About to be new owner, radiator question

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Thu May 28, 2020 1:50 am

I had heard about it and was directed to Offroad Gorilla's site almost a year ago and they had a notice that due to problems, they were no longer selling them. Stillen also stopped selling them around the same time.


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Postby ShipFixer » Thu May 28, 2020 8:40 pm

smj999smj wrote:I had heard about it and was directed to Offroad Gorilla's site almost a year ago and they had a notice that due to problems, they were no longer selling them. Stillen also stopped selling them around the same time.
Ok, now I recall that. I get a "page not found" from Offroad Gorilla, but Google still has the cached version of that page for the 7029 (Frontier/Pathfinder/Xterra version).

Original link: http://www.offroadgorilla.com/shop/csf- ... inder-2005

Cached: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=us

Wondering if there wasn't a dispute about it, as I can't find any discussion on any forum via Google anymore, but I seem to recall it somewhere. Oh well.

Stillen is selling the CSF radiator for just about everything other than the VQ40DE trucks, and there are now several retailers selling the 7029 version. Since they're all pretty close in design, maybe there was a specific bad batch or something that Offroad Gorilla received, or something about the VQ40DE fitment (which again isn't that far off from the Titan or VQ37 stuff, so...)

Anyways, I can verify there are no leaks in mine :-D I had to go back and tighten one of the hoses because I was moving fast (and thought to myself on the highway...I wonder if I really tightened that one enough?) but that was my fault. I'm very happy with it, especially when it's hot out!

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby ikulichkin » Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:26 am

Hi All,

When changing radiator. Is it very beneficial to use the radiator flush?
If so, do I replace all antifreeze? The manual says there are 3.5 gallons of it.
From reading previous posts I understand either blue or green can be used. If i leave old green coolant in the system, is it ok to add blue one on top?
I have 2009 Pathy SE

Thanks!!

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby smj999smj » Wed Jun 10, 2020 1:45 am

Nissan has been using long-life (green) and extended long-life (blue) coolant for years; the blue coolant started being phased-in around 2010. They are actually Pentosin Pentafrost A2 (green) and Pentafrost A3 (blue), respectively. You can find the Pentosin in Autozone stores and some other part stores, as well as from Rockauto.com. The green coolant is sold as a concentrate (mix with distilled water) and the blue is sold only as a pre-mix. Green has an initial service interval of 90,000 miles and then at 60,000 mile intervals, thereafter. Blue is actually good for up to 135,000 miles, but Nissan calls for 105,000 mile intervals. They are completely cross-compatible, however, service life of the blue coolant will be lessened as per the amount of green coolant in it. It's hard to get all of the coolant out of the system, especially if you have rear heat. Unless you have some severe under-servicing issues with the coolant system, I wouldn't recommend using a chemical flush. If you replace the radiator and just drain the system, you will replace about 2-gallons of coolant. That should be fine, however, if you want to get more out and are bit of a glutton for punishment, there is a drain on the passenger side of the block that's a pain to get to, IIRC. Zerex Asian Blue coolant is a pretty good aftermarket alternative for the Nissan blue, as well.

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby cqe5009 » Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:23 am

I have a 2011 with 112k miles. I went to check my radiator part number and the sticker that contains the part number is missing. Any other way to determine the part number of the radiator?

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby ikulichkin » Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:48 pm

smj999smj wrote:
Wed Jun 10, 2020 1:45 am
Nissan has been using long-life (green) and extended long-life (blue) coolant for years; the blue coolant started being phased-in around 2010. They are actually Pentosin Pentafrost A2 (green) and Pentafrost A3 (blue), respectively. You can find the Pentosin in Autozone stores and some other part stores, as well as from Rockauto.com. The green coolant is sold as a concentrate (mix with distilled water) and the blue is sold only as a pre-mix. Green has an initial service interval of 90,000 miles and then at 60,000 mile intervals, thereafter. Blue is actually good for up to 135,000 miles, but Nissan calls for 105,000 mile intervals. They are completely cross-compatible, however, service life of the blue coolant will be lessened as per the amount of green coolant in it. It's hard to get all of the coolant out of the system, especially if you have rear heat. Unless you have some severe under-servicing issues with the coolant system, I wouldn't recommend using a chemical flush. If you replace the radiator and just drain the system, you will replace about 2-gallons of coolant. That should be fine, however, if you want to get more out and are bit of a glutton for punishment, there is a drain on the passenger side of the block that's a pain to get to, IIRC. Zerex Asian Blue coolant is a pretty good aftermarket alternative for the Nissan blue, as well.
I appreciate in depth answer. Feel confident now :D

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby ikulichkin » Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:50 pm

cqe5009 wrote:
Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:23 am
I have a 2011 with 112k miles. I went to check my radiator part number and the sticker that contains the part number is missing. Any other way to determine the part number of the radiator?
if you have 2011, you are most likely clear of any radiator problems. 2011 and 2012 years comes up around this forum quiet often and it looks like it's clear of pretty much all the bugs

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby smj999smj » Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:50 pm

The stickers were stuck on the radiators pretty well from the factory. If the sticker has fallen off, there should still be a sign of where it was on the top tank either in dried adhesive from the sticker or a rectangular discoloration where the sticker was. The Nissan tanks that I've seen also had "NISSAN" molded into the plastic tank on the passenger side. If that is missing and there is no evidence that a Calsonic label was actually on the tank, it's probably that somebody already replaced it with an aftermarket unit. While the failures in 2011 models are rare, I have heard of about three or four radiators between both Pathfinders and Frontiers that did fail and had the P/N 21460-ZL11A. I also heard of one Frontier owner with a 2013 model that had his cooler failure in his factory radiator, but I would call that a big exception to the norm. I've still yet to hear of a cooler failure on any of the aftermarket replacements for the 05+ Nissan trucks/SUV's.

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Help! SMOD Prevention--Lots of Research but Still Need Answers

Postby KFB » Sun Feb 14, 2021 9:38 am

Hi All. I'm new here, and this is my first post. I've got a 2008 Nissan Frontier automatic that has about 25,000 miles on it. After recently learning about the radiator transmission issue with these models, I've done a lot of research including on this forum, and I still have a lot of questions, especially given that some of the information seems conflicting. This section seems particularly relevant, both the initial post by jontyrees and all of the responses, given that he asks some of the questions that pertain to me and that I wanted to ask.

From my research so far, the problem seems to be a defective radiator where an internal cooler inside the radiator responsible for cooling the transmission fluid is defective, specifically "the metal tubes that separate engine coolant from transmission fluid crack over time. Cooant and transmission fluid mix through these cracks and subsequently cause transmission failure." I also spoke with several Nissan dealership, and one tech confirmed that the problem is a defective radiator and telling me that Nissan Corporate's official position is recommending replacement with the Advantage Value Line radiator (or even an OEM if I prefer) which is consistent with the problem as outlined above. However, a couple other Nissan dealerships including the one where I will likely have the work done recommended an "External Cooler Kit" to completely bypass the radiator which should definitely keep radiator fluid out of the transmission. They said that even a new non-defective radiator would not guarantee that SMOD wouldn't happen as the problem was the seal/seals BETWEEN the radiator and transmission.

Based on the problem being a defective radiator, it would seem that all one would need to do to fix this is get a new non-defective radiator which many seem to have done based on all of my research. Presumably one COULD still have this same problem in the future if the new non-defective radiator failed. Although this should be unlikely for a new non-defective radiator, given that anything can potentially fail, if it did fail, then the same bad stuff (SMOD) would happen, new radiator or not. So, even with a new radiator, one is not guaranteed to prevent SMOD although, again, it would seem to be much less likely. Am I correct in this assumption? Also, if the problem really is the seal or seals between the radiator, then I can see how a new radiator would not really fix the problem, and one would almost have to go with an "External Cooler Kit." And even if a defective radiator is the problem, would one be better off to go with the "External Cooler Kit" rather than replacing a defective radiator given that even a new non-defective radiator COULD fail even though such failure would be unlikely?

Help. I'm not sure what to do as there is so much conflicting information out there. I'm not even completely sure what the real problem is at this point either (defective radiator or seal/s BETWEEN radiator and transmission?). I'm also concerned that if I go with an external cooler kit, my truck could run too hot or too cold thereby decreasing the life of the transmission which I certainly do not want to do; however, I also don't want SMOD either. In response to my concern about an external cooling kit not being sufficient to cooling the transmission, my local tech said that if anything, the external cooler kit would keep the transmission even cooler which would actually be better, although from all that I've read on here, there is an optimal temperature range (175 to 200 degrees) and that you don't want the transmission to be too cold either. So would the external cooler kit make the truck run too cold? I live in West Virginia where we have four fairly distinct seasons (hot in the summer and cold in the winter). I've also heard it mentioned on here that an external cooler can block the radiator or (auxiliary cooler/fan) which would restrict airflow thereby resulting in not enough cooling (no matter how cool the external cooler runs).

So, if some of you could please answer some of my questions or provide any additional or clarifying information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

p.s. I just noticed that this forum/section is for pathfinders and not frontiers, but the discussion seemed the most relevant to my questions when I was doing my research. Should I be posting in the truck forum of "NicoClub.com" instead of here, and it that a completely different forum (requiring new registration?), or are they all under the same umbrella? Thanks.

KFB

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Re: Help! SMOD Prevention--Lots of Research but Still Need Answers

Postby palmerwmd » Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:41 pm

KFB wrote:
Sun Feb 14, 2021 9:38 am
1)
Hi All. I'm new here, and this is my first post. I've got a 2008 Nissan Frontier automatic that has about 25,000 miles on it.

2)From my research so far, the problem seems to be a defective radiator where an internal cooler inside the radiator responsible for cooling the transmission fluid is defective, specifically "the metal tubes that separate engine coolant from transmission fluid crack over time. Cooant and transmission fluid mix through these cracks and subsequently cause transmission failure."

3) I also spoke with several Nissan dealership, and one tech confirmed that the problem is a defective radiator and telling me that Nissan Corporate's official position is recommending replacement with the Advantage Value Line radiator (or even an OEM if I prefer) which is consistent with the problem as outlined above.

4) However, a couple other Nissan dealerships including the one where I will likely have the work done recommended an "External Cooler Kit" to completely bypass the radiator which should definitely keep radiator fluid out of the transmission. They said that even a new non-defective radiator would not guarantee that SMOD wouldn't happen as the problem was the seal/seals BETWEEN the radiator and transmission.

5) Presumably one COULD still have this same problem in the future if the new non-defective radiator failed. Although this should be unlikely for a new non-defective radiator, given that anything can potentially fail, if it did fail, then the same bad stuff (SMOD) would happen, new radiator or not.
So, even with a new radiator, one is not guaranteed to prevent SMOD although, again, it would seem to be much less likely. Am I correct in this assumption?

6)Also, if the problem really is the seal or seals between the radiator, then I can see how a new radiator would not really fix the problem, and one would almost have to go with an "External Cooler Kit." And even if a defective radiator is the problem, would one be better off to go with the "External Cooler Kit" rather than replacing a defective radiator given that even a new non-defective radiator COULD fail even though such failure would be unlikely?

7)Help. I'm not sure what to do as there is so much conflicting information out there. I'm not even completely sure what the real problem is at this point either (defective radiator or seal/s BETWEEN radiator and transmission?).

8)I'm also concerned that if I go with an external cooler kit, my truck could run too hot or too cold thereby decreasing the life of the transmission which I certainly do not want to do; however, I also don't want SMOD either.

9)In response to my concern about an external cooling kit not being sufficient to cooling the transmission, my local tech said that if anything, the external cooler kit would keep the transmission even cooler which would actually be better, although from all that I've read on here, there is an optimal temperature range (175 to 200 degrees) and that you don't want the transmission to be too cold either.

10)So would the external cooler kit make the truck run too cold? I live in West Virginia where we have four fairly distinct seasons (hot in the summer and cold in the winter).

11) I've also heard it mentioned on here that an external cooler can block the radiator or (auxiliary cooler/fan) which would restrict airflow thereby resulting in not enough cooling (no matter how cool the external cooler runs).

12)
p.s. I just noticed that this forum/section is for pathfinders and not frontiers, but the discussion seemed the most relevant to my questions when I was doing my research. Should I be posting in the truck forum of "NicoClub.com" instead of here, and it that a completely different forum (requiring new registration?), or are they all under the same umbrella? Thanks.

KFB
1) Welcome to your new home away from home :D
Your generation Frontier is indeed mechanically near identical (except for rear body and rear suspension) to a R51 generation Pathfinder. All the data we have here, especially on the question on hand, will be authoritative to your vehicle as well.
Also its good you are learning and want to do the right thing for your Fronty.

2)This is a true statement

3)This is the best practices solution. Not the cheapest solution out there, but the most complete and "proper" one.

4) He was wrong. The efficiency of fluid (ATF) to fluid (coolant) cooling IS superior than to fluid to air cooling.
Data has shown, that especially under load (when u want cooling) the ATF will stay cooler with the internal heat exchanger in the radiator intact and in flow.
While many folks have had great expeneirnce with the bypass and/or external coolers, the original design is good from a cooling (and heating, more on this later) perspective

5) True. But this applies to any vehicle not just a Fronty/R51.
Just about all modern vehicles use a design like this. It only became a problem with Nissan (and Mercedes and Toyota) of certain models and model years due to poorly sealed radiators.
Again just about all other auto tranny cars/trucks can (and on rare occasions, do) suffer SMOD. It is just usually so rare it does not enter a risk-benefit calculation.

6) The problem with a pure external cooler kit (assuming it really is sufficient to properly cool the tranny under load) is you get no warming up effects either. In winter conditions its entirely possible for your tranny to run too cool. This could throw off pressures in the lines, change friction properties etc etc

7) Best practices solution. Replace radiator especially for someone in the continental US where you see both very warm summer and cold winters.

8 ) Lack of warm up is a legitimate concern.

9) Again he was wrong, your concern about running too cool is legit.

10) yes and no. You are missing the warm up function so at times your ATF will run too cold. But in hilly terrain (=load) you also want the cooling action of the factory heat exchanger in addition to the factory external cooler ( which also exists BTW, albeit its small, its existence is probably the reason why the bypass folks are generally doing ok).

11) Not really a big concern.

12) TheNissanpath is hosted by Nico, we are kinda/sorta a subsidiary of Nico now.
Nico and TheNissanPath are, for now, still a separate registration, but we are all friends here .

As good as "Nico Main Forums" are, when it comes to this particular issue, I can't think of a niche on the internet more qualified than this one.

BTW I have owned a 2005 Xterra (exact same powertrain as your 2008 Fronty) and refused to drive the car off the dealers lot w/o him changing the radiator.
Perhaps a bit excessive, but I am committed to the new radiator solution. His tech had also heard of this issue and also agreed the changing of Rad is best solution.
I have owned a 2012 R51 Pathy and a 2011 Xterra and left it alone in both cases because they had the good part numbers.
Recently purchased a 2008 R51 Pathfinder. It had radiator part number 21460-EA215 which is one of the riskiest parts numbers.
(Had it) Replaced it within days with a Griffin radiator and made no other modifications, all other plumbing remained same as stock.

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby smj999smj » Mon Feb 15, 2021 3:50 am

Just to add to above, the problem was a rubber seal that leaked within the metal transmission fluid cooler inside the lower tank of the radiator. It was not an issue on the D40 Frontiers with the 4-cyl. engine, but, only the VQ40DE V6 engine. You can go with the genuine Nissan or the Nissan Value Advantage radiators if you wish, but I have yet to see any real advantage over the vast assortment of aftermarket radiators on the market and even the Value Advantage part is double the cost of many aftermarkets and some of those aftermarkets have a limited lifetime warranty. Spectra Premium was a popular aftermarket choice for a lot of people. At Rockauto.com, you can get a CSF radiator for as little as $84 or an OSC radiator w/ a larger internal trans cooler for only $107 (lifetime warranty).

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby KFB » Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:59 pm

palmerwmd,

1) Thanks for the welcome; this may very well be my new home away from home! I can't thank you enough for responding to my post and answering all of my questions! My fear was that after posting all of that that I would either get no response or a quick "Just do this..." Nice editing job too with the numbering :wink: That even made it easier for me to follow as well.

2) From your response, it sounds like new radiator is the way to go. Also, I REALLY appreciated the explanation that even with a new non-defective radiator the SMOD could conceivably still happen if it failed too but that this would be so unlikely as to not even warrant concern, and that this could even affect other makes and models too. That was a big question that I had as well although hadn't included it in my post.

3) While I'm sure you're not a mind-reader, would you or anyone have any idea what a couple of Nissan technicians would have meant or what they might have been referring to when the said that the problem was the seal/s between the radiator and transmission (thereby recommending the "External Cooler Kit")?

4) I haven't driven my Fronty for about a month now, as the last time I drove it was about 10 miles to the local dealership to have the transmission fluid and/or radiator fluid tested for SMOD after just recently learning about this issue. They said it hadn't been affected, so I drove it straight home where it has now sat for the last month while I've continued researching this issue. I was leaning toward the external cooler kit, but after your response, in all likelihood, I'm going to go with a new radiator. Now it's just trying to figure out which model radiator (OEM, Value Line Advantage, or one of the others recommended on here (Thanks SMJ!). I like the idea of maybe getting a pretty good warranty with an OEM, but is that really worth it given that a warranty would only be for the radiator presumably and would not include transmission work in the unlikely event that the new radiator failed resulting in SMOD; however, that brings up another question, and that is: If a new radiator failed (again, although awfully unlikely, would that automatically result in SMOD, or would that only be if a certain section of the radiator failed?

5) I saw a youtube video where the technician tested for water in the radiator by heating the transmission fluid when looking for SMOD. While my dealership may have done this, I kind of doubt it. Is this necessary when checking the fluid, and should I insist that they do this? Thanks again!


sjm999smj,

Thanks for your detailed response as well! Again, I really appreciate that such nice knowledgeable folks as you and palmerwmd responded! From reading through this whole post, I gather that you were a Nissan technician at one time, so you really have the knowledge and experience. You've given me a lot to think about as well regarding choice of radiators. I'm going to read through both of your responses again, and I may have a few more questions after doing so, but you both have been extremely helpful, and I can't thank you enough. I really want to get this issue resolved so I can continue driving my Fronty again, and I feel like I'm now well on my way. Thanks!

KFB

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby palmerwmd » Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:24 pm

KFB wrote:
Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:59 pm
palmerwmd,

1) Thanks for the welcome; this may very well be my new home away from home! I can't thank you enough for responding to my post and answering all of my questions! My fear was that after posting all of that that I would either get no response or a quick "Just do this..." Nice editing job too with the numbering :wink: That even made it easier for me to follow as well.

2) From your response, it sounds like new radiator is the way to go. Also, I REALLY appreciated the explanation that even with a new non-defective radiator the SMOD could conceivably still happen if it failed too but that this would be so unlikely as to not even warrant concern, and that this could even affect other makes and models too. That was a big question that I had as well although hadn't included it in my post.

3) While I'm sure you're not a mind-reader, would you or anyone have any idea what a couple of Nissan technicians would have meant or what they might have been referring to when the said that the problem was the seal/s between the radiator and transmission (thereby recommending the "External Cooler Kit")?

4) I haven't driven my Fronty for about a month now, as the last time I drove it was about 10 miles to the local dealership to have the transmission fluid and/or radiator fluid tested for SMOD after just recently learning about this issue. They said it hadn't been affected, so I drove it straight home where it has now sat for the last month while I've continued researching this issue. I was leaning toward the external cooler kit, but after your response, in all likelihood, I'm going to go with a new radiator. Now it's just trying to figure out which model radiator (OEM, Value Line Advantage, or one of the others recommended on here (Thanks SMJ!). I like the idea of maybe getting a pretty good warranty with an OEM, but is that really worth it given that a warranty would only be for the radiator presumably and would not include transmission work in the unlikely event that the new radiator failed resulting in SMOD; however, that brings up another question, and that is: If a new radiator failed (again, although awfully unlikely, would that automatically result in SMOD, or would that only be if a certain section of the radiator failed?

5) I saw a youtube video where the technician tested for water in the radiator by heating the transmission fluid when looking for SMOD. While my dealership may have done this, I kind of doubt it. Is this necessary when checking the fluid, and should I insist that they do this? Thanks again!


sjm999smj,

Thanks for your detailed response as well! Again, I really appreciate that such nice knowledgeable folks as you and palmerwmd responded! From reading through this whole post, I gather that you were a Nissan technician at one time, so you really have the knowledge and experience. You've given me a lot to think about as well regarding choice of radiators. I'm going to read through both of your responses again, and I may have a few more questions after doing so, but you both have been extremely helpful, and I can't thank you enough. I really want to get this issue resolved so I can continue driving my Fronty again, and I feel like I'm now well on my way. Thanks!

KFB
Your welcome :)
Please stick around!:

3) Yes. the factory heat exchanger inside the radiator has ATF running through it.
This is where the Coolant is on one side ( radiator) and the ATF on the other (inside the heat exchanger in the rad, part of the ATF cycle)
So there are seals involved there that keep these fluids separate.
When these seals fail, they mix fluid which destroys our wonderful and durable RE5R05A transmissions (this is a quite good transmission actually).
They were correct on the detail view but wrong on the 50,000 feet View.
Yes its possible in other rads these could also fail.. just very very unlikely.. otherwise no manufacturer would use this method (and they all do)

4) There are different ways in which a radiator can "fail".
Some are easily spotted and fixed (leaks or brittle top end plastic arts falling apart etc) and others ( SMOD) are not.
The specific "failure mode" we are focusing on here (and its the main one for us) is a mix of fluids ay the tranny fluid heat exchanger inside the radiator leading to SMOD .
So when a radiator fails SMOD results ONLY if it involves fluid exchange between the coolant cycle and the ATF cycle.
This is an unusual failure mode in nearly all other radiators ( except the part numbers listed in the beginning of this thread).
So in other words a failing radiator does not generally result in SMOD, this happens ONLY if its this very specific failure mode that is otherwise exceedingly rare (except in those part numbers mentioned in this thread) occurs.

5) I dont see a need. (BTW he was testing for ATF in the radiator not water, conversely ATF in radiator also results "water" in the transmissions ATF)..... just pop the cap to your radiator when cold and Look inside.
If the fluid is clear (ethylene glycol/water mix) and there is no froth on top of the rad just under the cap then mixing with ATF has not occured.
This sometimes looks like chocolate milkshake not the "classic" strawberry milkshake depending on the age of the fluids involved.

In summary:

Just bite the bullet and replace the radiator already, = Problem solved. :D

If you are on a budget no need to do it at the Nissan dealer as this is not a complex task and just about any shop can do it (even i've done it once, 2 decades ago with a buddy and I have two left hands when it comes to mechanical work) and decent aftermarket radiator choices exist at decent prices.

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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby KFB » Sat Feb 20, 2021 11:05 am

palmerwmd,

1) Thanks again for the great detailed response to all of my questions, and yes I do want to stick around! :) For me, it's extremely helpful to really understand the issue which I now do much better thanks to you. Also, I meant to tell you that I have the same defective radiator part number that you had (21460-EA215). My problem is that just when I think I've found the solution I want to go with, I get some new piece of information that causes me to question my decision. While I'm now leaning hard toward replacing the radiator, I recently spoke with a technician who is an employee of a garage owner out in Utah who did a Youtube video about this issue. I had called him before I posted on here and only had the opportunity to talk with him a few days ago. He told me that while it depends on various factors relating the to the vehicle and the situation, they recommend going with the external cooler kit because they had seen even new non-defective radiators fail. I forget whether, he said there were multiple instances of this, but he did explain that in one case a new non-defective radiator that they had used to replace a defective radiator ended up having the same issue (SMOD) 1,500 miles after they replaced it. He also told me that the problem starts in the radiator and can then spread to the seal/s. These seals must be what you are referring to above (in what I originally questioned as being between the radiator and transmission). After hearing that, it makes me question replacing the radiator vs. going with the external cooler kit a little. The problem is that there are two contradictory recommendations, both of which are coming from very credible sources. It's like having two top-notch well-respected doctors differing on what the best course of treatment is.

2) However, this shop's experience doesn't necessarily contradict the advice of going with replacing the radiator. While the chances of having a new non-defective radiator have a failure that could cause SMOD (and that as you said, could happen with multiple other model vehicles/manufacturers) are so small as to not even be worth being concerned about, the occurrence described above (with the new non-defective radiator failing after 1,500 miles) could literally be the one in every 1,000 (10,000 or even 100,000) instances of this happening as nothing has a 100% guarantee. Heck, even a new vehicle (of any kind) could blow an engine after pulling out of the dealer lot although this would be pretty unliklely.

3) It sounds like there are potential pros and cons to both. Back when I was leaning toward the external cooler kit, one dealership told me that they had seen instances where external coolers had failed, so again, anything CAN fail. The one thing I do really like about the external cooler kit is that unless there's something I'm missing, SMOD could NOT happen, while it could potentially still happen by replacing the radiator (even though that would be very unlikely). But again, I don't want my Fronty potentially running too hot or too cold which could compromise the life of the transmission. Also, if replacing the radiator is the generally recognized best accepted fix (as you stated and done by many on here and which is the official Nissan-recommended fix as well, according to one technician I spoke with), then maybe I should just go with that. I'm just really on the fence again. :? So that is where my head is with this now. I know that you have pretty much given me all of the information that you can, and that only I can make the decision. However, if there is anything else that you might recommend or that you think could help me decide or feel more comfortable about this decision, please feel free to put it out there or twist my arm if you'd like! :wink: I'm just really torn. Thanks! :)

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palmerwmd
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Re: About to be new owner, radiator question

Postby palmerwmd » Sat Feb 20, 2021 2:00 pm

In the past (years ago) some replacement radiators may have been a faulty design too before calsonic truly fixed the problem.

Right now replacement radiators do not have an appreciable chance of this happened.
Or every single audi toyota VW mercedes Chevy would have the same issue.

Restore the stock cooling w/ a replacement radiator.
:P


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