Aluminum Radiator

Do you have one in yours? I see it's a 98, is it auto or manual? What engine?

Does it fit properly? I only ask because guys are saying that the mounting holes line up, but it's not as long at the bottom as it's supposed to be

 

Ledfoot Racing aka Champion isn't in the Toyota specific market and know little about their product and how it fits. All 1st gens can run any radiator if you cut your shroud.

The only other all aluminum ones are cheap and made in China, too.

It is the same length as a manual radiator or 5 lug radiator because it does not hang down below the frame, however it has provisions for auto transmission cooler lines. You need to modify your shroud like mine if you have a manual. You also will need a new cap.





I'm not running the aluminum one once I get my rig running though - I'll probably pay someone to reinforce it. Put one of these 2.4 L 5 lug radiators in my 4runner and works great. If I run equally as cool with my Tacoma I'll use one in it too.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/different-radiators-for-the-3-4.915025/

 

Yeah, I'm not gonna run the green shit tho...

 

I'm not gonna have a shroud when I put an electric fan on it so I don't have to worry about that, but I'm a little worried that I would buy a radiator for my specific year truck and it would be a different size than the electric fan

 

I don't recommend an electric fan. They have only shown poorer performance on here than belt driven fans.

 

I wonder why...

Is it poor bcuz the stock radiator or is it poor with the all aluminum radiator? Is it the 3RZ cooling system? What makes it poor?

Years ago I had a 99 chevy silverado 4wd with a 5.3, I put a cheapo electric fan on it and I never overheated, not even close.

 

Poor air movement for the electrical - the Champion radiator runs my engine at 184* with the mechanical fan / shroud when idling high around 1400 rpm (hadn't plugged in an O2 sensor). Stock fan simply moves a lot of air when paired with a shroud compared with an electric fan. Many guys that use their trucks in unfavorable conditions (low speed, high rpm, high outside temps) prefer mechanical fan over electric - also reliability issues with electrical fans turning off when not intended are sometimes discussed.

For reference my 5vz V6 auto 4runner runs at about 192* at a normal idle around 6-700 rpm with the smaller 2rz radiator.

 

I installed a Koyorad Racing #VH010665N (the 3rd Gen 4R radiator) in Nov 2019. It started leaking in Feb 2021, and after several weeks of poking the vendor (Battle Born Offroad) to do something, a warranty replacement arrived at my door free of charge. Couple notes:
-The leak was a small pinhole near the top left of the core. I went through about 0.75-1 gallons of coolant in the time it took for the replacement to arrive.
-In the end the vendor Battle Born Offroad came through with honoring the warranty so I don't want to slander them too much here My frustrations in the end weren't even related to the speed with which the new radiator arrived, because it really only took a few weeks. It was just the lack of a prompt response to my phone calls and emails that became annoying, especially when dealing with a leaking cooling system in a 1KZ-TE engine (search "1KZ-TE overheating problems" if you want more insight into my paranoia...).
-The warranty replacement radiator has continued to work from installation date (beginning of March 2021) to now, which isn't yet as long as the first one lasted so I'm still keeping an eye on it.
-Champion may have details about not using the red coolants in their radiators, but Koyorad Racing says to use whichever type of coolant that is specified by the manufacturer. Per their FAQ:

What type of fluid, coolant or antifreeze does Koyorad recommend?
50/50 coolant antifreeze mix is mandatory. Use OEM manufacturer's recommended coolant. Note: Coolant additives do not contain the necessary anti-corrosion properties as 50/50 coolant antifreeze mix. Coolant additives should not be used. Prior to installation, a complete cooling system flush (including heater core flush) is mandatory in order to eliminate any old coolant, contaminants, mineral deposits, and previous additives. Dex-Cool is not to be used with Koyorad all-aluminum radiators. Follow vehicle factory service manual for proper filling of the cooling system after a Koyorad all-aluminim radiator has been installed. Reference vehicle owner's manual for coolant capacity, then 1 additional gallon on-hand to top-off.
​

In 09/2020 Koyorad Racing released a radiator for the 1st Gen Tacoma, model #VH010513. I don't know how this differs from the 4R radiator that I installed, but it didn't exist when I originally went searching for a new radiator and the 4R unit fits just fine. Both radiators are M/T designs though, so auto trans folks will have to install a separate trans fluid cooler. Does eliminate the risk of a "pink milkshake" event though, so there's that.

 

@RattleTractor Any update on that Koyorad Racing #VH010665N radiator?

 

My champion radiator is still running. Strong…. with the green stuff!
No issues!

and my truck is running great too!

 

Second one was leaking when I pulled the 1KZ out of that truck, but I don't think it's completely the fault of the radiator. We also found a crack in the wall of cylinder 2 after pulling the head, so I'm pretty sure the coolant system was pressurizing from the cylinder compression and that caused the failure of one or both radiators (TLR the first one was warrantied after it started to leak in under a year).

I have a new (to me) 1st Gen Tacoma that received a 1KZ swap at the end of 2023 and has a Cold Case aluminum radiator in it. I figured I should at least try something different. Will report back on that one as well if anything happens.

 

Thanks for the info. Love that diesel swap!

Do you find the aluminum radiators, when working, run cooler than the denso? I find that the added weight of mods increases engine temps, especially when climbing at high ambient temps. Am looking for a reliable radiator with increased cooling capacity. Until your post, I thought Koyo racing was the solution. Especially after seeing the 3 pass 4 runner model fit the taco. Cold case is a new one to me. Interested to hear how that works out.

 

I can't really say- comparing the 1KZ to the 5VZ isn't feasible and I don't remember what the last truck had in it for a rad when I bought it.

It's also worth seeing if anyone has had more positive experiences running the Koyorad Racing radiator with a 5VZ, since it seems likely that the crack in the cylinder wall of the 1KZ might have contributed to the premature demise of both radiators.

 

@RattleTractor Thanks for the info.

People generally seem happy with the Koyo. The more recent posts in this thread have been positive. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-all-aluminum-radiator-koyo.755322/. Timmy has been running a Koyo for just over a year with good results. I’ll keep lurking a bit longer.