Radiator Replacement Update

[Eric Waterman]

Every aftermarket stock replacement radiator I've bought has been the auto
version.  Most companies only make that one, since the only difference is
the transmission cooler hookups.  It's easier/cheaper for them to have the
tooling for one part.

Eric Waterman

On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 10:54 AM, Larry Martin <bizznzman at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 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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