2014+ radiator upgrade to fix cracking issues

kickass audio · March 4, 2023

6 hours ago, Payton34 said:

I have been noticing a coolant smell through my grill and around the upper radiator hose for the past year but cannot find a leak and haven't had to add any coolant. I had to replace my thermostat last spring also. Where is the crack? Is this stress crack visible without taking radiator out. Also has anyone tried using something like a Blue Devil Coolant stop leak? Would a pressure test show where the crack is?

No, a pressure test won't show it unless you leave it sit for hours it will barely drop down. It's only something where you smell the fluid when fully hot. You can see the crack on the top of the radiator, it's very fine. Look at the top of the radiator where it meets the plastic tanks on the side of the radiator. If you look close you will find a support bracket that has the top rail of the radiator tack welded to the edge of the black tanks on the side of the radiator and there will be a hairline crack on it right where it goes down off the edge. You will find a little drill hole in the middle of that area, that is where it begins to split open. If it wasn't sleeting outside i'd go take a picture and point out the area to look at for you.

kickass audio · March 4, 2023

I ended up having the shittyrado go into the shop this week since it decided to be a pain in the ass with the 4 wheel drive where i stupidly left it on auto 4wd overnight and when I got in the next morning it was locked in 4 wheel drive and had it throw an actuator code. It fixed itself after I got to work though and left it sit for a hour in 2wd mode but still, just another dumb thing this truck does to be a piece of crap.

I had the shop swap the radiator for me while they were taking a look at the actuator and the radiator they put in is from napa and seems to have a thicker upper rail on the radiator so time will tell if this one breaks as well like the 2 OEM ones did. I will say that the NAPA one does not allow the trans cooler lines to slip the plastic safety lock over the c-clip like the OEM does. The oil cooler lines will let the plastic safety lock slip over the c-clip.

kickass audio · March 5, 2023

Here is a picture of the spot to check for a crack in the radiator. If you look directly at the top of the radiator from inside the engine bay you will spot this area. Mine had cracked just inside where the white arrow is pointing at. This picture shows the aftermarket NAPA rad which seems to have thicker tabs and does not have the little hole drilled in the middle of that support tab that holds the top rail to the side of the radiator.

If you want to check the area where I found the leak just look at the edge that steps down from the side of the radiator where the tip of the white arrow is pointing at. If you see a hairline crack you are going to be slowly losing fluid over time.

In all my times the rad had failed it never resulted in puddling but it had made the fluid go down about 1/8" on the overflow every month or 2. I just worried about leaving it since I am planning a long drive this summer and didn't need a radiator to split on the drive.

rav3 · March 5, 2023

54 minutes ago, kickass audio said:

Here is a picture of the spot to check for a crack in the radiator. If you look directly at the top of the radiator from inside the engine bay you will spot this area. Mine had cracked just inside where the white arrow is pointing at. This picture shows the aftermarket NAPA rad which seems to have thicker tabs and does not have the little hole drilled in the middle of that support tab that holds the top rail to the side of the radiator.

If you want to check the area where I found the leak just look at the edge that steps down from the side of the radiator where the tip of the white arrow is pointing at. If you see a hairline crack you are going to be slowly losing fluid over time.

In all my times the rad had failed it never resulted in puddling but it had made the fluid go down about 1/8" on the overflow every month or 2. I just worried about leaving it since I am planning a long drive this summer and didn't need a radiator to split on the drive.

How many miles on your truck when this happened?

kickass audio · March 5, 2023

17 minutes ago, rav3 said:

How many miles on your truck when this happened?

45k on what I assume was the original radiator/thermostat when I bought the truck at the dealer and again at 83600 on the radiator that was just replaced. Seems like my record is around 40k miles it cracks a radiator. Time will tell how long this one I just had put in lasts.

rav3 · March 5, 2023

15 minutes ago, kickass audio said:

45k on what I assume was the original radiator/thermostat when I bought the truck at the dealer and again at 83600 on the radiator that was just replaced. Seems like my record is around 40k miles it cracks a radiator. Time will tell how long this one I just had put in lasts.

I'll keep an eye out for it. Just turning 50k miles on my truck

Payton34 · March 8, 2023

My truck is at the shop now and they cannot find a leak anywhere and did a pressure test which came back of but there is a coolant smell through the grill once it is warmed up. Has anyone tried using a small amount of stop leaker in the radiator to atleast stop the coolant smell since none can find a leak or crack. I was going to try Blue Devil coolant stop leak which is a liguid and not the gel type of stuff . My garage reaks of coolant for a few hours after shutting it off.

kickass audio · March 8, 2023

1 hour ago, Payton34 said:

My truck is at the shop now and they cannot find a leak anywhere and did a pressure test which came back of but there is a coolant smell through the grill once it is warmed up. Has anyone tried using a small amount of stop leaker in the radiator to atleast stop the coolant smell since none can find a leak or crack. I was going to try Blue Devil coolant stop leak which is a liguid and not the gel type of stuff . My garage reaks of coolant for a few hours after shutting it off.

I would never use any stop leak because that crap always ruins the system despite how many companies claim it's safe and won't gum up. Look at the picture I posted and take a look at the rad in that spot for a small hairline crack.

Payton34 · March 8, 2023

1 hour ago, kickass audio said:

I would never use any stop leak because that crap always ruins the system despite how many companies claim it's safe and won't gum up. Look at the picture I posted and take a look at the rad in that spot for a small hairline crack.

Yup checked that area and it’s ok. I will have to leave it alone until it starts to actually lose enough fluid to find it

Grumpy Bear · March 9, 2023

On 3/3/2023 at 5:38 PM, JimCost2014 said:

My 16 had the coolant smell, our 16 Tahoe has it, and my 18 is the same.

No visible leaks, just add 4-8oz, or so every 12-18 months. Coolant changed in all every 4-5 years. Think it just evaporates because these engines run so hot.

Mine is identical. Eight years now add a half cup once a year. Smell it on every cold start.

anthonymason59223051 · December 4, 2023

i _{am a little late to this party but mine is doing the same thing. have added maybe 16oz over the course of the 2 and a half years i have owned my 2018 lt texas edition silverado. occasional coolant smell but usually only at traffic lights, figuring it was another vehicle around me. came home and smelled it in my driveway. have been keeping an eye o coolant level and really havent had a noticeable drop in level. fast forward to today when i was under it inspecting suspension. going to be putting leveling struts and upper control arms on it, figuring im already there, replace all that needs done... look up and see a drop of coolant that hasnt fallen yet on a brace. radiator support is damp, radiator tank is damp, looking through the cooling fan and the and the bottom 6 or 7 tubes of the rad core is damp. cant really tell if it is a cracked tank, split seam where the core attaches to the tank, or the core itself. will not know until i get the time to replace it.}

steelerdude15 · December 4, 2023

I used to have this issue when I bought my truck. The faint smell would come from the coolant reservoir. I made sure the reservoir cap was on nice and tight and haven't had any issues since. It's been a few years now since I could smell it coming from there.

Edited December 4, 2023 by steelerdude15

beetle · December 8, 2023

'14 with 69 K miles, I've been detecting a coolant odor since new. I add a few ozs every so often, can't locate any leaks. BTW, my approach to coolant maintenance is to drain and refill the coolant tank once a year, it holds about 2/3 to 1 gallon.