89 Maxima (auto) radiator just blew (not the water pump, not the rad cap, but the actual radiator). Time for total replacement. Many of you have suggested the Koyo ones sold by internetautomar. His price for a stock one is $115 which is very reasonable. I found this on Ebay (link below) and am wondering if anyone can comment on it. Safe bet or stick with the Koyo. Money is real tight right now with twins arriving last week. Gotta have that car up and running quick and gotta have the heater working. Seattle has been brutally cold this winter and want to keep those little guys nice and warm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/89-90...ayphotohosting

Appreciate your help guys.

 

I bought one of the generic one's off of ebay for $60 something dollars about a year ago and haven't had any kind of problems with it, still keeps my average temp below the midway point and there are no cracks/blemishes/wear spots anywhere so I can't complain.

 

I bought a new radiator from ebay also bout a year ago for my 5th gen for like $80 and it has been fine w/ no problems at all. It serves its purpose for a fraction of the price. if you do buy from ebay, just be sure to check the sellers feedback.

 

Man that one is cheap. I also bought a $60 one on Eaby about a year ago for my Grand Cherokee and haven't had any issues.

I'd give it a shot.

 

115 is a good price. I paid a bit more because i'm in canada but I got the CSF # 2464 (Cooling Systems & Flex) I think this was the OE that was in the car originally - except the more expensive 'all metal' design. The 2464 has the plastic top & bottom.

 

get a Koyo radiator from one of the sponsors in the forum.

 

I need a new radiator too and have been debating whether to get one from ebay or a koyo one, money for me is also tight. Luckily mine just has a slight crack on the top of it and just barely drips. Still need to replace it. Normaly I prefer parts from internetautomart or the dealer, but with a radiator I think its safe to get off ebay as long as seller has good feedback. I will be buying one very soon off ebay myself.

 

By the way, the radiators are all interchangeable correct? vg auto/manual, ve auto/manual?

 

auto rad to manual car= yes

Manual rad to auto car= no

 

My radiator took a dump right near downtown seattle several years ago. I parked behind a really shady gas station on ranier ave and sources a replacement radiator and repaired it right there on the side of the road.

The replacement radiator I got was from a place in the international district in seattle. I wish I could find the place because they had the radiator in stock, it was cheap, and actually is working really well for me. It fit well, and has worked fine for a few years now. I remember the fact they had it in stock was key for me. It is not OEM type consturction, but all metal (which might be better? I don't know... all copper/braized together construction I think.) Sorry I can't find the place but I found it in the yellow pages and it was in the international district. I remember being shocked when I called and they said "1989 maxima... yeah we got one of those in stock."

Anyhow maybe this doesn't help you as I don't have a number to call (and I can't find their receipt either) ... but another vote here for a good experience with a non-OEM radiator. Best 'o luck.

-edit-
Oh yeah I can add that the radiator for automatic tranny maxima does have a transmission cooler section built into the bottom of it. You will see two small hoses at the bottom of the radiator that circulate the ATF in and out. Be prepared with some extra ATF when you pull those hoses.

 

jakeru, thanks for the post. Sounds like you had an adventure with that one; that is really a terrible place in Seattle to break down but maybe not for finding parts.

All the posts have been encouraging; I will purchase the one on Ebay tomorrow. If it weren't for the fact that we will be parting with the car soon and it already has 225,000 on the original engine and tranny (doesn't burn a drop of oil btw), I would put a Koyo in it for longevity and peace of mind. But...we have four kids now and it looks like a mid 90's Mercedes E320 wagon (third row seat) will be replacing the Maxima. I wish they had a 3rd row seat Max wagon because this car has been absolutely fantastic. I have never had a car perform better in terms of reliability and ease of maintenance. Not only that, it still gets up and goes when you step on it and has tremendous low end torque. We will be very sad to part with it for sure.

 

I found some $112-$113 all aluminum, 2 row core, performance radiator form Genesis Auto Parts...Check this out!

http://www.genesisautoparts.com/all_...ot0_v6_184.htm

 

I ordered the ebay radiator and it came in today. Seems to be same quality as the stock radiator. Nothing fancy, but its new and was $58 shipped. Gonna put it in over the next few days if I can find time.

 

Wow! That's a great find. And I thought they didn't make all aluminum performance radiators for our cars. Does anyone think it compares to a Koyo performance radiator?

 

Well, I was too excited about the performance radiator linked above and just ordered it. I hope it comes quickly. I might have to JB Weld my old one some more to make it through. We'll see if it holds. The last patch on the top held well after I drilled into the plastic and filled the gap, but now the rest of the top is cracking, so I'm glad there's finally a replacement on the way

 

I'm going on five years and 60k miles on my eBay radiator. I got it from "The Radiator Connection."