Radiator Replacement Update

[Larry Martin]

For the sake of reference I thought I would pass along what I learned during the latest episode of  "Adventures in Maintenance".  To make a long story short, I was able to find a proper replacement without going the big dollar racing route but it was not a walk in the park.  Every supplier but one I contacted lied through their teeth about "their" radiator being precisely what was called for by Nissan, insisted I didn't know what I was talking about and stopped just short of saying bad things about my mother.  Some of this was not their fault, the shadow people who actually make radiators be they from China or Burkino Faso or Van Nuys have stopped making the B13 2.0 radiator as God and Nissan intended with 1 3/8 (1.375 or about 35mm - somebody can check the math) inlets and outlets. And most of the mouth breathers at the other end of the phone know nothing of sizes, only part numbers.  Instead, and for obvious reasons, they do make the 1 1/8 (1.125
 in. or about 29mm) inlet/outlet because it fits the great mass of Sentras out there - easy business decision for them.  I know that statement is too broad and somebody will immediately make a liar out of me but after talking to six or seven suppliers over a period of a week, that was all I was going to look and I don't care if you know where there are twelve companies who make the "right size" but I digress.  I ordered two in succession from Rock Auto and got the first one (1 1/8) replaced as maybe having been misboxed.  The second one (1 1/8) was the same ("absolutely correct" (dumbass) they said) and I sent it back too.  They were not happy to do it.  I finally happened across a company called RaceTechPerformance(.com).  The guy laughed when I told him what I was doing and pointed me right back to Koyo.  Non-racing Koyo.  The OE replacement (1 3/8) Koyo part number for the correct size is: A1977. It was available shipped to me at about $125
 (versus the $340 dual row racing item).  That's the manual trans version and here the plot slightly thickens again.  RaceTech still has some number of manual versions in stock but Koyo has stopped production (I called them too) and they recommend using the auto trans version which is still in "production" and, of course, is not a problem.  That part number is: A1976 - same price.  So, there you have it.  So, bright boy that I am did I get the Koyo?  Hell no, by the time I figured all this out I had replaced the old one with a Spectra replacement from a local vendor I know and put it in.  1 1/8 in/outs sleeved with a 1/4 inch thin section of hose to match the OEM hoses.  Same damn price as the Koyo.  I am so happy.  They say you live and learn.  "They", as usual, lie.

Larry Martin
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