I replaced my leaky radiator this weekend. I was surprised to see my original 20 year old radiator was made of copper with plastic tanks. I thought they were all plastic and aluminum.
Copper Radiator
- Thread starter UPJOHN
- Start date
No, I'm a cheapskate. I picked one up from Oreillys, only because they're close to me, always stock it, and it has a lifetime warranty, plus I know the manager and got a discount.
It's quite a bit, lighter duty than the original.
More likely brass, not copper. Some early TJ radiators had brass cores.
My natural inclination gained through experience is to steer clear of critical parts like radiators, water pumps, etc. that have "lifetime warranties". Lifetime warranties are an effective but misleading marketing gimmick dreamed up by chain auto parts stores like Autozone. That "lifetime warranty" is no indication of quality, it just means they'll give you a replacement if you own the vehicle long enough for it to fail again.
Few people own vehicles long after they start replacing things like radiators, water pumps, etc. so the auto parts store chains sell cheap replacement parts with lifetime warranties without worrying about the cost of the few replacements they'll have to make. What that 'lifetime' term really means is a lifetime of problems. I'd rather have a Mopar or similar quality radiator with a one year warranty than a cheap store-brand radiator with a lifetime warranty.
Last edited:
"I'd rather have a Mopar or similar quality radiator with a one year warranty than a cheap store-brand radiator with a lifetime warranty."
Well said sir!
Well said sir!
I know you get what you pay for, but for 120 bucks and less than an hour to change, I figured I'd take my chances.
I did price a Mopar radiator from the closest Jeep dealer to me, which is a 100 mile round trip for me, and it was over $300.00 and would have to be ordered. The weather here is getting colder and my original radiator that never leaked a drop when the weather was warmer, started to spray coolant from the tank seam during cool down. I should have ordered a Mopar on line, but put it off until it was almost too late.
I did price a Mopar radiator from the closest Jeep dealer to me, which is a 100 mile round trip for me, and it was over $300.00 and would have to be ordered. The weather here is getting colder and my original radiator that never leaked a drop when the weather was warmer, started to spray coolant from the tank seam during cool down. I should have ordered a Mopar on line, but put it off until it was almost too late.
Last edited:
The good news is that Mopar radiators can be found for well under $300. Here's one for $199... http://www.wermopar.com/jeep/wrangl...iator-and-components-scat/?part_name=radiator
The benefit is that the Mopar radiators have way more excess cooling capacity than the store brands do which means it won't overheat in hot conditions like most cheap aftermarket radiators do.
I'll save my old copper/brass radiator as a spare. I'll bet if I crimp the tabs on the tanks it will go another few years.
Similar threads
