Hi All,

224000+ miles on my 1997 LeSabre and the factory radiator appears to be giving up. Has anyone upgraded to a 2-row that just slots in there factory style for a reasonable price? It'* not a race car or anything, but I figure while I'm in there replacing the radiator, a thicker unit will get more heat out for the same effort. Like the 4-row unit did on my stock 307 1984 LeSabre.

I see the factory radiator for the Bonneville SSEI is same thickness just slightly smaller core, I suppose because it has a built-in engine-oil cooler. I was hoping the supercharger would merit two rows and get me an easy upgrade.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

I seem to remember some of the Cadillac 4.9'* interchanging.

I can't say I have seen much benefit in a stock application. The transmission usually needs the most help, as well as making sure your condenser isn't plugged up or damaged.

I've never seen a radiator 'give up'. I have seen them get clogged from the front side with road ****. Or the typical clogging on the inside.

I have! We like to crack plastic side tanks, and blow them at the seams down here in the land of dryrot.

Well, that I can understand. But as far as the radiator failing due to "it feeling sick" I don't see how. lol

rjolly87 hit the nail on the head. Crack in the driver'* side tank. Well, to be completely clear: Shut the car off and a bit later there is about a square foot of coolant puddle right where it would be if the tank was cracked. First saw it when I went out to go to lunch yesterday, then every time it was parked for at least a half-hour after that. Didn't have time to pull all of the intake tract out of the way and inspect, but I'm 99% sure that'* the issue. I'll find out this evening for the other 1%. There'* really nothing else over there (with coolant in it) to go wrong, and the hoses are fairly recent.

I believe the radiator drain is on that side too, but if it'* original, it'* probably due anyway.

OOooooooOOooh I always forget about Cadillac for these searches. Thanks! I'll see if there'* an interchangeable part out there.

Yeah, the current one has been okay enough for 224000+ miles. At the same time, if the ambient temperature is over 85, it will idle all day at just a smidge over 200 (on the cluster gauge) with the fans spinning the whole time and never get down a tick lower like it is on cooler days. This is with AC on or off.

It gives me the sense that they designed to certain parameters, and those parameters were well-set and it has survived. But probably with little margin for problems. It'* been in in Missouri, White Sands, NM, the Mojave desert, the Pacific coast, NV, UT, NE, KS, SD, CO, WY, and all the way up to the Eisenhower Tunnel, all in the dead of summer and winter, and is still happily growling its way through life with long pulls through tall gears. If I can't find something that will more-or-less bolt in, I won't be heartbroken. If I can, I'm sure it will be a bit happier, and so will I over the next 224,000 miles while I'm driving it all over.

Fortunately I already have a giant (for a 1997 LeSabre) transmission cooler on it, inline after the tank cooler. It got my TCC-solenoid surging issue to go away 99.99% of the time for 84,000+ miles so far. That thread is here if anyone'* interested: https://www.gmforum.com/buick-172/19...urging-310146/

Yeah, it'* good. Only a few bugs and the fins are mostly straight.

That'* my thinking. When I look at it tonight I'd be happy to find that I just tighten a little and its fixed, but I'm betting it'* a crack.

I just realized that I never updated this thread:

Yes, it was the drivers'-side tank that was cracked, up near the top. After some head-scratching I decided that I wanted a Spectra 1202 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...019708&jsn=408 . I don't really know a lot of the manufacturers that show up today, but it seemed to be a good combination of features, reviews, and price. By the time I had figured this out I didn't have time to wait for a Rockauto delivery and their fast delivery made it more-expensive than just going to Napa Auto Parts, so I went to Napa. They got it in that Saturday . . . but the box was damaged. By battery acid. Like 2 square feet of cardboard was gone as well as a bunch of styrofoam. Later in the day another one arrived and only had a couple of little spots of battery-acid damage on the box. Good thing, because my car was totally apart by now and there would be no more Napa trucks for the rest of the weekend.

Got it home and took it out. Held it next to the old one and it looked like it would fit etc. Cleaned stuff up and put it in and I noticed a sticker inside the aluminum C-channel that makes up the top of the core. The sticker says "Spectra 1202" on it. I look at the box and it has no exterior or interior markings.

LOL.

Looks like that'* what Napa uses, so I probably head-scratched my way to a good choice.

It'* been installed and happy for over a month and a thousand miles so I think it'* good.

Bonus: The core on the factory radiator is 5/8" thick. The core on the Spectra 1202 is 1" thick. My math has that as a 60% improvement. What I notice when driving it is that the temperature needle used to sit between the two marks to the left ot 200 at normal operating temperature, and now sits on the lower of those two marks. Same thermostat. Also the temperature needle doesn't move around as much as it used to (getting a bit warmer then recovering) and on hot days it never creeps up above 200 like it used to.