I finally uploaded photos of the CSF radiator I installed about 2 months ago; ZERO issue with it since then. It looked EXACTLY like the OEM except I had to hammer on the bottom support brackets of the radiator to get it to squeeze in between the frame rails. Overall, a VERY easy swap!

 

I just put this same radiator in my 1st gen 4Runner and ran into three issues with it.

The first, as you said, is that you have to modify the lower driver's side flange to clear a bolt on the steering box. Not a huge issue, but something to know.

The second, which was a mild annoyance, is that instead of the stock type drain cock, it uses this crappy plastic plug that has a relief hole cut into it. When you try to drain it you loosen the plug, and the coolant sprays circular as you loosen it, getting everything covered in fluid until you get it loosened and pointing down. The stock type flows the fluid out the center and is not affected by loosening. Of course, the pipe thread does not match between the two, so you cannot swap the stock one back over.

The third, which I was totally annoyed by, is that on the stock 1st gen rigs, the radiator cap is in the center from the factory, not on the driver's side of the upper tank. They only sell this radiator, which is meant more for the second gen. The issue is that the cap hits the hood, severely, and will crush the upper tank a bit when you close the hood. Luckily it did not crack anything, just pushed the cap portion in a bit.

I was baffled why they would call this radiator out as compatible. Luckily for me, I had a 3/4" body lift kit and 3/4" radiator drop kit from 4Crawler sitting on my bench. I installed the body lift kit and the drop kit, which gave me enough clearance to close the hood with the radiator cap pulled back up where it started.

Be aware of this on the frist gen rigs, not totally sure if it applies to the pickups, but definitely to the 4Runner. I think the front clip/hood, etc is all the same, so most likely it does apply to the pickups also.

Just FYI, I did the mild body lift due to the fact that I have an ARB Bull Bar on my rig and for headlight clearance to the cross bar, a 1" body lift is absolutely the max you can do, 3/4" was a better compromise. It also gave me clearance to the fenders from the Bull Bar and clearance at the firewall for the V6 Downey Headers.

 

Great info, thanks guys.

I'm definitely in the stock type brass/copper/lead radiator camp myself. This seems like a workable choice for non 1st-gen vehicles, but in light of the issues with this radiator, does anyone know of a better choice besides junkyard or the $500 dealer ones?

 

how much did you pay for this radiator, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I needed mine for a trip, did the 1-800-Radiators deal. It was $185 plus tax, delivered to my door the same day.

All in all a quality radiator, but fitment on the first gen is problematic.

 

I paid $205 delivered to MD. And he was right about the crappy drain plug; it just outright sux @$$.

 

I put this same radiator (from the same place, for about the same price) on my '95 4Runner back in 2002. It's been great since then - around 60K miles later. Until 2 days ago....that crappy drain cock broke off for some reason. I noticed a little leak for a day or two that got big all of sudden yesterday. I tried to locate a replacement, but O'Reilly and Autozone (and NapaOnline) don't have one with those threads - M10x1.5mm. I tried a M10x1.25mm from O'reilly, but that still leaked.

For now, I've got a bolt/washer in there to plug it up. But I'm wondering if there will be any significant corrosion issues due to the different metals (steel/brass)

I've got an email into CSF's customer service to see if I can get a replacement that way...we'll see. Nice radiator otherwise...

-RenHoek

 

hmm how much was this? I need a new radiator on my truck... the leak on top of it is causing corrosion.

 

maybe this is a stupid question, so excuse me if it is, but what's so special about these CSF radiators? What makes them better?

 

Better than what? I think they are decent quality at a good price. It's a bang for the buck thing. I got mine last year from Radiatorbarn.

No problems with fit in my 86 pickup, but that drain plug is extremely annoying. The factory radiator had a down spout, so coolant would drain down into a bucket. Very convenient. This thing is just a plug in a hole, and as mentioned sprays everywhere until you get the plug out, then it shoots rearward making it hard to catch.

I paid $157.95 shipped for a 3 row. Lifetime warranty. My cap is in the middle. I don't remember the model number, but my invoice says:

1986 TOYOTA PICKUP
4WD, Manual or Automatic Transmission, NON-TURBO, HEAVY DUTY
Engine Size: L4,2.4L
A/C: FOR BOTH A/C AND NON A/C VEHICLES

 

well I paid $100 for a replacement from Advance Auto and have not had an issue yet

 

I got a 3 row to replace the factory 2 row. I don't know if 3 rows are actually better, but the general consensus seemed to be that they are. I live in the desert.

That said, the factory radiator worked fine, even idling with the A/C on in 115 degree heat until it got a little too plugged up. I had it rodded. It plugged up enough again years later that it wouldn't cool in extreme conditions.

I can't help laughing at the tiny aluminum radiators in some newer cars. I doubt they have much reserve cooling capacity. Looks like even a little gunk buildup would cause problems.

 

I put a csf in my 91 runner couple of months ago. not overly impressed by the quality really.

as for the tiny aluminum radiators in cars nowadays. you realize that alluminum cools better then brass right?

 

Yep, but they are still tiny.

 

my point exactly!

although I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of the plastic top and bottom... but it works...

 

I know this is a response to an old post, but just for the record, aluminum DOES NOT cool/transfer heat better than copper/brass:


http://www.hotrodhotline.com/md/html..._vs_copper.php

http://flex-a-lite-blog.com/2010/03/...inum-vs-brass/

 

The csf is about the best you can get now days. They aren't that great though. Hardly any solder put in them and the core construction is weak. The outer 2-5 rows start bowing out and then the outer fins start detatching from the tubes. After it gets bad enough one of the outer rows will typically split. Since there's hardly any solder in the seams they fail a lot too. We see them come back with these issues anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. If the outer rows aren't coming apart too bad,we pull it apart and overhaul it and block the outer rows off to try to give the core a little strength so it should last longer. We also fill the seams up too.

 

Check out radiatorBarn.com
for you radiators.

 

read this:

7. Quote: "It appears that CuproBrazeŽ has given Cu the competitive edge over Al in the radiator & HXer market."

Answer: This was the marketing hype we (me included) used to market CuproBraze in the early days. In practice, the expected results have, unfortunately not been achieved...

Regards,

Des Aubery...
(adTherm Technology - www.adtherm.com - des@adtherm.com )

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=61247

and http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/thermalP/u18l1f.cfm

where you will see that yes copper has higher heat transfer rate but brass is deffinitely lower that AL.

 

^ Just making sure others know that the actual cooling is done predominantly by the copper components. Brass is used for the core housing/tank.

I'll stick with the all metal one over aluminium/plastic thanks... I have seen bad things happen to plastic, and those Al fins are very, very flexible... dent easily.