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Ok so Clay says its probably going to be awhile before he gets any degas bottles back in stock. I've considered the aluminum ones but the $300 price tag seems a bit much. However, I have seen a couple on fleabay that are aluminum, have the sight glass and use the correct style cap all for $125 or so. Has anybody used any of these with success? Or should I just go back with a Dorman for $65? Thanks guys!
Hmm. Curious on the flea bay ones. I couldnt justify the mishimoto myself. Sure looks nice. I have dorman in both my rigs. 2 yrs ago from napa it's white(difficult to see through) and just last week a dorman from advance it's clear like oem. Elc good for 600k mi, but both oem bottles lasted just shy of 300k before leaking. For $125, it's an investment to keep the coolant it's entire life cycle and pays itself off if you're going to keep it long enough and if they are machined well.
I like the sturdy appearance and potential promise of longevity of aluminum, but I would want more than just a sight glass to see the coolant.
My concern would be that the sight glass, or site tube, as seen in some designs, is nice for checking level, but there isn't enough showing in the little site window to see color changes with enough volume to make an indictment with confidence, as an alert for fuel or oil dilution in the coolant.
This concern is only projection, not from personal experience, so please keep that in mind.
I like the sturdy appearance and potential promise of longevity of aluminum, but I would want more than just a sight glass to see the coolant.
My concern would be that the sight glass, or site tube, as seen in some designs, is nice for checking level, but there isn't enough showing in the little site window to see color changes with enough volume to make an indictment with confidence, as an alert for fuel or oil dilution in the coolant.
This concern is only projection, not from personal experience, so please keep that in mind.
Not being able to see the coolant was a concern for me as well. I went with a aluminum degas bottle from Rudy's and it seems to be very well made at a reasonable price, and it does have a sight glass. I have learned that you can take the cap off and put a flashlight up to the sight glass on the side of the bottle( preferably at night) , and you can inspect the coolant this way. You can clearly see the coolant for any contamination by doing this but its not as easy as a simple glance with the plastic degas bottles. With that being said i would definitely buy one from Rudys again since the quality is there and I got sick and tired of replacing the dormans that I have used in the past. Granted the dormans do have a lifetime warranty from advanced auto but like I said , it was a pain to have to keep replacing them every 1-2 years. Some have had better luck with the dormans or the oem bottles but from the research I have done even the oem bottles have problems. My vote is for the aluminum degas bottle from Rudy's but that just my opinion
I’ve still got my leaky original one. Tried to install a mishimoto back in the spring but it didn’t fit so I sent it back. Clay said the OEM ones are bad quality now and ditto the dorman. Probably the Sinister Diesel one is the best if money is no object. The sight glass is better than the Mishimoto and it comes powder coated.
Not being able to see the coolant was a concern for me as well. I went with a aluminum degas bottle from Rudy's and it seems to be very well made at a reasonable price, and it does have a sight glass. I have learned that you can take the cap off and put a flashlight up to the sight glass on the side of the bottle( preferably at night) , and you can inspect the coolant this way. You can clearly see the coolant for any contamination by doing this but its not as easy as a simple glance with the plastic degas bottles. With that being said i would definitely buy one from Rudys again since the quality is there and I got sick and tired of replacing the dormans that I have used in the past. Granted the dormans do have a lifetime warranty from advanced auto but like I said , it was a pain to have to keep replacing them every 1-2 years. Some have had better luck with the dormans or the oem bottles but from the research I have done even the oem bottles have problems. My vote is for the aluminum degas bottle from Rudy's but that just my opinion
I think it’s around $350 if you order it directly from them. The Mishimoto is like $300 from Riff-Raff but I think the Sinister is a slightly better design. Most of their stuff is overpriced and not really necessary IMO but the coolant tank is pretty slick. I would have just put a new OEM one on but a lot of people have problems with them seeping at the seam where the two halves are glued together. Mine started to do that last winter but not really an emergency and more of just an annoyance.
I've done research on this topic (aluminum tanks). Sinister tank is roughly $350 and Mishimoto can be found for $270's on Amazon. I've seen the Rudy's tank list for $189. It looks to be similar to the Sinister tank with sight window, etc. But I don't know the quality. And there are the Chinese ones on eBay and Amazon for $125-$150. But again unsure of the quality. If the Rudy's one was nice it might be worth it for the $189.
It's been a couple of years, but let's ping @7.3Excursion4x4 who installed this to see if he has any long term reports:
Notice the triangular stiffening gusset on the lower mounting foot (lower left hand of photo). Do the other aftermarket tanks have this triangular gusset on their mounting feet?
Also notice (again, in the photo above) the seamless wrap over on the pitched roof portion of the three tier top tank. That is unique among the field of offerings I've seen. This is not to say that it is better, but it is an interesting and distinguishing design detail.
Sight glass below, with baffle plate.
Notice the pitch angle change in the tank, that matches the OEM pitch angle. Do the other aluminum aftermarket tanks change pitch angle?
It's been a couple of years, but let's ping @7.3Excursion4x4 who installed this to see if he has any long term reports:
Notice the triangular stiffening gusset on the lower mounting foot (lower left hand of photo). Do the other aftermarket tanks have this triangular gusset on their mounting feet?
Also notice (again, in the photo above) the seamless wrap over on the pitched roof portion of the three tier top tank. That is unique among the field of offerings I've seen. This is not to say that it is better, but it is an interesting and distinguishing design detail.
Sight glass below, with baffle plate.
Notice the pitch angle change in the tank, that matches the OEM pitch angle. Do the other aluminum aftermarket tanks change pitch angle?
While the PSP one is nice, if it is $400 I find it hard to see people paying that when they already have a hard time paying for either the Mishimoto or Sinister which are cheaper in cost. I've been happy with the quality of Mishimoto (trans cooler) and it comes with lifetime warranty. I'd go that route at $270 before the PSP and save $. But curious on the quality of the Rudy's tank at $189? I'd be concerned about the fleabay tanks.
That one ive never seen before. The Mishimoto doesn't have that triangle gusset on the bottom bracket. I seem to have lost the pictures I had of it (almost) installed on the truck, but long story short the mounting brackets didn't even come close to lining up...measurements were way off. So I had to go rounds with Mishimoto's customer service rep before they allowed me to send it back for a refund. Whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth TBH. I also couldn't find anything anywhere claiming these are US made so that made me a tad suspicious they are selling Chinese made stuff for premium prices. Sinister Diesel, on the other hand, make it plain theirs are made at their production facility in California. So that is another reason I'd lean towards that one.
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