Champion Radiator Aluminum 3 core swap

Maybe it’s a possibility the failure is because the top and bottom tanks are NOT welded
to the outside frame and the radiator is twisting?
I would think the tanks should be welded to the frame like the last photo of a different radiator tank.

 

I started this thread over a year ago as I was excited to find a radiator that was larger and thicker than the wimp stock radiator.
Everything started out great and my temps dropped from 195 or so to 188 degrees.

Everything was great u till other members started to say they had a leak.

My radiator made it over a year and some 35,000 miles and then it started leaking in two spots
between the header tank and the core.
Like others I was disappointed and still as of today the warranty which is valid is 2 months still
waiting for a new shipments of radiators to come ashore.

So last month I decided to go a different direction and have one made.

This is definitely not a choice everyone would want to go as it’s expensive, but definitely will be the best performance and quality option.

I called 5 or 6 different companies and a custom radiator prices came in at 600-1000 depending.
I went with the EXTRUDED radiator design

I have had to replace my radiator 5 times now in the last 600,000 miles and this was going to be my last radiator replacement.

I had the new radiator made 4 weeks ago or so and had to be sent back two times because of a misunderstanding what I wanted to have done and radiator top tank design didn’t work with the overflow type system.
Radiator at last is done to my order.

At any rate the new radiator is 2.25” thick instead of 2.5” like the champion so it fits better and not as tight a fit.
The down fall of the Champion when I compare the two radiators side by side is obvious.
The champion aluminum is very thin.
There is no real structure support to all four sides of the radiator and that means the radiator can move
from going four wheeling and when the frame flex’s that will end up cracking the seams of the tanks.

The custom radiator I had made is about the same size as the champion.
The custom radiator weight is 35 pounds of heavy gauge aluminum.
The champion is 15 pounds
The stock radiator is 10 pounds.
The custom radiator is welded with thick channel aluminum on both sides and welded to the tanks on top and bottoms and both sides also.
The champion radiator header tanks are not welded to the radiator side supports.
Champion radiator side supports are thin aluminum.
The Champion radiator cap was defective because of how thin it’s made.
The petcock has a rubber valve instead of all brass that will fail sooner or later.
Custom radiator has an all brass petcock.

So I’m letting any potential buyer to be aware that you probably will have issues sooner or later.
The quality is just not there and a replacement under warranty might take months
if it’s not instock.
The warranty will be void if you take this radiator off road they say.
Reason being is the Tacoma’s frame will flex which is normal but the radiator
is not built to handle any flex and will crack leaving you with a leaking radiator.

My temperature with a 170 degrees thermostat with the custom radiator is 175 to 180 degrees with outside temperature of 90° .

Anyone that has a custom radiator made it’s EXTREMELY important to make sure
the top of the radiator overflow tube is the highest point of the radiator header tank. So don’t have a drop down radiator cap section like I had at first.
Had to have the more traditional design made in order for the overflow design to function.
The overflow design to purge air from the radiator will NOT work and air
will be a problem to remove from the system if the overflow tube valve is not higher than the header tank.
If the system was designed as a expansion tank design then it would not matter



new custom radiator hopefully will out live the truck.
Good luck to the Champion owners and have a backup ready just in case or a plan.

 

Bad to the bone. That final piece there now installed looks gooooood. So he made a change from when he dropped the neck/opening to below the height of top of tank? Looks great now.
Thanks for the share as well. It's always nice to have someone else be our Guinea pig and share all the info

 

Yea, someone has to take the jump,
Yup the dropped down filler neck causes a problem with not being able to bleed the system from air because the filler neck was 1” lower than the top of the tank so it was overheating.
He cut the top header tank off and lowered everything enough to where the fill is the high point,
and still left room for the cap to not touch the hood as it’s in the center now.
Now the overflow purge design is working again. With the lower neck it will not work and you will have trapped air in your system that you can’t get out.

 

Purddy.

 

Finally got my replacement radiator from Champion.

I had a custom radiator made so I am no longer in need of the Champion radiator.

It’s for sale 125.00 with shipping to anyone.

Still sealed
CC1778 model

But I don’t think the warranty is transferable.

1st PM gets it with PayPal payment and shipped tomorrow ups.

 

Do you have a contact for the custom radiator and specs if you don't mind? Thanks

 

I did not use Ron but he has done these before.
Another member is having one done there and this is what he told me.
Ron Davis Radiators is local and he builds custom radiators for racing. He'll build me one for under $700 out the door. He said he's built a few for the same boosted application, with great results

 

I found this thread (and a few others like it) when I started looking for a new radiator for my '04. It has a 1KZ-TE diesel motor in it, and my understanding is that the head on the 1KZ is prone to cracking if you don't take the cooling system seriously enough.

I'm trying to remove a few modifications that the previous owners added to the cooling system (12V recirc pump with hose to-and-from an auxiliary radiator) in order to free up space in the engine compartment, while also not sacrificing the cooling system performance (the "cool factor" if you will). The jury is still out on whether the pump and mini-radiator that they added actually do anything anyways, but don't want to take any chances yet by just removing them.

The Champion radiators look like a great option, but the failures reported here definitely have me a bit worried. Inconvenience and lost money aside, I do not want to increase the risk of killing the 1KZ since it's quite fantastic to be driving around in a turbo diesel Tacoma on 34s.

I found a thread that mentioned a new KoyoRad radiator on a 4Runner forum ( ). The model number is VH010665N. It was made for 3rd Gen 4Runners, is the same size as the CC1998, and does not have hookups for an auto transmission. Searched on TW and came up with no mention of it. Anyone ever heard of it?

Koyo seems to have a good reputation for radiators (and FWIW they're made in Indonesia, not in China), so I went ahead and ordered one from the shop that posted the thread (Battle Born Offroad) last night. The listed price is $370, but the code "T4R" knocked that to $340. The required Koyo radiator cap was another $30, so the total was back up to $370 with free shipping. Nice of them to list the discount code.

I will definitely provide an update about whether it works in our trucks or not. At $370, it's 3.5x more than a Denso and almost 2x more than the Champion, but if it's better-performing than the former and significantly more reliable than the latter I'll consider it money well spent.

 

Interested to see how this fits, if I understand correctly the 4runner radiators don't fit tacomas due to design. They are taller? and the cap hits the hood.

 

You might have a point- overall height is 27.5" compared to 27.125" for the Champion cc1998. But the Denso radiator for our trucks (PN 2213138 according to RockAuto) lists an overall height of 707.2mm, which translates to about 27.8" in American. So I'm definitely intrigued and will report back on the results.

 

I know my champion radiator is shorter than the original. With my skid plat I have about 3 or 4 inches to spare.

 

Do you have the shorter core CC1778 then?

Also, looks like the Champion CC1998 4Runner radiator works: Champion CC1998 4 Runner radiator in 2001-2004 Tacoma

 

Yes I do, wished I had the longer one.

 

Quick update for anyone looking for a non-Champion all aluminum radiator-

The Koyorad 4Runner model fits. Pretty stoked. I'm traveling for work this week but my friend is doing the replacement at his shop while I'm gone. He sent me a couple pictures:

The old radiator was pretty clogged and clapped-out at this point. Good time to replace.



He is going to have to figure out the best way to run coolant hoses to/from the radiator because the 1KZ motor has the inlet & outlet on the opposite sides of the stock radiator, but at least it goes right in.

Will post more pictures as I know more and when I get back home.

For now, it looks like the Champion radiator issues can be circumnavigated without ordering a custom radiator, albeit at a higher price and without a trans cooler.

 

Yes but will probably NOT work on the older Tacoma hoods 1996-2000, cap hits the hood in the 1st style hood

 

Very true. Hood clearance is lower.

 

ohhboy, now that looks like a nice rad!
(do you have the part number?)

 

Yep, no problem. Part #VH010665N from Koyorad Racing.

I bought mine from Battle Born Offroad, found through this 4Runner forum thread: I think that Battle Born just drop-ships the radiators or ships them from another shop in Las Vegas, based on the return addresses on the packages (cap and radiator arrived separately). Use code T4R for $30 off- basically covers the cost of the new cap, which is required.

Also keep in mind that the radiator does not have a trans cooler, despite being the larger size. You'll have to add another little trans cooler in there.

Looks nice in there with the 1KZ:

 

No transcooler is fine by me. Russel t stat for 160 degrees and a big ol cooler will work better anyway... no chance of contamination

Clear the 01 up hood just fine?