radiator - is it usable ?

brownrock · Post by **brownrock** » 14 Jul 2022, 09:55

I bought a Nissens 65530A rad from RA.
It arrived damaged in the form of an 8 in. gouge across the surface exposing plastic tanks along with bent fins.
I sent it back. Rock sent a replacement.
The replacement arrived quickly but it was damaged too!!!
This time the top Aluminum rail was bent downwards resulting in two horizontal tanks bent along with crushed fins in between (see pics below)
To make matters worse RA refuses to replace this one.
Instead they are offering me a refund. It's worth noting that this second rad had already been returned to them by another customer because of the damaged rail and bent tanks.
If I accept the refund I'm stuck finding the same rad from another supplier at the same price. No luck so far on this front.
One thing I learn from this is that Rock has apparently no QC process in place when parts are shipped (or worse).
Now I'm left with a rad with bent tanks and fins. I'd Like to use it if I can do so safely (in peace of mind).
To me the $68M QUESTION is ...
IS this rad USABLE 'AS IS' or has its STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY been COMPROMISED ???
Anyone have any thoughts or better still experience with such a thing?

Post by **kallekula** » 14 Jul 2022, 13:51

I cant even see the damage. If they were bent there is a tool like a comb you can straighten fins with.

brownrock · Post by **brownrock** » 14 Jul 2022, 14:14

Thx for taking the time to read the post and your comments

Post by **volvolugnut** » 14 Jul 2022, 17:34

That damage does not look very bad. The tanks are not damaged right?
Only damage appears to be one side was pushed in and deformed the fins and two tubes. I think it is unlikely this ruptured any tubes or solder joints.
A fin comb will not work in this case. Fin combs only work on bent exposed surface of fins.
For reassurance, pressure test (either your self or at a radiator shop) to the pressure rating of your radiator cap plus maybe 10 percent more. For example: if the cap is 15 PSI, test to 16.5 PSI.
volvolugnut

brownrock · Post by **brownrock** » 14 Jul 2022, 17:53

Thanks Lugnut.
Your analysis of the damage is spot on.
I'm not too worried about the bent fins seeing as how it's a relatively small area.
I hear your suggestion about the pressure test and appreciate you specifying to what pressure I need to test.
I will be doing just that on your suggestion.
INTERESTINGLY Nissens who I emailed to ask their opinion ACTUALLY said they had passed my email on to their tech people. Who knows, they may get back to me.

Post by **abscate** » 15 Jul 2022, 00:02

I think it is more a process defect than an impact damage , but I would run that without too much worry. Also, FCP would have shipped my third one out by now.

brownrock · Post by **brownrock** » 15 Jul 2022, 07:10

Thanks abscate, for your thoughts on the cause of the damage / defect but also your thoughts on whether you thinks it's usable (or not). I do think lugnut's recommendation to do a pressure test is a good way to go and could provide me with needed peace of mind.
As a matter of general interest Nissens did respond to me (something TOO many companies can't be bothered doing), within hours of my emailing them, are looking into the problem and have promised to get back to me a address the issue. I'm VERY impressed by Nissens customer relations process.

Post by **abscate** » 15 Jul 2022, 07:33

I wonder how these are manufactured?

The wavy long cursive lower case l string pieces arent attached to the actual cross pipes carrying the water, I think they are just forced into physical contact for heat transfer. Maybe the two pieces were slightly bent on manufacturer, and when the heat transfer pieces were laid in , they got sightly crushed. The top ones dont seem elongated,nor loose, so I dont think it was impact .

brownrock · Post by **brownrock** » 15 Jul 2022, 08:54

Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
The top 'U' shaped rail (not in the pics) is definitely bent outwards on the 'damaged' side.
My initial thought was that the rail had been pushed downwards (a heavy object placed on top maybe) but that doesn't explain why it's the 2nd and 4th row fins which are crushed and not the 1st and 3rd.
Following your line of thinking, maybe the rail was bent (on the damaged side) at the start of manufacture and when the fins were pushed into place something had to give and that's what we see here.
When did the tanks get bent?
Still I don't think that fully explains the damage but I think your comment about the fins being pushed in at the end of the fabrication process is a good start to understanding what happened.
Thanks again

454cid · Post by **454cid** » 23 Sep 2022, 18:18

So what was the conclusion to this? Did you use it, or return it?

As long as the tube to plate connections didn't crack, I suspect this radiator would cool fine. I'd be rather upset to get a new radiator like that, However. I had issues getting a radiator shipped to me from Rockauto too, but it was many years ago. I got the identical radiator shipped from Amazon and got it just fine..... shipped through Fedex by both companies, so it must have transit damage closer to the shipping origin.

The radiators are brazed in a giant furnace. How they're physically assembled will probably vary depending on the age of the equipment. That 2nd row of fins looks like crush damage to me, but the others could look like that just because of machinery not quite running right. Maybe the 2nd row too, but even though I have built radiators, my experience is limited.