Do$tylz

Hey all,
So got my car back from the mechanic last week and they advised me that my radiator is leaking. Not massively atm, just a little from the top plastic housing thingy but they said it could turn into a problem during a really hot day and recommended I replace it soon.

So... I'm now digging around to figure out what I need to buy to replace. The mech recommended going for an all aluminium koyo rather than a OEM or other plastic/aluminium radiator since it'll probably have another similar problem another 10 years down the track with the plastic combo.

I do intend to keep my car forever so from my perspective it seems like it may be worth just pony'ing up the few extra hundred to get a part that will last significantly longer/forever and maybe even help my engine keep cooler/perform a little better. I know my gains will be around the same as if I added a HKS, Mugen and greddy sticker, but I'd imagine helping cool the engine more efficiently can only be a good thing right?

I'm also not a racer of any kind but again, a few hundred to suck it up and get something good is reasonable right?

So.. I'm looking at ordering a Koyorad R2344 - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160360704...84.m1423.l2649
<-- ends up being just over $400 rather than around $560 locally. Is that a risky move?
I've got myself a mugen 1.3 cap since apparently the stock cap is only 1.1 but the koyo runs at 1.3.
And then from what I understand I need to order some hoses to go with it. Re the hoses do I really need the quality of stuff like Samco? or are some other silicone ones sufficient?

Just wanting a sanity check from people if you don't mind helping. Even recommendations on where to look to buy/order as well.

I really could just leave it up to the mechanics to order and all for me but I'm guessing it could start adding up a few extra hundred in markups that they'd have to do. Not hating, just a fact of life.

Cheers

Cheers

daevilone

Yep, replace with either koyo or mishimoto full alloy units

Thebob

I got my koyo through a ebay shop without any issues. You will need a different cap to what the OEM one it. The neck of the refill/top up section is longer and if you run the standard style the system doesn't pressurise. I think if you message Leo@jdmconcepts he will tell you which one as each brand has its own label for the cap you need. I remember it being 1.3 but the spring on the inside is longer.

You shouldn't need to replace hoses unless yours have perished. If you can't reuse them and you must buy new ones, i would recommend you adopt the same approach as buying the radiator. Buy a decent brand that will last.

Intertia

I purchased the same koyo radiator you linked which is their new 36mm version which is suppose to cool as well as the original 53mm. I used all OEM hoses and bought the koyo radiator cap. I did not buy additional parts other than the koyo rad and rad cap, everything bolted up fine.

This is who I got it off on ebay,

Radiator
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231132471694...U:3160&vxp=mtr

Radiator Cap
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331180703374...U:3160&vxp=mtr

AusS2000

I second (or third or fourth) the aluminium radiator suggestion. Plastic tank radiators are designed for disposable cars and not meant to last.

And I expect you will save money buying 3rd party Alu over OEM. Nothing OEM is cheap.

Do$tylz

Awesome. Thanks guys.

It really helps me know I'm on the right track. I did do some research but just wanted to double check the detail and local opinions.

I ended up buying this cap - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151398816...84.m1497.l2648 and I hope it fits. Otherwise it'll just be a $30 ornament in my fishing room.

@theBob - other than samco are there other brands i should look out for? I only know of them from digging around and reading that other people have used them.

EDIT - just bought the radiator. Now I wonder if it's worth offering a carton for someone to come over and help me install? According to the DIY's it looks kinda easy but I've never been confident with doing car stuff.

Thebob

I went with billion through JDM concepts because of their price. I wouldn't recommend changing the hoses unless you need to as getting to them sucks big dicks.

Honestly you will be fine doing the swap yourself, Remove your air box and go nuts. Apparently the S2000 is hard to bleed, i just cut the bottom off a 2L bottle of water and jammed that into the filler point which put the fill point higher than the motor. Let the car run a few cycles running and just watched all the bubbles come up. It should only take about 2 hours. If you haven't done it in a few weeks i will pop around and give you a hand, but I'm not back until the end of the month.

Do$tylz

woohoo. My koyo turned up today in the office mail room.

Gonna poke my head in the engine bay tonight and visually imagine how easy/difficult this may be as a DIY. Will also check my hoses to see if they need replacing while I'm at it.