Don't Ban me - why not an after market radiator?
06-11-2013, 08:15 PM
#46
Vegas, Baby!
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I had to buy a new Behr radiator when mine let go in my driveway after OCIC. Shipped direct from Germany it cost me $1623.00, and that's for my 89 with twin coolers.
The PO of my car had the system filled with green coolant. Prolly why the core took a ****. I've kept the old radiator, but don't know if it can be re-cored for a spare?
The PO of my car had the system filled with green coolant. Prolly why the core took a ****. I've kept the old radiator, but don't know if it can be re-cored for a spare?
06-11-2013, 08:42 PM
#47
The Parts Whisperer
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I had to buy a new Behr radiator when mine let go in my driveway after OCIC. Shipped direct from Germany it cost me $1623.00, and that's for my 89 with twin coolers.
The PO of my car had the system filled with green coolant. Prolly why the core took a ****. I've kept the old radiator, but don't know if it can be re-cored for a spare?
The PO of my car had the system filled with green coolant. Prolly why the core took a ****. I've kept the old radiator, but don't know if it can be re-cored for a spare?
Why didn't you get it from one of the friendly 928 part suppliers on RL?
06-11-2013, 09:30 PM
#48
Vegas, Baby!
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06-11-2013, 10:22 PM
#51
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The mountings for the radiator are originally a little flexible, at least the top supports. There's neccessary room to grow and shrink, at least laterally, built in to the support design. I'll suspect that most original rubber cushions are hardened though.
The original radiator has plastic tanlks sealed with o-rings. allowing the core to resize itself independently of the tanks. With continuously variable coolant flow, changing flow path within the tubes, heat input, and total dissipation, it's not hard to visualize all the internal stresses the core sees. That's got to be part of the reason the end plates are allowed to move around in the original design. An all-aluminum unit with the ends boxed is a recipe for stress and leaks. It's just a matter of time before fatigue cycle life is exceeded at the tank to core joints. Like a beer can that's bent back and forth a few times, but with small thermally-induced motion.
Got a car you plan to keep and drive? Get with your favorite supplier now and buy a spare stock unit to have on the shelf, before all the hoarders grab them and hold them for ransom. Lots of 'interesting' cars end up parked or scrapped because of lack of parts support as they age. It would be a shame to see good cars made unavailable due to a normal maintenance part like a radiator going NLA. Parking the car with a good radiator is no guarantee that it will still be as good when the car is un-parked later. So stay on top of cooling system maintenance even if the car is driven infrequently. Think about annual coolant changes as cheap insurance for the car and cooling system.
Mark/Roger, what's the critical mass needed to get Behr to make a run of radiators? Even if they just supply new cores and continue to supply tanks, we'd have enough to get them assembled to spec with the old aux cooler sections from the originals.
The original radiator has plastic tanlks sealed with o-rings. allowing the core to resize itself independently of the tanks. With continuously variable coolant flow, changing flow path within the tubes, heat input, and total dissipation, it's not hard to visualize all the internal stresses the core sees. That's got to be part of the reason the end plates are allowed to move around in the original design. An all-aluminum unit with the ends boxed is a recipe for stress and leaks. It's just a matter of time before fatigue cycle life is exceeded at the tank to core joints. Like a beer can that's bent back and forth a few times, but with small thermally-induced motion.
Got a car you plan to keep and drive? Get with your favorite supplier now and buy a spare stock unit to have on the shelf, before all the hoarders grab them and hold them for ransom. Lots of 'interesting' cars end up parked or scrapped because of lack of parts support as they age. It would be a shame to see good cars made unavailable due to a normal maintenance part like a radiator going NLA. Parking the car with a good radiator is no guarantee that it will still be as good when the car is un-parked later. So stay on top of cooling system maintenance even if the car is driven infrequently. Think about annual coolant changes as cheap insurance for the car and cooling system.
Mark/Roger, what's the critical mass needed to get Behr to make a run of radiators? Even if they just supply new cores and continue to supply tanks, we'd have enough to get them assembled to spec with the old aux cooler sections from the originals.
It's not always easy.....
That Behr radiator just worked, really well, in this application. Certainly, there are not very many original Behr radiators still in 25 year old BMW's.
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Semi-retired, as of Feb 1, 2023.
The days of free technical advice are over.
Free consultations will no longer be available.
Will still be in the shop, isolated and exclusively working on project cars, developmental work and products, engines and transmissions.
Have fun with your 928's people!
greg brown
714 879 9072
GregBBRD@aol.com
Semi-retired, as of Feb 1, 2023.
The days of free technical advice are over.
Free consultations will no longer be available.
Will still be in the shop, isolated and exclusively working on project cars, developmental work and products, engines and transmissions.
Have fun with your 928's people!
06-11-2013, 11:15 PM
#52
Chronic Tool Dropper
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Keep in mind that SONGS got the word, last Friday, that they would be closing.....So Cal Edison said "enough" and "pulled the plug". That entire "problem" was caused by two "defective" $144,000,000 (each) steam generators....which are just a big *** radiators.
It's not always easy.....
That Behr radiator just worked, really well, in this application. Certainly, there are not very many original Behr radiators still in 25 year old BMW's.
It's not always easy.....
That Behr radiator just worked, really well, in this application. Certainly, there are not very many original Behr radiators still in 25 year old BMW's.
06-11-2013, 11:28 PM
#53
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I was "around" and "aware" of the giant debate about this plant, in the beginning....and I remember SCE telling the ratepayers that it was just too damn bad no one wanted this nuclear plant...they were going to built it, regardless.
It's really fun talking to the people that are involved...two of my best friends are "lifetime" engineers down there. They both rave about how "cheap" this plant generated electricity. They all ignore the fact that the nuclear waste is still sitting there...waiting to be disposed of....for ungodly amounts of money.
Sorry for the temporary hijack.....back to the "holy grail" radiator discussion.
A cheap, all aluminum radiator that will last as long as the Behr did....
If anyone needs to be brought up to date....That's not going to happen.
06-12-2013, 12:38 AM
#54
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Some of the early iterations were built by a "racing" radiator specialist. Of course with circle track racers there was NO WARRANTY.... they lasted until the first crash or rock or clod of dirt. So little wonder that they only built them to last a few weekends....they are disposable !!
06-12-2013, 02:26 PM
#55
Developer
Three sellers of alloy radiators and all three have failures within a short period of time
Devek rads failed after a few years - all years
I believe Mark had the same issues - all years
Carl was selling Mark's rads up until about three years ago - approx.
Carl sold a new rad - Failed
Carl now sells a newer new rad - time will tell!!! But do not worry it has a two year warranty (commendable).
Devek rads failed after a few years - all years
I believe Mark had the same issues - all years
Carl was selling Mark's rads up until about three years ago - approx.
Carl sold a new rad - Failed
Carl now sells a newer new rad - time will tell!!! But do not worry it has a two year warranty (commendable).
Not all our radiators failed. In fact, exactly 6 of them did. That means most of our radiators have been out there since 2010 with zero failures. Three years on more than 40 cars.
So I wouldn't be so quick to put a "failed" by that. It seems more like a "success" to me.
06-12-2013, 03:27 PM
#57
Captain Obvious
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Make that 13. The one I bough from you (for a customer's car) developed a leak in 2 years but only 5000km and we had to JB Weld it. Been holding up ever since but it was leaking really bad before the epoxy.
06-12-2013, 04:34 PM
#59
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15. Mine came from Mark but when it failed after 6 or 7 years I just trashed it and bought a Behr after attempting the aforementioned epoxy repair. No fault of Mark, just a product that went bad.
06-12-2013, 05:26 PM
#60
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Not all our radiators failed. In fact, exactly 6 of them did. That means most of our radiators have been out there since 2010 with zero failures. Three years on more than 40 cars.
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Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
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928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
George Layton March 2014928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
