I have had to put 3 radiators on my 06 Pontiac g6, Whats causing them to fail?

Question

I have replace all hoses belts, thermostat, cap, water pump, checked electric fans, compression test on engine, checked for any emission in Coolant ....Everything checks out to be fine...pressurized system overnight, gauge did not move.
I putr less than 500 miles on it , not all at once over about a 1 1/2 months, pull up to a red light , I have only went about a mile at this point, look down , my gauge is starting to peg, shut engine off, push off road with coolant just dumping. The radiator had spilt where tank meets core. This is the second radiatior in less than 8 months.
So, I have it towed to reputable mechanic, he does everything I did, does not find any issue, puts another radiatior on it, Im driving it now but for less than a week.
The guy at radiator shop where I purchased both radiators will not begin to entertain helping me out, But he cannot tell me why his radiators are ****? Is this fair

Answer 1

Compression blow by on the head into the cooling water jacket on the engine is the main cause, possible cracked head.



No compression leak, then you are getting crap rebuilds. You can order them online to your door for a good price.

I suggest you make sure the rubber mountings are aligned well so there's no expansion stress on the core causing it.

It could be something putting additional external forces only when hot and expanded, only an eyes on could be definitive.

Many times it happens because the transmission cooler lines were over tightened and cracked the new radiator at install.



* Pump it up to 20 psi on the pressure tester and let it sit over night, if it's still 15-16 psi in the morning with 8 hours it's OK.

Answer 2

He's probably using cheap parts that arent OEM. Certain aftermarket parts are built like crap and will fail over and over again. Find someone who is reputed.

Answer 3

Are you using antifreeeze?

Answer 4

What was the brand he used? You said you did a compression test, so not sure why others are saying bad head gasket?

And am not quite getting the part about putting high pressure in the system, again maybe I am missing something, but if there was that much of a head gasket leak you would have huge clouds of white smoke and the coolant would spray out of the radiator cap. And the shop should have done a test for exhaust gas in the coolant.



But something is odd here. Is something hitting the radiator and cracking it?

Check your motor mounts, is motor moving up and down? Was there and accident of the radiator is in the wrong position?

The shop should warranty the work for at least a few months. That is the benefits of using a shop.

Find a mechanic who knows that vehicle. Carefully inspect the underside. Try to find the same exact car and inspect the radiator set up. Anything different. As other guy said, make sure the rubber bushing are in place and if so they are working OK. Those are needed.

Best of luck.

Then invest in a quality radiator that has a warranty.

Answer 5

It's more than obvious you have a bad head gasket and have compression leaking into your cooling system. That's 180 pounds of pressure into a cooling system made to hold 16 lbs. Your mechanic is an idiot. Find a real mechanic.

Answer 6

Never let a dog bite you twice, time for a change or radiator supplier

Answer 7

Check your radiator cap does actually release pressure when the engine is hot. ie fill radiator as per specs, bleed air from it. With engine cold top up radiator fit cap, check overflow tank full only to lower line. run engine & monitor overflow tank, level should rise as engine warms. If not - get new correct radiator cap. As engines cools - level in overflow tank should fall back to lower mark. If no problem found doing this threaten to take radiator guy to small claims court.

Answer 8

Junk parts. Spend the money and buy an OEM or original radiator. Many "new" radiators are just reconditioned.

Answer 9

Some possibilities:



1. It was installed incorrectly.

2. The radiator is of poor quality.

3. The radiator is the wrong metal type (aluminum should never be in the same loop as copper)

Answer 10

Maybe you should buy your new radiators from a different shop.

Answer 11

Run with the cap ajar to see if condition improves.

Is a radiator hose getting sucked flat?

New thermostat sticking? Run without one for a while....

Answer 12

Probably used a cheap import radiator. They're cheap because they use low cost labour, less/lower spec materials and less quality control....

Why did you go back to the same shop after the first rad cr@pped out?

All work should be warranted, so get your money back. It's basic consumer right.

Answer 13

Based on what you have written, the radiators are splitting open at a seam.



There can be only TWO sensible reasons for this.



1. There is TOO MUCH PRESSURE in the cooling system. The pressure is supposed to be regulated by the radiator cap. If your electric radiator fan is not working, then your engine can/will overheat at slow speed or when stopped. If you have overheated the engine and caused an aluminum cylinder head to warp, then the cylinder head gasket can be leaking and engine compression pressure can be leaking INTO the cooling system.



2. The construction quality of the radiator is poor. But I question where there is a "seam" that is leaking. The tanks are usually plastic. The core is usually aluminum. Between them is a large rubber gasket.



Connect your "pressure tester" to the system. Run the engine with the hood open. Watch that your radiator fan runs. Does the pressure gauge go above 16 psi?

Answer 14

You have had an engine compression test and the coolant checked for exhaust gasses, and both were OK, right? Well then, the reason these radiators are failing is because they are not fitting into the core support properly. The radiator and core support are not aligned perfectly to each other, and that is putting stress at the mounting points, which are on the plastic tanks on each side, causing the tank seal to fail in time.

There are six mounting points on your radiator, two plastic rods on the bottom which go into rubber bushings, and two on each tank, one slides into a slot, the other is bolted. All six points should mount with no resistance and fit flush to its counter part. If any of the mounting points need to be stressed into place, the radiator WILL fail prematurely.

There's a very small chance you got two defective radiators, but I'm more than 98% confident that the core support and radiator are installed misaligned.

Answer 15

You do not mention antifreeze. Antifreeze at 50:50 ratio with clean water will stop corrosion in the cooling system. If it's not the lack of antifreeze the radiators are cheap and nasty. They may also be poorly reconditioned items as many shops accept exchange rads. In fact the radiator must be rubbish as the hoses should blow well before the metal of the radiator. Buy a known make of radiator from a reputable firm. Use 50:50 coolant mix and all should be peace and light.

Answer 16

1) cheap quality radiators



2) air trapped in system can prevent coolant from flowing, which leads to rapid overheating. Here: https://www.google.com/search?q=cooling+system+"trapped+air"

Answer 17

Pay the money and have the dealership do it. I would never trust an independent mechanic, I don't care how reputable they supposedly are. In more ways than one I've been ripped off by independent mechanics several times.