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Radiator leaking need replacement

4K views 27 replies 8 participants last post by  Lipka101 
#1 ·
Stock radiator been leaking a while, i just been nursing it around. Truck has 116,000 miles on it, as far as I know its the original radiator. Ive had it since 37,000 miles. I been searching on here and my question is about best replacement options. Are the Mish v2 holding up well? Is the oem v2 a better option? Then there is Vista pro, Spectra Premium, Aldraco, just like everyone else I dont want to waste money on something and have to fix again soon. I havent read anything that collectively says one is better than another. Thanks for your help.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Get a Mishmoto, changed mine 10K ago, very nice piece, I thought at $850 from Full Force Diesel it was reasonably priced and shipped fast.

Bought the '09 King Ranch dually on May 1, 2014 with 83,000 miles.
Today, January 5, 2016 at 295,000.

-100,000 out of warranty, deleted, H & S
-HPFP - ate itself at 131,000 - $8,000 cab off, full fuel system and injector replacement, egr delete, up pipes, installed fass fuel/water, coolant filter, Caterpiller ELC.
-150,000 miles, rear end oil, trans pan oil/filter, ball joints, front u-joints.
-175,000 AC tensioner, Accessory Tensioner, all idler pulleys and belts.
-Changed oil every 5K/fuel filters every 15K, grease everything.
-BFG Long Trail Tires lasted 110,000 miles. (i replaced with transforce ht, junk in my opinion, only 70-75K)
-Morgan at Midwest Diesel did the rockers at 205,000. The rockers were getting noisy, good timing to have them done. Morgan is awesome and affordable, did a very nice job and in a single day.

-285,000 (Oct 15/2015) radiator, eroded front water pump cover, alternator, all pulley bearings, new bfg rugged trails.

The new Blackstone Oil analysis makes a guy feel a little better about the ton of time and $$ spent on maintenance. Out 6.4 really loves the mobil delvac 15/40 we have been using.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the interest in our 6.4L radiator. Our V2 design is holding up well thus far. We increased the core strength and modified the mounting pegs for additional isolation. Our goal with this was to reduce the impact of chassis flex on the radiator.

Sounds like you made it pretty far on the factory radiator compared to some others. Let me know if I can answer any questions about our product.

... any thoughts?
Thanks GD!

Get a Mishmoto, changed mine 10K ago, very nice piece, I thought at $850 from Full Force Diesel it was reasonably priced and shipped fast.

Bought the '09 King Ranch dually on May 1, 2014 with 83,000 miles.
Today, January 5, 2016 at 295,000.

-100,000 out of warranty, deleted, H & S
-HPFP - ate itself at 131,000 - $8,000 cab off, full fuel system and injector replacement, egr delete, up pipes, installed fass fuel/water, coolant filter, Caterpiller ELC.
-150,000 miles, rear end oil, trans pan oil/filter, ball joints, front u-joints.
-175,000 AC tensioner, Accessory Tensioner, all idler pulleys and belts.
-Changed oil every 5K/fuel filters every 15K, grease everything.
-BFG Long Trail Tires lasted 110,000 miles. (i replaced with transforce ht, junk in my opinion, only 70-75K)
-Morgan at Midwest Diesel did the rockers at 205,000. The rockers were getting noisy, good timing to have them done. Morgan is awesome and affordable, did a very nice job and in a single day.

-285,000 (Oct 15/2015) radiator, eroded front water pump cover, alternator, all pulley bearings, new bfg rugged trails.

The new Blackstone Oil analysis makes a guy feel a little better about the ton of time and $$ spent on maintenance. Out 6.4 really loves the mobil delvac 15/40 we have been using.
Great to hear the radiator is working out for you! Thanks for the feedback.

Not sure, just bought it/changed it in October. Give Ryan Casserly a call at Full Force Diesel, i am sure he can fill you in.
It is likely our V2 design. Check the upper mounting pegs, if they are rubber than it is our new design.

Thanks
-John
 
#8 ·
Checking back in on the same topic, is everyone's Mishimito V2 still doing well or have people had issues? Will be ordering something next week.
 
#9 ·
My works fine (V2). Be sure and make sure your cross member is good and tight. This member only uses sheet metal screws, in my view at 60" diagonal radiator width and the frame is not properly supported resulting in a twisting; very hard on such a bid radiator.

It seems to be a high runner for repairs, 130K miles seems to be a common replacement range.

If yours is one that eats radiator I would switch the sheet metal screws to 3/8" bolts, if not 1/2" size bolts.
 
#10 ·
My works fine (V2). Be sure and make sure your cross member is good and tight. This member only uses sheet metal screws, in my view at 60" diagonal radiator width and the frame is not properly supported resulting in a twisting; very hard on such a bid radiator.



It seems to be a high runner for repairs, 130K miles seems to be a common replacement range.



If yours is one that eats radiator I would switch the sheet metal screws to 3/8" bolts, if not 1/2" size bolts.

Just a quick question my V2 is currently leaking and is going in for another rad. All upgrades have been done even the cab mounts. Which sheet metal screws are you talking about? Where are they located?
This rad hasn't even made 1yr or even 30 000km.

Can you provide a photo of the location of the screws please.
Thanks for your post.
 
#13 ·
The metal frame, goes across the front, on top. I seem to remember a quantity of four 1/4" screws.
 
#15 ·
I think I am just going to put a stock one back in it, the original stock radiator lasted around 100,000 miles so it would be stupid to change I think. Where is the best place to get a stock radiator? Also going to do cab mounts and new hoses because it still has originals. (can I get that done on recall since they were supposed to be changed anyway) While im in there Ill probably change the belts and check the pulleys. Im pretty sure it still has the first degas bottle on it too, should I change it while im at it?
 
#16 ·
You might get the hoses out of them. I would definitely get new hoses and replace idler and tensioners. Degas bottle is just personal preference. Depending on the price I would go local for the radiator so you don't have to worry about it being damaged in shipping. Not sure how well they package them.

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#17 ·
They want $800 at my local dealership for a new radiator, along with all the other stuff like hoses, thermostats, belts, etc the bill for parts only was $1900. Is there places I can get all of this stuff for cheaper?
 
#18 ·
I paid $700 for an OEM radiator. My Mechanic friend has some sort of discount on parts from the dealership. I got it through him. I'm sure if you shop around online you will find cheaper.

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#19 ·
My Mishimoto v2 radiator is holding up well so far. I think I paid about $850 on Amazon. Considering the cost of the factory one is around $700 or more, I would definitely go with an aluminum one for the extra $150 or so. I really like the design of the V2 misimoto over the factory one.
 
#20 ·
Life time warranty is not bad either.

On a similar subject:
I replaced my hydraulic pump and found that taking the radiator out first was the way to go. Reaching down in that tinny space, to pull the pulley is a mess. It is ten time easier to do the work with the radiator out. And if you have trouble removing the pump the common way you would actually save time removing the radiator first. The pulley is pressed on, so if you don't get the pulley all the way on the truck will damage the belt.
 
#21 ·
Alright all my stuff is in and Im gonna try and do it all Saturday but wondering of there is any tricks or tips that may help me. Parts list is: front body mount bushings, radiator, thermostats, belts, and new pulleys and tensioners. I have watched the videos on removing and installing the radiator and it looks pretty in depth but Im gonna go for it anyway. Also what is the torque specs on the idler and tensioner pulleys?
 
#22 ·
One thing I'll leave here that you do not have to open the a/c system. Just pull the mounting bolts and swing the condenser out of the way. There's a couple bolts on the bottom of the radiator that are a pain to get to. Pulling the inner fender helps with them. not sure on the torque specs. I just tighten til I feel like it's good[emoji14]

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#23 ·
Got all the old parts out and the new in, not as bad as I thought it would be. Only thing I had trouble with was front cab mount bushings. Got one bolt out and the other loose and tried to jack it up and it didnt budge. I also stripped the drivers side cage nut out. Any help or suggestions would be great. I started another thread about this with no response.
 
#24 ·
There is a few threads on this. Pull the headlight and Take a 22mm wrench (cheap one) cut it off and put it on the nut. Sounds easier than it is but it can be done apparently. If you have access to a welder you can tack the nut to the body and never worry about it again.

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#25 ·
Yeah ive read through everything I could find about it. I think I can get the bolt out but I had one out and one loose and could not get the bushing to move.
 
#26 ·
The bushing itself and the metal washers get pretty corroded and tend to stick together.

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#28 ·
I would at least loosen all of them. Jack up one side at a time.

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