What's a good radiator to buy and is there a diy?
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:51 pm
Like title states just looking for a known radiator that won't have the issue and looking for a guide to swapping it out.
Any radiator with an integral transmission cooler has the potential to have this failure, so there is no way of telling if a particular radiator will never have the problem. That said, it is usually a reliable design, but Calsonic had a run of bad ones that were used in the 05-10 Pathfinders/Frontiers/Xterras. So, any new radiator you purchase will likely not experience the problem. The only way you can guarantee it won't happen is to bypass the radiator's integral cooler all-together and rely solely on the auxiliary trans cooler.
I've been using a $92 made in China radiator I got from Ebay for three years without any issues---knock on wood! In fact, most aftermarket radiators you'll find will be made in China. If you want the genuine Nissan radiator, be prepared to fork out $450-550, depending where you purchase it. Spectra Premium is a popular aftermarket choice and runs about $120 online. If you can wait two months, Stillen will be offering an all-aluminum radiator for $350.
Here's a link to the radiator R&R on a Frontier, which is the same on a Pathfinder and Xterra:
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f23/ ... ent-78854/