SC430fun

When I took my car out to get it smogged and it failed, I found the Denso radiator I put in at the beginning of 2020 is leaking in the same damn spot at the old one.. At the very top, where the plastic tank meets the metal. I barely drive the car.. less than 1500 miles all year long! I got the radiator in October 2019 so I have no recourse with warranty since its 12 months only. I have the same dried coolant sprayed all over my engine again, after I cleaned it off before when the old radiator broke lol. The previous radiator was done in 2013 by the previous owner at Lexus and was OEM, at around 60k miles which was not long before I got it. I always though Denso was one of the best choices, so maybe this Denso failing on me so early is just a fluke? I heard that Koyo is not the best choice any more and they cheap out on their radiators now.

I heard the LS430 radiator will work on our SC430's.. is this correct? I searched the forum where it was being discussed, but I was not clear on whether it drops directly into our SC430's. The reason is because there is a slightly thicker radiator for LS430's that came with the tow package, and I would like to use that if I can. I wish I could find a high performance aftermarket all aluminum one like I can for my Lincoln Mark VIII which runs about $500, but they do not have any for our cars. I would have to have one custom built unfortunately.

I found a Denso and Koyo that are for LS430 with tow package.. which one do you guys think I will be better off with? If the LS430 radiator works, is there a specific one I should look for? It looks like they are the same from

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Radiator-Ko...wAAOSwIB9fa4n0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-2001-20...QAAOSwnHZYh6a3

here is a no name option priced very good - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-P...oAAOSwYSlXhZst

DshngDaryl

Wow, it is not a good week for you.

My guess is the denso u got was counterfeit. There are a bunch of them out there. If u go with a denso from Rock Auto, I think you would be ok. But an ebay denso might be iffy.

The LS430 and the SC430 are essentially the same drive train, so I THINK the tow package radiator should just be drop in.

DshngDaryl

Interesting that the Denso tow package radiator is $25 less than the standard radiator.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...,radiator,2172

SC430fun

Strange.. the Denso unit I got came sealed in the box from a legit supplier with the Denso warranty and install info and its marked with the "D" on the radiator.. on the other hand anything is possible, maybe it was counterfeit!

Wow, so the stock radiator is just barely above a half an inch and the other one is 1"... Even though the car has no problems keeping its cool in extreme heat with AC blasting even going up steep grades, I would think it would only be more beneficial to have the full 1" core. That's strange with the pricing, since the tow package radiator costs more everywhere else.

I am going to fix my exhaust situation with the car lacking a third cat causing it to fail smog this weekend with a friend, and ill have a chance to work on it in his driveway so I may not have enough time to be picky with a radiator so it may mean local a parts store radiator maybe from autozone or something. They have a bad rep, but I have never had issues with them in the past with their Spectra brand. I need to change my low beams, but I am taking it a step further and going to change every single bulb out in the headlight fixtures, fog lights, and side marker lights since its only going to be easier while the radiator is out and the car is on jack stands. I bought Lexus 6000K low beams (Philips OEM) a pair of them for under $20 on ebay which was a steal, considering the OSRAMS and higher grade Philips extremes were closer to $200, but the headlights on this car are bright enough as it is I suppose. I want to pull the fixtures off completely and clean some of the haze off of them so they are perfectly clear again. Hopefully I can figure out then what happened with my AC as well!

On the note of the Radiator, I am wondering if anyone else around here has done the LS430 radiator in their SC430. I confirmed its the same as the GS430 radiator, so I would not be surprised at all if its identical fit to the LS430 despite having a different part number.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Not recommended. You don’t want the engine to be too cool. Tow package is for exactly as this - towing.

SC430fun

Interesting... I mean I know it would be fine with the stock radiator with these cars since the cooling system works great on them. I just thought while I had the chance, I could go to one with a 1" core. On the other hand, my issue is getting a damn radiator that wont leak on me again lol

At this point I might be stuck getting an autozone radiator.. I am calling around this afternoon.

Does anyone have any experience with Koyo? I heard mixed reviews where they used to be good and now the are not at all. There is a local shop that can order a Koyo for me and have it by tomorrow afternoon if I order it on time today.

What about Spectra? Autozone carries that one, and I heard bad things about it as well, but I have never had a problem with it in the past. My biggest fear is getting a radiator that will leak at the bottom, and the coolant and trans fluid will mix together and then I will have much bigger problems! These radiators (even OEM) in our cars seem to last around 5 years, and if it hasnt failed by then its a good idea to be proactive and change it out.

DshngDaryl

u can see if amazon will overnight u one

SC430fun

Thank you.. I didnt even think of Amazon.. I will check with them now.

I see Amazon delivery trucks all day long in my neighborhood delivering up to 8:30pm!

SC430fun

I see the reviews for this on amazon.. some people complained about the fit with the holes not perfectly matching for the shroud for the cooling fan.. I remember it being a little off but was easy enough to get past.

What bugs me is that people are saying these are copycats of Denso, being made in Indonesia or China.. I remember my last Denso had the same label showing Indonesia and the installation info showing made in China. Oh well, its still likely better than the Murray or Spectra brand Ill get from the local Autozone or O'Reilleys I suppose.

SC430fun

I just got off the phone with 1800 Radiator.. they have both the radiators for the SC430 and the LS430 with tow package that has 1" thick core. They put both of them on hold so we can check them out and compare to make sure they have the same exact mounting holes, and mounts at the bottom of the radiator. I guess I can confirm for good this way, that the 2006 LS430 1" core model will drop right in. For some reason its a little cheaper than the 0.6" model for the SC430 - maybe its cheaper to make the thicker one? There is definitely enough room between the radiator cooling fan shroud and the engine for the extra half inch. This is a local supplier with limited lifetime warranty.. the brand is Cryomax and apparently all of them are made overseas now unless you get a custom built one at a radiator shop or manufacturer here in the US. Apparently this supplier is the choice of many repair and body shops. I found a forum where a shop owner said he gets them all from 1800 Radiator now because he has bought too many OEM and parts store radiators and they would fail.. I guess this is more common than I thought, and I am not the only one!

I already installed a new Toyota 180 degree thermostat (the one at the parts stores are junk) and have new hoses, so this should be easy. I am worried about the trans lines.. they are older, and I have to be careful this time around again to make sure I dont lose much trans fluid because with the 6 speed auto on 2006 and up SC430's, there is no dipstick and its a sealed trans with "lifetime fluid." I dont trust this, and got a quote a few months back for a trans service at Lexus dealer for $549 where they have a machine that handles it, and I trust them a hell of a lot more than some lube place using a trans fluid exchange machine! The fluid that came out was actually very nasty looking, and I need new trans lines connecting between the trans and radiator - these are going to end up failing if I dont knock this out.. I think they are original from the factory.

The thing I wanted to change and could not find, are the coolant hoses that go from the thermostat housing, and actually run through the throttle body... does anyone know where to get those?

I was going to do my heater hoses, but the ones on my car are fine and it would be a waste of money so I will wait until I do my timing belt and water pump next year.

I guess we cant even be certain that Denso is a quality built radiator anymore.. that really sucks!

SC430fun

I also forgot to mention.. I just checked my SC, and can confirm I have a genuine Denso radiator that failed!

Bgw70

Your situation proves aftermarket Denso and OEM Denso from the dealer can both be crap...sorry SC430fun...
sounds like you unfortunately received bad units.
Denso is usually a good brand.

SC430fun

Its been a frustrating month so far and we are only half way through. After this mess of 2020, I had to register my cars including my Lexus which is ridiculously expensive in CA, then it failed the ****ing smog test for a very dumb reason.. I knew there was a leak under my hood and the coolant in the reservoir has been slowly dropping. I had the idea to check the hoses to make sure the new ones I put on with the radiator were tight and that was when I saw the gummed up coolant on the top tank of the radiator and it dribbled down and the cooling fans conveniently sprayed the engine with coolant again. Im sure my neighbors heard me cussing away, then I added water to the reservoir and drove to the smog test.

I am going to use the opportunity to compare the thicker 1" core LS430 radiator to the regular SC430 radiator to see if it would drop right in and the shroud mounts the same way with the same screws.. The brand is Cryomax this time around.

I am taking the SC to a shop tomorrow to have it looked at and deal with the smog, and then going to swap the radiator out and use fresh coolant again. I also would like to add I think its beyond ridiculous you can only buy pre-mixed now from most parts stores.. even on ebay the concentrated coolant is not as common anymore. I was always big on mixing it myself.

sixonemale

There is a thread in this forum that describes step-by-step on how to replace the SC radiator. In that thread, I had purchased a Denso radiator from Amazon, and shortly thereafter it developed a pinhole leak in the top seam of the radiator. What I don't recall is if the two clamps that hold down the radiator can be over tightened or not. A few months later I replaced it myself with another Denso radiator purchased from Amazon and had no problems. It's somewhat luck of the draw and if the SC has a weak link it may be the radiator. They simply don't last all that long for many owners.

DshngDaryl

My guess is it is because they use the same engine in the sequoia and tundra. Those probably use the towing radiator and there are WAAAAAAAY more of those then there are of SCs.