Previous owner put in an aftermarket radiator

[defenderu]

Immediately prior to buying my jeep the PO put an aftermarket radiator. (Said the original one cracked days before he listed it for sale) I looked it up and its an auto store special at about $100. I have had the jeep for a few months now.

Is it worth replacing to the OEM one that people love or no since this is brand new.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Yep that's not a good radiator, it is likely to cause problems... and if you take your Jeep out into the boondocks I'd replace it with a Mopar. I consider a store-brand radiator, water pump, alternator, starter, etc. to be ticking timebombs.

 

[defenderu]

Yep that's not a good radiator, it is likely to cause problems... and if you take your Jeep out into the boondocks I'd replace it with a Mopar. I consider a store-brand radiator, water pump, alternator, starter, etc. to be ticking timebombs.

Thanks Jerry. I kind of figured that was the case. especially when I saw it was the cheapest one available at the big box auto parts store.

 

[Jramos013]

Yes, the Mopar one will always be better than a replacement rad. That being said, my radiator cracked about 2 years ago. I replaced it with a CSF one, similar to oem specs. So far no issues, however my TJ is a DD I dont abuse it by rock climbing or any hardcore offroading. When that one breaks ill replace it with the mopar one if avilable.

If you do heavy offroading I would do as Jerry said.

 

[bromel]

That thing will last 2 or 3 years and not provide enough cooling for very hot days or strenuous off-roading, trust me from experience.

 

[Chris]

You'll be lucky if you get a year or two out of it in all honesty.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

That thing will last 2 or 3 years and not provide enough cooling for very hot days or strenuous off-roading, trust me from experience.

2 or 3 years if he's very lucky, I'd give it 1-2 years at the most.

 

[LittleTankTJ]

I had a big box store one in for about 5 years. My radiator popped in Susanville, CA and that's all that was available.

That being said I had a shop put a new on in late last year because I didn't trust my radiator for a long trip coming up. Turns out that AutoZone radiator was the source of my hill/freeway speed temp creeps.

They couldn't source a Mopar radiator within a reasonable time and put in a Koyo radiator with the OEM plastic style tank. It works great and is a solid option for a new after market rad.

 

[Irun]

Before I became "enlightened" about Mopar radiators, I installed a $63 aftermarket (Spectra) radiator in my LJ. It doesn't get daily driven anymore, but does see heavy off-road use. That was 2013, and the same radiator is still in my Jeep.

Before everyone gets spun up, I'm not saying it is a better alternative than a Mopar radiator. It simply isn't. I just installed a Mopar version in my TJ and the quality and fit differences are apparent. My point here is that what you have isn't necessarily a ticking time bomb. Having installed probably 10 aftermarket radiators for friends on a budget, the worst I've seen is some minor tank leaking. Frankly, the bigger leak related issues stem from people replacing the stock spring hose clamps with worm gear style clamps.

That said, if you can't sleep at night, for fear of your Jeep overheating, by all means replace it. If however, there are more pressing maintenance issues, funds are limited, and the current radiator isn't giving you any warning signs, tackle other maintenance items first. You can always keep an eye on the radiator, then replace it when you have to do other cooling system related work.

 

[cliffish]

I would start scavenging the market to get a good deal on an OEM, and keep it around till maybe just before winter and replace (if doing it yourself) Chicago in winter is no time to be under the jeep all wet.