Radiator question-replacement

Northerner

Club Member
My Z passed the Mot again without any issues but has developed a small pin hole leak in the core. I took it down to my local radiator company whom said the core is NLA and it’s not repairable.

This leaves me with an issue. Does the earlier rad ie brass type which is available in the US fit a facelift ie. plastic end tanks ???
 

mrM

Club Member
hi mate,the rad is as you say unobtainable in the uk, and is not repairable i spoke to many people on the matter,i think pre facelift and facelift rads are the same,i can confirm the US rad will fit as i have one on my car,but it only has one sensor hole in the bottom of the rad the uk rad having 2,also the top hose is on a different angle so i used a US hose
 

Northerner

Club Member
Thanks for the reply. How did you get round the sensor issue? Did you just delete one? I presume one would have been for the air con if fitted?
 

Farmer42

Club Member
You haven't said what year your Z is but you need to be careful as there are 2 types. The earlier type for a 240Z has an outlet pipe that is angled upwards and has a different hose that attaches to the outlet pipe on the block whereas the later one is a straight outlet pipe. Both will fit on the car but will need different top & bottom hoses. you won't get any original spec radiators like this in the UK unless someone has a used one.

You can get aftermarket alloy radiators in the UK that will fit and they tend to be better on the cooling. The downside is that they are not OEM and don't look anything like the originals. Some of the cheaper ones off Ebay have fitment issues and some have poor welding. I managed to pick up a reasonably good quality rad off ebay for £120 which was a 4 row. The quality alternative is a Mishimoto at about £250 ish - again you can get this in the UK.
 

mrM

Club Member
You haven't said what year your Z is but you need to be careful as there are 2 types. The earlier type for a 240Z has an outlet pipe that is angled upwards and has a different hose that attaches to the outlet pipe on the block whereas the later one is a straight outlet pipe. Both will fit on the car but will need different top & bottom hoses. you won't get any original spec radiators like this in the UK unless someone has a used one.

You can get aftermarket alloy radiators in the UK that will fit and they tend to be better on the cooling. The downside is that they are not OEM and don't look anything like the originals. Some of the cheaper ones off Ebay have fitment issues and some have poor welding. I managed to pick up a reasonably good quality rad off ebay for £120 which was a 4 row. The quality alternative is a Mishimoto at about £250 ish - again you can get this in the UK.
we are talking about the 300zx z31 are you talking about the same thing?
 

Northerner

Club Member
Thanks for the info about a breaker. I’ll keep that for anything else I need but I’ve ordered a new one from the US. I’ll keep you posted regarding fitment.
 

Northerner

Club Member
I’ve gone for the same slant type one fitted but it’s made of brass.
There readily available from Rockauto.com
 

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Northerner

Club Member
Got the other hose also so fingers crossed won’t have any issues fitting this!

Next on the list is tracking down my speedo issue. I’ve got a few spare speed senders to try
 

Northerner

Club Member
Radiator arrived today but one slight problem No hole for the sensor which was shown in the picture. Can’t wait for the seller to resolve so it’s now at the rad shop to see if they can braze in a fitting.
Also been busy drilling off the old crank sprocket which was solid. Took me three hours as I needed to change the crank oil seal.
 

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mrM

Club Member
my rad is the same type as the first one in the rock auto pictures you put up 8010762 and has a switch hole,maybe you have been sent the rad for the viscous fan model hence no switch hole for the rad,is your setup twin or single fan?
 

mrM

Club Member
those 2 switches have a purpose which is radiator switch 1 comes on at 90 dc and spins the fan at 1400rpm,if things get hotter switch 2 comes on at anything over 100 dc and spins the fan at 2000rpm,switch 2 also controls a second fan(if fitted) and this second fan would also come on at over 100 dc but spin at 1700rpm and also when the air con is on(if fitted)
 

Northerner

Club Member
those 2 switches have a purpose which is radiator switch 1 comes on at 90 dc and spins the fan at 1400rpm,if things get hotter switch 2 comes on at anything over 100 dc and spins the fan at 2000rpm,switch 2 also controls a second fan(if fitted) and this second fan would also come on at over 100 dc but spin at 1700rpm and also when the air con is on(if fitted)
Thanks Mr M!

Radiator back in today along with all new cam belt, seals and tensioner. Cost me £50 to have the fittings brazed in which has been refunded by the seller. Result.
Had the change the top hose as someone suggested as it comes off at a slightly different angle. Other than that it’s a straight fit pre and post facelift.
 

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mrM

Club Member
you got a good deal then really,i did think about having a second hole brazed in mine but didnt bother in the end in case it might leak after doing it,fingers crossed its all leak free when you get her runningEXTRA:)
 

Northerner

Club Member
I’ll keep you posted but the rad was pressure tested and the fitment of the brazed fittings seems to be GQ. Need to clean out the expansion bottle and tidy up things today....
 

Northerner

Club Member
All up and running nicely! One of the pipes for the expansion tank was completely blocked!
Haven’t taken it for a run yet as next on my list is bleeding the brakes then the diff swop!
 

Northerner

Club Member
Everything working and the fan cuts in as it should✅
If your getting a radiator from the USA, make sure you question the supplier to make sure it has at least One fan sensor hole.
 
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