Opinions on CSF Radiator

Not to mention, the radiator gets pretty much 100% covered by the fan shroud in our trucks. Up front the AC condenser covers the radiator. Chrome or luster, you can't really see the radiator much at all once it's installed.

 

In preparation for the radiator installation, I looked closely at the radiator today. I found that one of the ears on the cap was slightly bent, so I bent it back and checked the pressure to see that it still worked. I was happy to see that it held pressure, but surprised to see that it opened at 20 PSI (1.4 Bar).


I checked this against the FSM, and it specifies that it should open at 13.5 to 17.8 PSI (~0.9 to 1.2 bar). The OEM Tacoma radiator cap (Nippon Denso) is clearly marked 1.1 bar.


Now I know why Faye Hadley, after installing a CSF Radiator blew the gaskets as documented here
https://youtu.be/mlqVGH3DlTE

I'm glad that I caught this before installing! I went to Advance Auto and bought a Car Quest 10233 cap to replace the CSF.

CSF Makes a radiator cap (CSF 4503) that is a 15 PSI (1.1 bar) cap. Stant (and a bunch of other vendors) sell a 10233 cap that also fits and meets this spec.

Warning to anyone else contemplating upgrading to a CSF radiator; CHECK THE RADIATOR CAP PRESSURE RATING.

 

don't know about that.

1. multiple people including myself run a higher PSI TRD cap without issue.

2. It is an old truck. Old parts wear and leak. Regardless. Especially if something is plastic. Especially if something is a gasket.
Parts deal with heat, age, temp change, ozone, deterioration, drying, etc.
Regardless of what cap you run.

My job is to deal with vehicles that leak coolant before 50k mi.
So if a vehicle develops a leak at 200k, that is not news.

Not to mention the fact that typically, before that mark, an entire cooling system is recommended to be replaced. Regardless of whether or not people actually do that.

Most vehicles cooling system is pressurized to 15-20psi. Not out of the ordinary.

 

The TRD radiator cap opens at 1.3 bar (18.5PSI), and the CSF cap is 1.4 bar

 

My CSF aluminum radiator has been trouble free and fit perfect. Would definitely buy again!

 

I’m going to agree here. That part she’s pointing out in the video that failed has also failed in some people’s 3rd Gen. It’s a bypass coolant tube made out of plastic. It can fail eventually regardless of the radiator and cap you have. Everyone who has had a failure on the 3rd gens had the stock radiator and either the stock cap or trd cap.

 

The coolant bypass tube in my '09 Tacoma is made of aluminum. The gaskets are also aluminum. Faye's Taco is also a second gen. V6 with a metal bypass pipe, and metal gaskets. Watch this video;
https://youtube.com/shorts/2a4_tzltJhs?si=TXdACmBjsz3eSYEM

My comments in this thread titled "Opinions on the CSF Radiator" are in THE 2ND GEN. TACOMAS (2005 - 2015) section of this site, and have nothing to do with the First, Third or Fourth Gen Tacomas.

 

@poopshute - aren't you the guy that literally popped his OEM radiator? You don't think that this might have been from running over pressure?

 

not to mention the fact the original thread for CSF has like 100 pages of success.
I used to work at a performance shop where CSF was the default upgrade they sold without issue for a reason.
I have no doubts to its quality.
I just didn’t get one because I don’t feel like blowing $500 on a radiator right now. For now, I got a new Denso for significantly cheaper waiting to be installed as preventative maintenance. Maybe one day.

 

Why would one want to run with a higher pressure caP? Forget about the CSF one, why is the TRD one higher?

edit: nevermind google is my friend. Raises the boiling point. But this really is only an issue if you’re running way hot, which I haven’t been able to do even while towing in 105+ heat. Hottest I’ve got to is about 220

 

With the TRD cap??? It's a negligible increase in pressure from the OEM cap. There are so many people running the TRD cap with the OEM radiator without issue. My radiator simply failed at the seal where the plastic tanks meet the fins. The OEM radiators these days have weak designs... just a cost saving thing. Also, my temps cap out at around 190-200 when sitting at idle. I live in Colorado too. Doesn't get overly hot here. So no, I don't think the TRD cap made by Toyota caused the issue. The radiator seal was faulty and was going to pop eventually I'm assuming.

Also, if over-pressure was an issue, I'd be getting leaks from the bypass plastic tube at the back of the engine. On 3rd gens, this seems to be more of a weakness than the oem radiator. Mine is just fine.

 

Now that the CSF radiator is installed and I have been driving with it for the past month, I have one complaint: Draining the radiator makes a friggin' mess. The CSF radiator needs a drain petcock (like the one on the Denso). Something like this would do;


I drove my truck for a month with re-used coolant to be sure that any contaminants that may have been in the new radiator or new coolant pump were flushed into the lower part of the radiator. I then drained and filled the radiator. As soon as I removed the 16mm aluminum plug in the bottom of the cold radiator (the radiator cap was still on) coolant gushed out of the radiator, and all over me. I had put a funnel to catch the coolant, but the coolant came out with such force, that it went right over the funnel.

Has anyone here found a radiator drain petcock that matches the threads for the CSF radiator? Or, does anybody here know the thread and pitch for the CSF radiator drain?

[EDIT] Some digging and I see that the threads may be M12 1.25

 

cool idea. Probably best to ask CSF. I’ll email them now.

 

I’d also like to know what the thread and pitch is. I’m about to purchase the CSF radiator and might as well get a proper petcock for it now.

 

My '86 pickup has a CSF all metal radiator that I installed while building up the rig after purchase. It has worked flawlessly now for over eight years.

Cheers

 

Did you get any reply from CSF? If so, can you share what they said?

 

For whatever it’s worth

my 150$ one after a few years

 

THAT is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Can you share the part number and source?

 

I bought the regular CSF and slapped it in my truck....runs like a champ