Hi everyone,

I just bought and fitted a new rad as had a leak in the old one. The new one has two gold screw fittings at the bottom that were not on the old one (see pic). What are these? No fluid seems to leak from them but do I need to seal them up or anything?

I bought the rad second hand (but new condition) and it came with one small gold pipe that angles upwards (sitting on the old radiator in the picture).

Thanks in advance for any advice on this.
James

 

You bought an Automatic Transmission radiator (which doubles as a transmission cooler) instead of a Manual Transmission radiator.

The MT version is cheaper, with less complexity as a result. I recommend getting a new Koyo from Mazmart.com for $150 + shipping.

 

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I already fitted this - oops. Can't I just seal these off or join them together with a rubber tube and jubilee clip?

 

Just stick rubber caps on the ends. There is no fluid in there to worry about, just keep the ports from collecting and/or ingesting road junk.

And watch your coolant temps though OBD2 or an actual gauge, not the factory dummy gauge. The MT puts out quite a bit more power than the AT, and while I don't know for sure that the AT radiator has a lower efficiency or capacity, it stands to reason that it does. It's a recipe to lose an engine unexpectedly from overheating (which can happen as early as 220F, the factory gauge won't start moving til 235F).

You should plan on putting the correct radiator in there relatively soon.

 

If there is no water to worry about, how is it meant to cool an auto transmission? Does it contain a separate reservoir or something?

Unfortunately I'm working on a bit of a budget with this and got a really good deal with the rad I have and ideally like to keep it. Any idea how I could find out for sure if it has reduced cooling capabilities? Also the car is pretty much stock.

Thanks again

 

The transmission cooling isn't through water, it's through circulating the transmission's oil through a separated section within the radiator. Those fittings are for the ATF lines to the transmission.

If you compared the sizes of the radiator you took out vs the one you put in, if they have the same exterior dimension, then that separated internal section is inherently reducing the coolant capacity of the radiator, as well as how much of the surface of the radiator is actually capable of shedding heat from the coolant (because no hot coolant is circulating behind the rest of it)

 

I recommend you take RIWWP's advice about monitoring the engine temps if you are planning on keeping that radiator. It may work fine, but it would be wise just to make sure. It only stands to reason that if you don't have $150.00 for a radiator you certainly don't have the $3000 plus to replace the engine if you cook it. Make sure you seal each side of that radiator and make certain the under-tray is in place.