Best Radiator or Radiator Mod for Max Cooling in hot Climate Commuting.

Hello all, need a little help.

Question is, who offers the most reliable cooling options? Bigger, Better, without redesigning the entire front of my truck. I have read where some say that an FJ radiator fits and greatly improves cooling. Is there one OEM retrofit or aftermarket replacement Radieator that everyone agrees is the best option for the 2.7L? Or what are the proven options for this problem? Please include part numbers or direct links to support your information.

To the point, respectfully, I'm looking for replacement Radiator recommendations and not diagnostic theory. This considered, can anyone share what they have found to be a superior replacement for the 2nd gen Tacoma? As stated, I am open to quality aftermarket etc... Any total package help with this would be welcome as well ie. hoses oil coolers, etc. Any proven info on what to consider, and where to get it would be much appreciated.


Many thanks, REP

 

I don't believe overheating is common. You may just need to clean your radiator and service your cooling system if you are having issues.

 

How is your radiator cap?
Are you sure you have no leaks?
Normally you would have to be really overheated or have other problems to start pushing coolant out.

What is your coolant temp running at?

 

I'm in Lago Vista near Austin and can tell you that coolant spraying out is not good. Have you checked that you don't have a blown head gasket?

 

Replace the thermostat & radiator cap. Is your radiator damaged or worn out? Might need to replace it, especially if it is the original radiator. Open the hood, look where it's leaking.

 

Radiator flushed, new OEM 50/50 in the entire system, new OEM Cap as well. Not leaking. Thanks

 

Didn’t you recently replace your radiator with a larger aftermarket one?

 

Yes. Got it from URD.

 

No sign of a blown head gasket, in fact, no signs of any trouble at all except on two occasions having the coolant spew from the overflow canister while maintaining 85+mph on the toll on a couple of 110+deg days. This is why I feel that my Radiator may need routing out or as I prefer given its age and expense of routing, replacing.

 

I used a much larger fj aluminum radiator that I got from eBay and it helped a ton.

 

NICE! any certain model years for proper fit? Was there much trouble with the retrofitting etc.? Also, did you go aftermarket? If so do you have recommendations on quality offerings? I'm not much on Badge envy, but I don't mind paying a bit more for superior quality. Thanks for your input.

 

When you did the 50 50 mix, did you use tap water? Sometimes inside the radiator you’ll see deposits. If you use distilled water instead or premixed it won’t get any worse. I’ve tried the coolant flush bottled stuff, it helps but really doesn’t help much.

Another thing to try is to wash the radiator, as in blast a stream of water through the fins opposite direction of air flow. You might be surprised how much dirt and smashed bugs comes out.

Another thing to try is the fan clutch, which you didn’t mention if you replaced it. With the engine off, give the fan a spin, it should spin but feel stiff, not keep spinning when you let go.

If you know the radiator is clean inside and out, and the fan clutch is good, modification may be needed. A better radiator. Electric fan.

Many will say electric fans are evil and stupid people use them. I think if you use a good one and wire it correctly you should have no issues.

There’s a few options for replacement radiators, 2 most commonly used by most. Of those 2, 1 people mentioning poor customer service. Don’t get the cheapest thing you can find. I had bad experiences with a Chinese lifetime warranty. Had to replace it 3 times, split weld leak, weld defect leak, entire weld seam split leak.

 

Thanks for the thoughts, the mix was OEM 50/50 Mixed from Toyota, I had the shop that I use do the flush and replace the fluid. But I provided the Antifreeze premix direct from Toyota. I will check the fan clutch for sure. Not really interested in repairing the radiator etc. but instead replacing it and the related components. Most likely the fan & fan clutch while I'm at it. Just for note, this is not something that is ongoing. It only happened when a couple of times when I run her hard in extreme temperatures. I just want to be sure that she can handle any situation that comes up reliably.

 

Everything is OE Factory original. But I am trying to find out what configuration of available offerings if considered the best so I can.

 

There is zero need to go aftermarket bigger rad to maintain 85mph on a 110deg day .... you have something else going on. (fan clutch, clogged rad etc)

 

@Pearson, I'd suggest you start with what @ZColorado and @Waasheem said about cleaning the fins or condensor of the radiator along with the AC fins. You may have a lot of dead love bugs and whatnot blocking air flow. You may also think about adding a pusher fan to help out with some additional air flow. I clean the radiator and AC fins on my truck every year. The first time I did, the inside AC temp dropped 5 degrees. I also added a pusher fan with a seperate switch so I can turn it on or off when needed.
What is the conditon of the motor oil and trans fluid? If either of these are running above normal it's going to work the coolant as well.



On another note, only 2 more months before fall gets here.

 

That's one of the 1st signs actually. Ask me how I know.

 

Thanks, I'm sure you have a sound theory except for the fact that this has only happened twice some 6 weeks ago seems to be overlooked. I'm not sure what all you actually read about my experience. But the truck never actually overheated. It spewed coolant out of a dislodged overflow on two separate locations when being ran hard on the tolls in 111deg outside temps. I do appreciate your input. But I really only am asking for information on where to find a proven higher capacity Radiator for my Truck. You know what fits and has more cooling capacity with quality build. Maybe a change of the original post is in order since I have caused so much misinformation. Many thanks, REP

 

I think so, I feel that in 225K miles with the OEM fluid before I changed it, may have internal issues or restrictions etc. As a maintenance overkill kinda guy, I keep my coils clean etc. And I should say that I'm not really interested in bigger or after-market for the sake of it. That is unless one or all have been found superior in the ability to cool. Again, cost as much to have the radiator removed and gone through as to buy a new one. Thus why not buy a new one?