So sick or T2 radiators. Every car I have ever had runs hot with one. My CSX is getting hot if I don't have the heater on. I've flushed it, still getting hot. If a guy could go buy a replacement it wouldn't be such a big deal... But you can't. Now I have to swap to a T1 radiator and a FMIC. It's a upgrade sure, but this car doesn't need one, so it's just more money and time I don't want to spend. I'd love to just have it recovered but that isn't cheap.
Anyone else not a fan of T2 radiators?
I've never had good luck with them either.
Of course, asking 25 years of of a radiator is a lot, especially if it's been neglected. But I was having trouble with them 15 years ago.
Mike Marra
1986 Plymouth Horizon GLMF "The Contraption" < entertaining sponsorship offers
Project Log:
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?69708-The-Contraption-2013-14&highlight=
If it's all copper, have the fins routed.
Ya they suck. In WA you shouldn't be having that much trouble compared to us in really hot states like AZ. If you have a radiator shop local you should be able to get it dipped and cleaned or re-cored. It's probably half plugged.
I live in WA, but on the east side in the desert. Most of August is normally 95-105 where I live. Not as hot as AZ but still pretty warm. I know they are old and that probably is the main issue. But since you can't buy a replacement... it's what we are stuck with. It's it worth having recored? I'm afraid here in the desert it will still run hot on those 100+ days. I did use to run a copper omni radiator in my old shadow and it kept up, but I couldn't hot lap the car. If I remember right the omni radiators are 2.5" wider then a T2.
I'm half tempted to build a gallon or two reservoir on the pass side somewhere and tie it into the heater lines. Would probably help a lot, but that's a bandaid and I am not a fan of bandaids.
I run a honda civic half rad and don't have too many issues with it. Previously I've had it completely unshrouded so if it sat and idled it would creep up. Once i got moving it would go right back down. Going to completely shroud the rad, I/C, and rad fan up when I put the built engine in. I live in myrtle beach also so it gets pretty hot and ridiculously humid. Proper shrouding is probably more important than the radiator itself.
My shadow had issues staying cool. I flushed it and got nowhere. Then I started looking at it and the fins were separating from the rad and that's why it wasn't working. I then bought a tu aluminum rad and issues were non existant.
from what I reneber of my t1 86 sc there was still plenty of room beside the rad to run ic pipes thru if u cut the plastic shrouding and the t1 rad is still available.
If it was me I'd opt for a full size radiator and an AWIC.Originally Posted by ShadowFromHell
I have experience with a couple of T-II radiators in different vehicles. 1) Tony Fields came down to AZ from IL and his radiator was rotted out and leaking and I was able to get it re-cored. They had to order the core out of California so at that time they were still available. 2) My Dad's '85 T&C wagon ran hot with the AC on in the summer with a TU radiator and a Volvo fan (much better than anything mopar) but I had a huge FMIC in front of it. That car ran 230*+ on the highway. I removed the TU radiator and FMIC, installed the factory radiator and installed an AWIC now it runs at a decent temp. 3) Jon Trotter bought a Shelby Lancer in CA and drove it to AZ to my shop on his way to TN. It was running hot across the desert. When he got here I loaned him a T-II radiator while his was getting hot tanked/dipped/flushed. His was 1/4-1/3 plugged. After we got it back his was running at an acceptable temperature out of AZ on his way to TN.
I've had mixed luck myself. I've had a few redone at local radiator shops, and surprisingly in my Shelby Z it seems to maintain an ok temp. Had the one in my 89 GTC conv done, but that car will run warm once hit hits about 85 outside and you start climbing any really long grades. It's just not big enough. My cars with the full width automatic radiators never seem to have any trouble and maintain perfect temp. Have had the same problem with the super coupe, it has a smaller radiator to allow the intercooler, and it ran warm until I lowered the thermostat temp and revised the fan on and off temps in the ecu.
On my T2 NY I shoe horned a fullsize raditor in it all the way to the pass side to give room for the IC pipes. Didnt want to be fighting the heat. Works great.
Thedon809, what car/motor? How hot does it get where you live? I actually have one of those radiators but it just looks so small.
Ive got a air to water, but have been saving that for another build I want to run AC on.
Even NOS TII radiator are crap for cooling. I know, I had one with a/c in my GLH.
My Griffin works so much better, crossing the desert between CA and AZ with a/c on is a stable 206F while it's 106F outside. TII radiator would make temp climb and climb with a/c on and highway, I let it go to 228F once just to see how high it would go.
Last edited by tryingbe; 03-18-2015 at 12:50 PM.
T2 2.2 omni and I also ran one on my 86 2.2 t2 turboz. It regularly gets over 90 with over 90% humidity. Mine is a double core eBay special.
Well heck. Ive got one stashed away ill give it a shot. Just have to figure out hoses.
Tryingbe, thats my fear of getting it recored. After spending a few hundred bucks it still wont keep up.
I went to a buddies and temp checked it with one of those laser guns, and I think I have one or two partiality clogged tubes. But I cant see that making that big of a difference.
The T2 radiator I had in my 2.5 T1 Daytona IROC seemed to work good once I fixed the lack of airflow through it at highway speeds. Granted I wasn't trying to run A/C with it, but it didn't run hot in the 100+ degree summer temps here in Central Valley of Cali. Putting the aluminum "scoop" on the radiator support to direct air up into the radiator made a night and day difference. Before that it would run hot at highway speed. Once the fan kicked on, it cooled right back down, added on the scoop thing I made and never had to rely on the fan coming on to drop the temps.
I did have to get the radiator tanked and rodded cause it was half clogged.
You already have too small of a radiator. Every tube counts.
I must be lucky. I have not had a problem with cooling with my TII radiator. Now granted I wasn't making gobs of power compared to some, but I was running track days, auto cross, long highway trips. I run A/C. I have a medium size FMIC that takes up both of the bottom nose holes in the '88 Shelby Z. I will say that in traffic if I didn't run A/C when it was hot out (90's-100's) that it would get warm. Other than that, it was fine. Now, mine was as close to brand new as you can get because I bought it new in 2000 or so and only put maybe 10k miles on it, then I dropped it in the current car.
I have a TU radiator waiting for the car, but I am unsure it will be adequate for my power level goal. So, I am considering getting a larger one.
Don't do it unless you build a shroud for the radiator and the fan. I used the stock upper hose and cut it up to fit. The lowers was a flexible hose. I forget the water pump inlet size. The radiator doesn't have a nipple for the heater core.
I have a Daytona that likes to run hot, can you describe your aluminum scoop? Where did it go and what did it attach to?
Only pic I have left of it on the car and this wasn't the final product. When I had the "final" design it didn't hang any lower than the stock plastic spoiler, but you still had to be careful with parking bumpers and going in and out of steeper driveways or it would hit and bend.
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