09-19-2012, 10:20 AM
|
#19
|
|
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 16,544
My Ride: M54B30
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmax
I think that a radiator failing below 150K miles is rare...and can only recall of one radiator neck failing. My gasket failed, as I said, around 180K...11 years old at the time. It might be age and miles, but I think it fails catastrophically rarely, and thus I'm not so emphatic about it needing to be done preventatively (or preventively). Therm(stuck closed), ET, WP...when they go bad, the consequences are immediate and severe.
|
Radiator plastic can break while pulling off the old hoses. I've seen it happen because the radiator (like everything else) gets brittle over time. You might be fine but really you're playing with luck. $143. No brainer.
A leaking radiator will introduce air into the coolant. It will also lower the capacity enough to risk an overheat.
|
|
|