What's a good radiator to buy and is there a diy?

Discussion topics related to the radiator and transmission failures in all Nissan trucks, education of the public on this issue, and attempts to force Nissan to start a recall.

Moderator: volvite

MakDizzle
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2014 7:20 am

What's a good radiator to buy and is there a diy?

Postby MakDizzle » Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:51 pm

Like title states just looking for a known radiator that won't have the issue and looking for a guide to swapping it out.


User avatar
smj999smj
Site Admin
Posts: 6054
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:13 pm
Location: Prospect, VA

Postby smj999smj » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:06 pm

Any radiator with an integral transmission cooler has the potential to have this failure, so there is no way of telling if a particular radiator will never have the problem. That said, it is usually a reliable design, but Calsonic had a run of bad ones that were used in the 05-10 Pathfinders/Frontiers/Xterras. So, any new radiator you purchase will likely not experience the problem. The only way you can guarantee it won't happen is to bypass the radiator's integral cooler all-together and rely solely on the auxiliary trans cooler.
I've been using a $92 made in China radiator I got from Ebay for three years without any issues---knock on wood! In fact, most aftermarket radiators you'll find will be made in China. If you want the genuine Nissan radiator, be prepared to fork out $450-550, depending where you purchase it. Spectra Premium is a popular aftermarket choice and runs about $120 online. If you can wait two months, Stillen will be offering an all-aluminum radiator for $350.
Here's a link to the radiator R&R on a Frontier, which is the same on a Pathfinder and Xterra:

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f23/ ... ent-78854/


Return to “Nissan Transmission FAIL”