Radiator questions
 

It's never as easy as you think it will be.

Now that it's summer and getting hotter, my car was running a lot warmer in traffic. So I pulled out the radiator to clean out the bugs and assorted debris. The core is really plugged with dirt and flushing it with water and blowing through with air didn't make a huge difference. So I chose to replace the whole radiator. Since I work at a GM dealer ordering a new part is pretty easy to do.
Now the hard part. Today I picked up the radiator (pt. #52473260) and when I compared it to the original one it looks perfect, except for the thickness of the core. The old one is about 1 1/4" and the new is only 1". The GM catalog shows it to be 1 5/16" and when our parts guy contacted GM techinical they also stated that it should be 1 5/16". The GM warehouse where we got this one measured another unit in their stock and its core is also 1".
Nobody can explain what's going on here. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this problem and if so what did you do? I'm rather wary of giving up 20% of my cooling capacity to a thinner core. Should I go with an aftermarket unit? Those are $$$$ but if that's what it takes...

Thanks for any help, SharkPilot.

Re: Radiator questions
 

I just replaced mine with a modine purchased at Napa auto parts. It was the same except it had threaded transmission ports on the right side which I did not use. It cost $267 and they even had it in stock.

Re: Radiator questions
 

I have a '91 also and I just put in a radiator from the partsladi on ebay, $142 shipped. At the same time I put a chip from Marc Haibeck in. World of difference. The chip cools the engine down remarkably compared to stock. Both fans on at 205, both off at 200. Keys on all the time and no more CAGS either. I also put on Samco hoses from the Registry store and a 180 t-stat from NAPA.

thepartsladi on ebay, radiator auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/90-91...3504QQtcZphoto

Haibeck's website with an explanation on the chip and what it does
http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20W...on%20BFXBG.htm

Re: Radiator questions
 

Hammer,

Thanks for the info. That looks like the same radiator I picked up today. The core measurements sure look similar. It does have the same part number.
I'm glad to hear that your engine temps run okay. What kind of weather do you have up there in Idaho? It gets pretty warm here and in our terrible traffic we need all the cooling we can get.
If this is what works in our cars I'll go ahead and give it a try.
I do want to go with the Haibeck chip. I have a DRM in there right now (came with the car) and don't like what it does with the idle.

Jim

Re: Radiator questions
 

Temps haven't been too hot yet. They are headed there though. I don't regularly drive my car in the traffic like you probably do. I ran the car on a dyno a couple weekends ago and it cooled down after each pass very fast. My friend ran his Callaway, and after three pulls they had to shut it down as it was way hot. I notice a difference also when drag racing. The engine cools quickly and the times are much more consistent now. So the Haibeck chip is really doing its job. The idle is fine, settles in at around 700 very quickly after stopping at a light. I also added a bottle of Water Wetter, it might have a bit to do with the cooling abilities now also.