Auto KZN130 Surf Radiator Choice

[bronx89]

Looking for a radiator that will a) work a lot more efficiently and effectively than the standard one (with no oil cooler in it) and b) take the hits and knocks of some beach and mud work and c) fit the standard mounts and fan etc.

My current one isn't doing the trick any more and has sprung some pinhole leaks in the top tank at the front.

Have heard ali ones are good for dropping temps a fair bit but weak for offroad. Brass copper strong but not as effective as ali.

What do you think of this one compared to standard?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-par ... 952314.htm

[Smurf]

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[bronx89]

Yea already have one hooked up. In-rad one isn't used at all.

Just wanting to know what the most effective radiator to get is as far as dropping coolant temps as much as possible.

[Smurf]

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[Mattman]

Most radiator places should be able to advise on a thicker or larger radiator.

To go to larger size usually custom mounts would be needed. I upgraded my LN130 with a land cruiser radiator. Cut out some of the radiator support panel as the cruiser unit was wider. Also welded on cruiser mounts.

I had a look through the radiator book at local Repco after measuring up the space and hose sizes etc and found a suitable unit then bought one off trade me.

Sometimes you can get thicker core stock size radiators which can improve cooling. Don't also forget to replace the fan coupling and all hoses, coolant, thermostat, radiator cap to get the full benefit.

Matt.

[tallsam66]

This is what i have done & it works well.
I use the factory auto radiator with in built trans cooler , but have also install a good quality extra trans cooler ..not the cheap bent pipe type with fins on it ...but a high efficency one.
The auto puts out a massive amount of heat so its sooo important to keep it cool.I also do 99% of my 4wding in low range , this also keeps it real cool as its puts much less strain on auto.
Rad has been rodded & is like new.
I have all my rad shroud fitted as this helps the fan to suck air thru the rad.
I use a factory toyota 71 degree thermostat.
Have taken apart viscious fan & put in more fluid to ensure it turns on when required & as has extra fluid comes on a little earlier.
Have replaced water pump with new.
I designed my front bar to allow as much air in as possible , dont have big spotties or winch blocking the rad.
I run 50 /50 mix of anti freeze/anti boil , this has increased the boiling point.
Replaced rad cap so i know it holds the correct pressure, therefore keeping the boiling point higher.
This has worked well for me & this is also what they do in Aus for there hot conditions.
Many ppl wil have other ideas but this has worked for me.

[tweake]

had a case on the surf forum where someone got a nice big radiator in. turns out it was worse than the factory one!
there is some really crappy cores out there.

biggest thing is use a manual radiator and run a separate trans cooler.
make sure the fan is working fine.

[bronx89]

Sorry should have clarified better. Just looking for input on radiator choice. Have already done all the other cooling stuff.

- Davies Craig 8 cyl oil cooler (blanked off internal)
- New fan clutch and fluid
- New hoses
- 71'C genuine Toyota stat
- Snorkel
- Aftermarket mechanical water temp gauge and sensor fitted in head to keep an eye on things
- New radiator cap
- Flushed engine cooling channels
- Low-range 4wd'ing on sand and mud except when cruising along beach at 60-80km/h (duh)
- Always have the heater turned up when offroad
- Dropped tyre pressures
- Auxiliary elec. fan hooked up to switch for when at slow speeds offroad

Hence why I'm now wanting to upgrade the radiator to a bigger core one and one without an internal trans cooler.

Is anyone with a KZN130 Surf able to provide links or info to a radiator they have direct experience with offroad? Need something that will help keep temps right down when giving the truck a fair bit of sh*t offroad. Used to be able to take it but now it gets up to the 100'C mark relatively easy since the radiator sprung the few pinhole leaks.

[tweake]

if its peaking at 100c then don't worry about. just use a stock sized radiator.
if your really despite check out surf forums. i think there was something about the aussie 4runners having a bigger radiator and possibly a hilux one fits in.
having said that, silvadale sells aussie made coolers, the odds are they are the bigger aussie spec one rather than the smaller jap ones.

[bronx89]

It peaks at 100'C because that's when I stop. And it gets to 100'C a lot easier than it used to/than I want it to.

Hence why I'm wanting a new one/one that will cool a lot more effectively.

I've had a look around a bunch of different forums but want first hand experience and comments and feedback so I can make the right choice.

[Smurf]

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[bronx89]

Thanks for the info. And yes I do take it easy on the engine thus why I completely stop and let it idle as soon as it hits - or is on its way up to - 100'c.

Just to reiterate, I'm not wanting another standard radiator. If I'm going new, and I'm forking out the money, I'd rather get an upgraded one.

So again, anyone able to shed some light on what they've used/use in their Surf and links/pics/info of where to get one? Ali vs copper/brass? Core type/size/number that fit to standard mount holes etc?

Cheers.

[rano99]

I used the factory radiator in my old KZN130 and never had any overheating problems dunno why you don't replace your old leaking and overheating radiator with a direct replacement like everyone else and be done with it?

[bronx89]

What wheels did you run? What tyres did you run? Where do you live? Where did you go 4wd'ing? What was the surface like? What boost were you running? How hard did you drive your truck? Was it auto or manual?..

For what my truck goes through off road I want an upgraded radiator - simple as that. Unsure why this is yielding the "buy a new standard one" comment..

Yes it'll be "close" to standard because I'm restricting options to the standard mounting points but I know there are options for bigger cores or more cores or something along those lines so I'm wanting direct experience from people who have had upgraded radiators in KZN130s for moderate-to-hard off road use.

I'm not wanting to buy another standard one only to find that cooling is marginally better or even worse, the same. I'm wanting something that will cool BETTER than factory as my truck gets driven off road 10x harder than factory.

[rano99]

sweet sounds like you know what you're looking for if you want a bigger radiator, get your tape measure out and find out how much room you've got HxWxD and go find a radiator that will fit the hole, try and get one with the inlet and outlet on the right sides so you don't have to muck around getting them shifted

[bronx89]

I'm wanting one FOR a KZN130 i.e. one that will bolt on, not one that will "fit the hole".

Really don't get what is so hard to understand about my first post.

[rano99]

The only one that's going to bolt up to the factory mounting points is a KZN130 radiator so that leaves you trying to source a replacement KZN130 radiator with the thickest core you can find if your looking for additional cooling capacity,

If your doing pretty hardcore stuff in sand and mud and need the extra radiator size and cooling why don't you fab up some new mounts and put a bigger radiator in it to gain the extra capacity?

[bronx89]

Yea I understand that but there are different types of radiators that are going to fit a KZN130 - hence the original post. I'm wanting to know what experience people have with the different types that bolt straight in and what is going to suit me best to get as much cooling as possible whilst standing up to some bumps and knocks.

Don't really do hardcore stuff - well maybe but not to me anyway! I am pretty certain that an upgraded KZN130 one will be fine.

Not wanting to take it anywhere to get any more fab work or anything don't have the time or money at the moment just wanting a straight bolt in upgrade radiator for increased cooling that I can whip in at home.

Do you have any experience with the upgraded KZN130 radiators as seen on TradeMe? Range from about $300 to 500 by the looks of it.

[Ralfie]

I'm wanting one FOR a KZN130 i.e. one that will bolt on, not one that will "fit the hole".

Really don't get what is so hard to understand about my first post.

A lot really because what you are asking for doesn't really exist.
You won't find one to "bolt in" unless its a new standard one.

Unless you have lots of modification to engine (or other engine problems causing overheating) then a brand new genuine radiator will more than sufficient to meet the cooling requirements of the engine/vehicle which means a new genuine one will be best.

But to get an ungraded one that will 'bolt-in' you really need to talk to a radiator specialist as you require a custom radiator.

[rano99]

Need something that will help keep temps right down when giving the truck a fair bit of sh*t offroad. Used to be able to take it but now it gets up to the 100'C mark relatively easy since the radiator sprung the few pinhole leaks.

There lies your answer if your factory KZN130 radiator used to be able to take it before it sprung a pile of pinhole leaks a standard replacement will work fine as your existing radiator did.

You mentioned over on the first page of the topic that your 4WDing is in low range in sand, that type of drag creates high load on the engine especially if you have also lowered your tyre pressures and that load is transferred into additional heat which goes to your radiator to be dissipated and removed hence your truck will run hotter under those conditions your not going to be able to run your engine at high load and not create extra heat ie: you cant push your way up and down a beach and have the engine sit at 70 or 80 degrees without putting massive over-cooling (radiator size, coolant capacity and air flow) into the engine

[bronx89]

Wtf... of course they exist. There are bolt-in ones that aren't standard. I've seen cores range from 46 or 48 up to about 56mm. There are ali ones as well as alloy ones. Definitely don't require a "custom" radiator.

rano99: it has been a long time since I'd taken it off road as I've been living overseas but from what I can remember it didn't used to get to 100'C that easy, but it would still get there.

So I'm taking it no one who has commented so far actually knows anything about the KZN130 radiators that aren't standard/are upgraded? I'm not wanting a debate or comments telling me to do something else.

All I'm after are the facts and experiences of the aftermarket KZN130 radiators out there (eBay, TradeMe, Silverdale Radiators etc.)

[jonossiksilvia]

i have a alloy 60mm thick bolt in rad for a kzn130 in my ln130 v8. keeps it cool. only time has got hot (over 100) is in 35+ degree day climbing a steap as hill at walking pace in low range. bare in mind i using a electric fan in front of rad only so thats not ideal either for a fan but it works.

[bronx89]

i have a alloy 60mm thick bolt in rad for a kzn130 in my ln130 v8. keeps it cool. only time has got hot (over 100) is in 35+ degree day climbing a steap as hill at walking pace in low range. bare in mind i using a electric fan in front of rad only so thats not ideal either for a fan but it works.

F*ckin wahoo first legit response to the original post.

Where'd you get the rad from? Overseas or online or local?

Oh and also is the core 60mm thick or overall thickness 60mm? Cheers.

[rano99]

this topics got to be a pisstake




so after asking for advice then dishing out all the keyboard warrior shit all that was needed was a new radiator that he was told to do in the first place.... fucken tosser

[jonossiksilvia]

i have a alloy 60mm thick bolt in rad for a kzn130 in my ln130 v8. keeps it cool. only time has got hot (over 100) is in 35+ degree day climbing a steap as hill at walking pace in low range. bare in mind i using a electric fan in front of rad only so thats not ideal either for a fan but it works.

F*ckin wahoo first legit response to the original post.

Where'd you get the rad from? Overseas or online or local?

Oh and also is the core 60mm thick or overall thickness 60mm? Cheers.

only pics i have:



Over all was 60mm thick and possibly 56 core and from memory it was 2 thick cores instead of 3.

Got it from aus. i just had to mod the hose connections to suit my tight engine bay.
You can just make out the fan i using also

[LR90NZ]

i have a alloy 60mm thick bolt in rad for a kzn130 in my ln130 v8. keeps it cool. only time has got hot (over 100) is in 35+ degree day climbing a steap as hill at walking pace in low range. bare in mind i using a electric fan in front of rad only so thats not ideal either for a fan but it works.

Does it have the built in oil cooler?

[jonossiksilvia]

i have a alloy 60mm thick bolt in rad for a kzn130 in my ln130 v8. keeps it cool. only time has got hot (over 100) is in 35+ degree day climbing a steap as hill at walking pace in low range. bare in mind i using a electric fan in front of rad only so thats not ideal either for a fan but it works.

Does it have the built in oil cooler?

yeah it does but i not using it. i running a separate trans cooler

[bronx89]

Thanks very much for the pics. How much was it incl shipping to NZ?

I've finally heard back from a few rad shops all in one hit so hopefully they can shed some more light on what will suit the best.

If anyone's interested let me know and I can post up prices, locations, types and any other required info.

rano99 you're a twat. There are numerous alloy, ali and copper/brass KZN130 radiators (yes, straight bolt-in in case you don't understand) available for these Surf's, with quite a large number of thicknesses and core sizes etc. (again, yes, *not* factory radiators in case you don't understand).

[bronx89]

Ok so I've narrowed it down to three choices of what I've been able to find, both copper/brass as ali/alloy no good for hard repetitive knocks off road.

Silverdale Radiators:
- 3 core
- 550mm ( Between Top & Bottom Tanks )
- 530mm ( Between Side Plates )
- 53mm ( Thickness )
- Still trying to find out thickness of tubes

Fenix Radiators:
- 3 core
- 550mm ( Between Top & Bottom Tanks )
- 550mm ( Between Side Plates )
- 50mm ( Thickness )
- Still trying to find out thickness of tubes

A1 Radiators:
- 2 core
- 550mm ( Between Top & Bottom Tanks )
- 528mm ( Between Side Plates )
- 49mm ( Thickness )
- 22.5mm tubes

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Has anyone had any direct experience with any of these for their KZN130? Or even the brands/companies themselves?

From the info above is anyone able to advise what the best option is? Can pretty much forget about the A1 radiator as it's only 2 core but with the other two options one is 20mm wider between the side plates but the core is 3mm thinner - is one better than the other or much of a muchness? (PS no smart-ass comments, if you aren't going to answer the question don't comment)

[jonossiksilvia]

havent tried any of those but dont rule out the 2 core as yet. reason i say that is 2 core vs 3 core on same size thickness radiator is essentially gonna store the same amount of water. reason i went 2 core instead of 3 core is cause the cores will be bigger than the cores in the 3 core on a same thickness radiator - less chance of blockage. those 3 cores will most likely be 14.6mm each core max

i running a alloy rad as stated earlier as long as not chepies they will handle most stuff - mine been great.

Copper ones are good as can do small repairs easier in middle of nowhere.

As for the cost of mine that u asked earlier in was $650 delivered from Australia $600 for rad itself. cant remember the company i got it from (will have to go through my filling system aka "drawer"