I noticed a few very small cracks in my 95 runners original radiator by the fill neck. So i sanded them a lil and JB welded them. they were not really leaking any but they did kinda have a antifreeze glob of film on them, however after I jb welded those i noticed a few more.....we are talking about very small cracks like no more than3/16's in length and most about an 1/8th inch. Now i am asssuming given my truck is a 95 with original radiator the cracks will just keep on coming so should I have a pro try and fix or break down and buy a new one. if i buy a new one anybody have any good ideas on which one is best.....my truck is a daily driver and i never tow anything, however i do weekly drive it for a couple hours on the highway. links would be great also. sorry for the long post, thanks guys!

 

ya i gotta look into a new rad too, mines full of calcium build up..

 

I had the same cracks on my 93, and also tried the JB Weld. It worked for a while, but like yours more cracks appeared. I ended up just getting a new rad, I figured there's not much point in trying to get the top brazed and fixed when the core is probably near the ned of it's life. I got a Modine one, and had no problems in the 2 years after that I kept the truck.

 

My 92' had a problem like you have explained. I replaced it with a new aluminum core radiator for less than $100.00. The aluminum is cheaper than ceramic $50.00 or so.

 

so sounds like aluminum is the way to go then??

 

I bought my '86 4runner in '99 from the original owner. He had replaced the radiator once in its life. It was an all brass replacement. I had it rodded and a pinhole repaired about four years ago for about $85 including diagnostic, labor and repair. Just yesterday I replaced it with a newer rebuild as it had sprung a new leak which would have cost $65 to repair, as I had done all of the labor to pull it. I would have lost one or two of the tubes (the outermost - the weak links) as they were bowing outward from old age, but it would have worked pretty much the same. The replacement was a rebuild from a newer (2nd gen) 4 runner, is all brass, and has all the same bolt holes except for one of the fan shroud bolts. (In that spot there was a tab which I drilled a hole in and mounted the shroud with a nylock nut backing the bolt.) I had to "alter" a structural rib in the hood with a ball peen adjustment tool to fit the radiator cap in its new location (to the right as you look under the hood vs centered). The new radiator has three rows of tubes vs the original's one, is only slightly bigger, and cost less than auto parts stores plastic and aluminum replacements. The all brass construction can be repaired for years to come and is less likely to crack. It will always get my vote.

 

just bought an aluminum one from orielly's for 136 bucks. i think you can find them cheaper on the net.

 

My new used radiator has a different top hose neck angle than my previous. I found the right top hose with the extra kick at the radiator end. It's a goodyear part # 61390.

 

Summit, $ 117. It is aluminum with plastic tanks.