I recently purchased the truck and noticed coolant was a little low. Added some yesterday and went to go buy some more stuff today. Notice a drip under the truck. Was coming from inside the fan shroud. Tracked it back to the top of the radiator to a hose. First thought was bad hose so pulled it back and squeezed. Noticed some air / fluid near the opening. Pulled it back and looks like a crack on the plastic piece that sits on top of the radiator where the large hose to the engine connects.

My first question is, is that plastic piece replaceable or do I need to go with a whole new radiator?

2nd question, is it worth my time to try and fix that top piece instead of buying new? I found a new one on eBay for $115 with a lifetime warranty. Looks like it has plastic top and bottoms also.

And last question, there is an ALL aluminum model for $189, without the plastic upper and lower hose connections. Should I go for this to avoid future cracking?

Thanks!

 

The tank is replaceable, a good shop can do it. It may be hard to find someone to do it. Everything is throw away now. Probably the least hassle to replace the whole thing. I retired from a radiator plant that made OEM and replacements. We made radiators for semis with million mile warranties with plastic tanks.

 

I bought the all Aluminum with no plastic from Ebay for $189. Lifetime warranty. Bought new hoses also. $13 each. I went with Dayco hoses. I plan on swapping in the next 2 weeks. Will post pics. Replacing serpentine and tensioner at same time.