98 F250 4x4 4.6L
After reading some of the posts I'm concerned I may be a little ignorant about my leaking radiator. In Death Valley a few weeks ago we noticed a hot engine. Steam was coming out of the passenger side on top. We turned around after putting some water in and went back two miles to the gas station where we put in a jug of coolant and a can of stop leak. That seemed to do us until I backed the trailer up at home and parked the truck. The next morning the truck puddled on the driveway so I guess I need either a new radiator or mine rebuilt.
I would rather have mine repaired. What would I expect for costs and should I replace the thermostat?
Thank you for your comments.

 

98 , plastic tank , aluminum core ? I would replace with an aftermarket instead of trying a repair . I have seen mixed results and cost with repairs . I put in a lot of radiators and now only have copper , brass radiators repaired . I put a new radiator in my daughters for $20 less than the quote of having it repaired . I would replace the thermostat and cap at the same time , and flush the system good before installing the radiator . Ck your hoses good while at it .

 

I didn't know it was plastic. I'll call around to see how much it will cost for my F250 which has the tow package so maybe a larger radiator?
I will get a thermostat, and flush the system.

I saw a radiator the other day on Craig's List for $60 but I wouldn't know what condition it is until I installed it.
Thanks

 

Try and find an all aluminum, will cost more but they won't leak at the tank seams like the plastic crap. Made the mistake of replacing mine with another plastic tanked radiator and it leaked in under 2 years. Hopefully you haven't ran the heat and got any of that stop leak junk in your heater core, a complete system flush is a must ASAP after using that.

 

That is something I didn't know.. I have not run the heater. Thanks.
I was about to look online for a radiator. I wonder when they stopped making brass radiators?

 

Be sure to flush your heater core to be safe And .. Brass and copper are much more costly and heavier than plastic and alum. CAFE standards , weight issues , cost . Those all play a part . If you shave a few pounds , and dollars off each vehicle ( on the scale of thousands ) it makes a difference , for the makers .

 

Thanks for that last post. I just came back to ask the question after finding brass radiators. There're not better? The radiators I checked say transmission core included but not oil pump cooler? I think that's what it said.

 

This morning I pulled the top cowling from the radiator and was surprised that the radiator had the plastic "top" on it's side. I think it is aluminum and it says "commercial" on the tag. I filled it up completely and drove it until the engine warmed up but there were no leaks. There is another one inch thick radiator in front of the two inch one. There are, I assume, a transmission cooler and a heater radiator in front of the one inch one. Can someone tell me exactly what they are? Will a radiator shop test in some way if there is a leak in the cooling system somewhere?
Thanks

 

The heat transfer unit closest to the engine , as you know , is the radiator . The next , twards the grill , is the ac condensor ( usually ) . It is almost the size of the radiator . Smaller ones are usually power steering and transmisson coolers or oil coolers .. A shop can pressure test your cooling system , flow test your cooling system , and tell you what you need to fix it . Good luck !

 

I appreciate your help. I will go to a radiator shop and have them check for a leak. I'm hoping one of those radiators is for the transmission.

 

If you do not have an external transmission cooler , have one added . While the radiator is out , the labor might be less . If you do a lot of towing , or live in a hot climate , I would put one on .