How long does a Radiator Last

[Alex Kurdian]

Hey Guys
My neon is coming up to 10 years old now and as preventative maintenance I was thinking about getting a new radiator...

How long should the stock rad last i.e. the plastic tanks etc...

I'm also going to replace the Thermostat Rad cap and hoses...

Our Summer is coming and last thing I need is a coolant issue!

I wanna get this koyo rad but they want 126 US dollars for one...however here they want 900 so I guess that's still probably ok...

Does anyone know how I could get this cheaper?

http://www.go-part.com/0004-dodge-neon- ... 24009.html

[Gnuserup]

My own experience is that the radiators for the automatic tranny are prone for breaking nozzles of the trany fluid.

see here: viewtopic.php?t=48721

If you have an automatic, the replacement could be no bad idea.
I suggest to buy a radiator for the manual trany and install a seperate trany cooler.
If you have a manual I would wait until it leaks. The hoses aren´t cheap but stable I think so I would let them as is until radiator swap. Only part I would agree is the thermostat.

I made the radiator removal last weekend for an 2000 LE with automatic.

See details here:

viewtopic.php?t=40018

[Alex Kurdian]

mate so you recommend go part they sell the koyo there...

[Gnuserup]

If I follow the link I find a radiator for automatic and with three srewholes on top. This might only be fitting with a "double-fan". Make sure what your neon has...

[Alex Kurdian]

YES correct that is my radiator exactly!

[Gnuserup]

Then it could be fine.

I swapped last weekend a leaking automatic old one against an old manual one as we could not get the correct one at the time. Car had already a seperate automatic cooler installed.

[Alex Kurdian]

Where did you order your radiator from? go part? is it a koyo?

[Gnuserup]

oh, it has been from a local store here. As it was not my car, I don´t know the manufacturer.

[RADARsx 2.0]

I honestly think they all are subject to use, location, "abuse" to motor/rad sys., quality of product used..you know it can go on and on.

My rad just went about a month ago. It was about 6 years old and I think that was a decent amount of time for 250 000kms. (upper seal started to leak)

I also say you pick up a new one but leave it in tell it fails (if it ain't broke don't fix it lol) and also change your main rad hoses aswell. (upper and lower) when you do the change.

[Forest Green 2k]

I also say you pick up a new one but leave it in tell it fails (if it ain't broke don't fix it lol) and also change your main rad hoses aswell. (upper and lower) when you do the change.

Nothing like waiting till your transmission fluid and oil are mixed!

[Alex Kurdian]

I also say you pick up a new one but leave it in tell it fails (if it ain't broke don't fix it lol) and also change your main rad hoses aswell. (upper and lower) when you do the change.

Nothing like waiting till your transmission fluid and oil are mixed!

Mate that's what I was thinking...while my rad isn't the older type that seems to be the problem causing these rad/coolant mix ...I'm not going to take any chances....our dollar is going so well at the moment its up to 96 US cents ...so im gonna go nuts and buy a few things....

[occasional demons]

Just install the separate ATX cooler, and cap off the nipples on the hear exchanger in the lower tank.

Be sure to clamp the caps, or loop a piece of tubing between them.

That way if the heat exchanger fails, the coolant will be contained, and you will keep moving along. You will prolly never know it failed, as long as you drain the fluid out of it as well as you can.

As long as the radiator/cooling system is flushed out as needed, and never sees road salt, or a huge piece of debris, dirt kept cleaned from the outer fins, It should last a long time. You could even give it a coat of paint to help protect the aluminum, if you live where the roads are salted.

As long as the aluminum isn't corroding, and the seals at the tanks hold up, it could easily outlast the car.

My original was damaged in an accident, but at over 100,000 miles, it loked fine inside.

[Alex Kurdian]

Thanx guys
As you know we don't have salted roads here in winter as there is no snow...But a friend of mine with the 00 neon had the coolant and ATX oil mix that stuffed his car up...he had the single fan rad where as I have the dual rad fans...I don't know if Chrysler knew about this issue and fixed it in my model? Mine is an 01 but was late 01 and some could class it as 02 as it has features that some 01's don't have...but that's debatable...

My rad was badged DENSO that said made in the USA so I don't know if those rads failing are DENSO? or what?

My rad technically yes could go all the way? but its the plastic tanks that may have a shitty life...

So ... do I leave it and let it die ? Maybe? but I'm risking that possible nasty failure...to me my rad looks great but who knows...its my condenser however that is banged up by stone chips! not much but bad enough to look crappy!

So maybe yes I am wasting my $$ replacing a perfectly working rad..but then again............

[g_force58]

I think the life of a radiator is not predictable. The rad on my 2000 ES mtx went bad last year. It was leaking on the upper tank joint directly under the the upper hose. It was only seeping but I didn't push it. I hear the atx rads have problems with the trans cooler leaking. If it were mine, I would change it, Def cheaper than a trans.

[fixitmattman]

My 00 rad took a tank a year and a half ago at somewhere around 235 000km or so. The top tank decided to crack, leaked on a road trip to boot. Got it fixed pretty quick, and not to expensive either. That's why I love my neon, when you just absolutely need parts you can get them.

[Canada]

Dont know if Mishimoto makes a rad for 2GN Neons, but the one in my 1GN is beautiful. Got it from Modern Performance...

[silentneon01]

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com

they ship internationally now as well

I got my rad from there when I replaced it. I was lucky and only the auto tran cooler plugged popped out. I got a rad from these guys and installed it in the street in about 1 hour. I put an external tran cooler on and had no problem since.

I have an 01 and I had the hoses changed for the first time last year when I had the timing belt and water pump changed for its 200K check up. I've had the tranny flushed 2 twice (3 if you count when I lost the tranny cooler) and flushed the rad 3 times.

[DoubtedNeon]

if your neon is automatic, I would suggest getting a transmission cooler and leaving your radiator in the car. Your improving the life of both your car and transmission if you do so because of the chance of your fluids mixing being eliminated. If your radiator is going to fail, ide argue that its most likley not going to fail instantly. just do regular inspections on your car.