What is a quality option to the Mopar radiator for my 1998 TJ 4.0?

MikeO

MikeO

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Read the posts. I see the Mopar option is discontinued.
I read somewhere the 2000 can be fitted? How?
OR — What is a quality option to the Mopar radiator? Thanks.
 
@mrblaine knows of some options, but my understanding is they aren't cheap by any means.

Blaine, I suspect you're going to have to deal with this at some point. Have you found a decent replacement?
 
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MikeO said:
Read the posts. I see the Mopar option is discontinued.
I read somewhere the 2000 can be fitted? How?
OR — What is a quality option to the Mopar radiator? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I've never found any that aren't compatible forward and back to at least mid 97. The only thing you have to deal with is the auto trans cooler ports and adapt to them.
 
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Chris said:
@mrblaine knows of some options, but my understanding is they aren't cheap by any means.

Blaine, I suspect you're going to have to deal with this at some point. Have you found a decent replacement?
Click to expand...

mrblaine said:
I've never found any that aren't compatible forward and back to at least mid 97. The only thing you have to deal with is the auto trans cooler ports and adapt to them.
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I believe that the O.P. is asking if there is a good alternative to a Mopar radiator, since they are getting scarce.
 
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C.J. Roberts said:
I believe that the O.P. is asking if there is a good alternative to a Mopar radiator, since they are getting scarce.
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I've been trying to get Blaine to answer this for a while now. I suspect if he doesn't want to talk about it publicly it's because he hasn't found something in the price range that most people could stomach.
 
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Mike_H said:
Pretty sure he said use whatever Mopar radiator you can find, and figure out how to adapt to the particular auto transmission you have.
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I haven't checked, but I doubt that a radiator for a RAM 2500 with a Hemi, or one from a 4 cylinder Neon would work. I think that he meant whatever TJ radiator you could find. Which are getting harder TO find, hence the inquiry.
 
C.J. Roberts said:
I haven't checked, but I doubt that a radiator for a RAM 2500 with a Hemi, or one from a 4 cylinder Neon would work. I think that he meant whatever TJ radiator you could find. Which are getting harder TO find, hence the inquiry.
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Yes, of course. Why would you expect anything other than the TJ radiator to fit?
 
I have an aluminum Champion radiator that a PO installed. It's fucking cherry, man! Only leaks in 2, maybe 3 places, tops!🤣

(That's to say, I don't know what direction you should go if you can't source a OEM unit, but I definitely know which direction you shouldn't go!)
 
I certainly don't endorse this as a quality replacement, but the $70 Amazon plastic and aluminum radiator I installed about 5 years ago had been flawless until about 2 weeks ago when it began weeping on one of the top tubes. I was lucky enough to find a Mopar radiator at a dealership 40 miles from my house that I installed last week.

My feeling is that if none of the aftermarket options stack up to the OE part, you might as well go cheap and get 5-ish years before having to doing it again. The good news is that they are very easy to replace.
 
Junkyard? I'd almost roll the dice on a used Mopar over something else. Granted a lot of flushing and I might bring some plugs and a vacuum pump to the yard. My junkyard alternator is holding up. =)

My option b might be buy a tig welder and move up from mig. Roll my own.

-Mac
 
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mrblaine said:
Read his post again. All the words this time. I told him how to use a Mopar since he asked if a 2000 could be used, it can.
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You are correct sir. :oops: So I'LL ask, do you know of any radiator, besides a TJ radiator, that can replace one? :unsure: I'm not trying to be a jackass, I would really like to know, and by all accounts, you're the man to ask.:cool:
 
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Murf926 said:
I certainly don't endorse this as a quality replacement, but the $70 Amazon plastic and aluminum radiator I installed about 5 years ago had been flawless until about 2 weeks ago when it began weeping on one of the top tubes. I was lucky enough to find a Mopar radiator at a dealership 40 miles from my house that I installed last week.

My feeling is that if none of the aftermarket options stack up to the OE part, you might as well go cheap and get 5-ish years before having to doing it again. The good news is that they are very easy to replace.
Click to expand...

You know, the more I think about this, the more I like the cheap Amazon alternative.

The Mopar radiator is definitely the best quality part and what I would choose going forward if available. However, if you can't source one, it doesn't really matter how good they are.

The $70 Amazon radiator isn't as bad as some I've read about and actually seems to be more cost effective than the Mopar.

Assuming my 2 previous radiators are true representatives of their brands, the Mopar radiator lasts 14 years and costs $352 (I know you could find them cheaper in the past, but the only one I could find was at a dealership and I had to pay retail). The Amazon radiator lasts 5 years and costs $70. So, for the same $350, you get 14 years of runtime from Mopar, and 25 years of runtime From Amazon.

I wish I would have tracked this more closely by actual mileage each radiator lasted, but I didn't, so all I really have to go by is time.
 
Murf926 said:
You know, the more I think about this, the more I like the cheap Amazon alternative.

The Mopar radiator is definitely the best quality part and what I would choose going forward if available. However, if you can't source one, it doesn't really matter how good they are.

The $70 Amazon radiator isn't as bad as some I've read about and actually seems to be more cost effective than the Mopar.

Assuming my 2 previous radiators are true representatives of their brands, the Mopar radiator lasts 14 years and costs $352 (I know you could find them cheaper in the past, but the only one I could find was at a dealership and I had to pay retail). The Amazon radiator lasts 5 years and costs $70. So, for the same $350, you get 14 years of runtime from Mopar, and 25 years of runtime From Amazon.

I wish I would have tracked this more closely by actual mileage each radiator lasted, but I didn't, so all I really have to go by is time.
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Isn’t your time and peace of mind worth something? The 5 radiators you can replace for the cost of mopar surely didn’t let go in your driveway every time. That means you’re doing a roadside repair at a minimum and stranded waiting on parts at the worst. Not to mention the time to change the radiator itself. It’s not terribly difficult, but it does take a couple hours
 
Murf926 said:
You know, the more I think about this, the more I like the cheap Amazon alternative.

The Mopar radiator is definitely the best quality part and what I would choose going forward if available. However, if you can't source one, it doesn't really matter how good they are.

The $70 Amazon radiator isn't as bad as some I've read about and actually seems to be more cost effective than the Mopar.

Assuming my 2 previous radiators are true representatives of their brands, the Mopar radiator lasts 14 years and costs $352 (I know you could find them cheaper in the past, but the only one I could find was at a dealership and I had to pay retail). The Amazon radiator lasts 5 years and costs $70. So, for the same $350, you get 14 years of runtime from Mopar, and 25 years of runtime From Amazon.

I wish I would have tracked this more closely by actual mileage each radiator lasted, but I didn't, so all I really have to go by is time.
Click to expand...

As someone that had their radiator explode in the middle of Golden Spike while wheeling alone on a 104 degree day, I'd say make sure you have what you need with you to get you off the trail. No matter what radiator.
 
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Any radiator with a lifetime warranty is good IF you don't mind replacing it every couple of years. I base what I buy on "Do I want to replace it when /if it fails and how easy is the work vs price. Anything can fail early, but I play the odds. I only use Spicer u-joints and ball joints. I never had issues with Detroit Axle ball joints until my last set were clearly labeled Made in China. They assured me that they weren't and I'm not able to do the job anymore. They paid return shipping when I showed Paypal their email stating where they were made and the label.
 
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