install.