When to replace radiator

[lgriffiths]

How do you know when it's time to replace a radiator? Obviously don't want to wait until it overheats. A number of damaged fins on mine. It's a FL 04 so some damage after 14 years is expected... Engine etc is stock.





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[Topdownman]

Lots of them seem to go in the bottom corner and its not always obvious there is a leak at first.

The ebay ones are pretty cheap (apparently its best to swop over the toyota bleed screws?) so the question you have to ask yourself is, would I rather do this at a time and location of my own choosing or have an inconvenient repair or breakdown? (Best done in a Clint Eastwood voice!).

It should be a job you only have to do once so my view would be there is not a lot of point waiting as soon as you spot it leaking or think it is suspect.

[lgriffiths]

No leaks at the moment, but just wary of its age. As you say... rather be preemptive.

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[MisterK]

Do it now.  Mine's an 04 & Steve at D1 Customs replaced mine with a Toyota radiator last summer.  The old one wasn't leaking at all, but the fins were a right mess.  I can now drive the car without worrying about it. 

[1979scotte]

Replace now.
I had an 06 and it went.
They're very cheap or you can get an upgraded aluminium rad like japspeed for more money.

[K T M Rider]

This is how the rad looked on my (then) 14 year old car last year prior to replacement. Rad also went on my previous FL after 9 years and 75k miles, so think it's safe to assume that any original rad will be junk by now unless super low mileage.

Always a good idea on any second hand vehicle to regularly check your fluids (at least untill you've got to know it) and on these cars probably more than most due to the general rise and fall of the expansion tank level and oil burning issues.....

So think I was checking both weekly and then just after the point I'd started to relax a bit (and had left it a bit longer) I opened the engine cover to see an empty expansion tank  - at which point I decided it must have been dropping for a while but of course the usual Yoyoing level scenario had hidden it.

Straightaway chief suspect was the rad (I'd put one on my last FL). Sure enough wiping up some signs of dampness with a tissue from the front undertray gave the tell tale pinkish colour of coolant and a closer look at the rad confirmed it was junk. I had given the rad a cursory inspection prior to purchase (definitely checked the passenger side bottom corner as this is often where they seem to go first) but the car had not seen much recent use. Anyway no big deal, it's a relatively cheap and easy job to sort (under £40 for the rad - ebay, although you'll need coolant too), so a new one went in. As is advised I re-used the O.E. wing nut drain screws as they ease the bleeding process (visible in last but one pic below). 

[StuC]

As per KTM really.

Take out the frunk plastics out and have an inspection. Chances are it will need replacing.

[smarty72]

I believe the coolant is supposed to be replaced every ten years, so another way of looking at is.

Was the coolant replaced four years ago? - It's doubtful at best.

So you've eked another fours years out of the coolant and a change is well overdue.  While it's drained down you might as well pop in a £40 rad (£60ish if you want a 'Koyo') and forget about it for the next decade...