Radiator Failure?

dajarrel · May 21, 2007

Hey guys,

Yesterday, I stopped at a resturant while on a trip and noticed a muddy, oily overflow coming from my overflow resef....resevou....bucket :-)

One of the other guys with me (who is a mechanic) said that it looked like I had a leak in my transmission cooler.

My question is, Is the transmission cooler built into the radiator? if so, am I looking at a replacement or a repair?

I kept a watch on my temp gauges the rest of the way home and the water temp ran about 210 degrees (where it usually runs) and the transmission oil temp stayed about 135 degrees.

Obviously, I'll have to flush the cooling system. Is there a commercial product that will remove the oil film from the engine or do I use a soap like TSP (tri-sodium-phosphate) to clean it.

thanks in advance for any help.

dj

ryank1 · May 21, 2007

You can repair or replace the radiator, but usually its cheaper to just buy a replacement radiator from Keystone Crash Parts and it will come with a lifetime warr, the trans cooler in located in the side tank of the radiator. It is very important to also check your trans (drop the pan) if coolant got into the trans it will wipe the clutches off of their backing plates and trash the torque conveter clutch. If coolant got into the trans the fluid will look like a strawberry milkshake. You should also replace all of the rubber hoses in the cooling system because the trans fluid will break down the rubber. As far as a flush try prestone super flush.

dajarrel · May 22, 2007

Thanks Ryan,

just to update this mess....

I just got though pulling the hoses and connections and draining the radiator. All the liquid on the water side of the radiator is strawberry colored. Obviously contaminated with what appears to be tranny fluid. Here's the kicker. On the oil side of the oil and transmission coolers, there is no contamination. Both the oil and the fluid are clear with no water emulsification at all. I can understand the oil/fluid being pushed into the water side while running, but when the engine is off and no pressure is on the crankcase or transmission, I would expect water to get into the oil.

Anyway, I'll search out a new radiator tomorrow.

thanks again

dj

C & A s Dad · May 22, 2007

Dennis, the hole in the cooler line is likely very small and the pres of the tran pump is pushing the fluid into the coolant. You probably do have a trace of fluid in the coolant but just not enogh to see. I would recommend changing the fluid once you have replaced the radiator.

I too would recommend a HD flush such as Prestone or Zerex by Valvoline. When I flushed mine, I flushed it with clear water 3 times, which is twice more than the instructions will tell you. I want all of that flush out of my system.

Also, when you put it back up, I would strongly recommend a product by LubeGard called Kool It (part # 96001). This product will eliminate all chemical electrolysis in your cooling system, which is a big problem with modern vehicles. We have been selling this product for a couple of years and it is recommended by Modine. We have many stores that make it mandatory it be used when replacing a radiator or heater core.