What radiator should I buy?

[clankilpatrick]

hello again all,
hope someone may have an idea on what radiator is best for a Dec 1996 300tdi. For those of you who replied to my last post on overheating problems, well I though we had it fixed by replacing the thermostat, the expansion tank cap, and the viscous fan. Worked well for a couple of weeks and then it overheated again. So, off came the head and while we were at it I pulled the radiator out as well (just in case). Well, the head has proven to be in fine condition with no cracks and the correct rockwell hardness, but the bloody radiator has a rotten core. It was only done 18 months ago when I bought the truck! So I can get a OE radiator from karcraft for $450 bucks or i was wondering if there is any aftermarket versions that the AULRO community is aware of and can recommend, or is the original the best after all?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
cheers
Dave

[PAT303]

If it only lasted 18months I'd be taking it back with a please explain. Pat

[vnx205]

Did you have the right coolant? An aluminium radiator without it can be ruined in that time with some towns' water.

[clankilpatrick]

Mate, I had the right coolant at the right concentration. The green stuff at 50:50. Our water isn't that bad either. Were on a bore and its better then town water thats for sure.

[clankilpatrick]

You can bet that it is on the cards. Going in to pick it up tomorrow. Just need to find the receipt for the last job.

[Debacle]

Was the last radiator earthed properly ?

That can cause problems apparently with alloy radiators.

[big guy]

Luck of the draw.
I had a brand new radiator give up in a very hort time also, it came with a 12 months warranty.
Bought another exactly same and sold the car to brother in law.
I know, never ell a acr to family or friends but to this day the car purrs and 6 years later ame radiator and it gets a flogging and service intervals are 20k km's if it lucky by a mobile mechanic.

So by in his own words, Land rover is very reliable and especially their radiators.
Got me buggered.

[steveG]

There are alloy ones on Ebay for $360 - made by Britpart.
No idea what they are like - I've still got the original one in my '97 Disco (but been rodded etc recently).

Steve

[clankilpatrick]

Was the last radiator earthed properly ?

That can cause problems apparently with alloy radiators.

Earthed properly? I have absolutely no idea. How do I make sure?

[Debacle]

Earthed properly? I have absolutely no idea. How do I make sure?

I think you can use a multi-meter and stick one probe on the neg terminal of your battery and the other in the coolant in your radiator and check the reading. What an acceptable reading is, I dont know, you may need to check that out.

Best to just get an earth strap and connect it from your radiator to either a point on your chassis or engine just to be sure.

Maybe if you put a query in the tech section you may be able to get some info from someone with a bit more knowledge than me.