Anyone have recommendations for the best aftermarket heater cores and radiators?

I replaced my heater core a few years back and about a year after doing so the new one started leaking. No good. I think it's a Vista pro? Copper. Made in Mexico.

Getting ready to do the job again and I don't want that to happen again this time. OEM is $350 or something.

I think I might have had some air in the cooling system at the time which might have aggrevated the problem. The radiator was leaking from the top cap so it might have sucked air in through there, Also, the cable to the heater valve was broken and that was left in the open position, but regardless I can't see that making the core blow out.

Any advice appreciated

 

Are you sure the heater core itself is leaking and not the connection of the pipes to the core that are sealed by o-rings?

 

I might understand if you treat this truck brutal with lots of hard jarring bounces breaking one of the solder joints in a heater core.

Maybe it froze and cracked That happens all to often.

Heater cores are simple to fix.

If you changed it a few years ago and it failed after a year what has it been doing since??

Having air in the system would cause other problems not a mechanical failure of the core.

I have had good luck with 4seasons heater cores and evap coils.

Radiators the all metal Copper and brass.

 

Not yet. Very good point. I got the evaporator out the other day and noticed staining near the top of the heater core, so it could be leaking from a line. I can't imagine it's leaking from the o-ring and clip though because I quadrouple checked that when it was going together.

I baby the truck for the most part, but every now and then I drive it on 4wd roads. Slowwwwwly.

Maybe it did freeze and crack. I had the truck parked outside in Alaska for a winter, that was when the control cable to the valve stuck, and I left it open.

I have just had the valve in the off position since the heater core started misting up the inside of the cab. Every now and then I still hear it gurgling and it leaks some coolant to the pass floor area. Other than that I've been living with it!

Glad you like 4 seasons. I got a bunch of AC parts from them on the way...

 

I'll have the core out in a couple of days to inspect it.

There is an OEM core sitting at the dealership for me, but seeing as how I am putting $600 into getting the AC up and running I can't justify putting $300 into an OEM heater core...

 

Why not??

Like I said heater cores are easy to fix.

It is not like your using 100 psi

 

Got the core out tonight. The thing is completely shot. Looks like it was leaking from the top cap somewhere and the whole thing is covered in corrosion. Brand is vista pro

Probably going to get the spectra premium core. Some people seem to like them. I'm a little uneasy about using an aluminum core with the OEM copper pipe though

 

Ended up ordering APDI. They use copper