I suggest a new Rad

after the iron out you may find your rad springs a few leaks look for a quality replacement Rad or a heavy duty rad multi pass get it local if possible. I just don't trust most delivery services these days.

 

Might as well bite the bullet and upgrade that 17yo radiator. When I got my truck, I flushed mine but quickly after, It was leaking from the seams. I could have rebent the crimps but I went with new so I'd never have to look back.

Here is my radiator thread which explains why I went with the CSF. I have the heavy duty tow pkg, btw.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-radiator.html

 

CSF in mine as well. Now that I re-read your thread, I wonder if I got the 1.25 or 1.63 single row or 1.5 double row.

 

After reading this may have another cause for my issue.

I got a ladder rack. 6' 8' & 10' ladders. diamond plate tool box full of stuff (2 and 4 lb sledge crowbar chisels 2' 3' and 6' flex drill bits. the 6' bits in the bars of ladder rack) . 2' plastic tool box full of stuff. 110 air compressor. 3 boxes of cable (2 cat5, 1 coax) metal suit case with inserts, face plates etc. shovel, mattock, fishin poles tackle box chair garbage cooler and who knows what else.

I might not be towin' anything but I'm hauling a lot.
might be the fluid-fluid-coolant air thing head was talkin about.

But yea I think your right about bittin the bullet and getting a ne radiator.
Not to mention I just noticed last night trans line leaking where they connect to the hose under the radiator.

got to go Early Culyer is meeting Patrick Swayze STUPID MONKEY

 

you're definitely hauling alot of weight. Like i mentioned in that thread, the way the radiator is designed, the hot coolant is supposed to warm the trans to operating temperature in winter, but that also means during summer you have hot trans, hot coolant, and airflow is your friend.

I would definitely suggest replacing the radiator, it's cheap and easy (well, it's easy on the newer body…not sure about the older body) and doesn't take long. If you think you might be getting the trans hot, take another big bill and add an auxiliary cooler under the bed with a fan on it like I did. It's fairly easy.

I have the CSF radiator up front with the lincoln mark 8 fan set to come on at 190 (via SCT), and a derale 16 pass cooler under the bed with a 10" fan wired with the mark 8 fan. It make for a very high current draw, but heat's not an issue. Today it was 101 at the airport and my water temp bounced between 188 and 190 with the A/C on (which means both fans are on). So now you have the heat of the AC condenser heating the already hot coolant heating up the trans fluid. But with the airflow of the mark 8 fan plus the aid of the trans cooler and fan, trans stays around 170 and water around 190.

I plumbed the aux cooler into the rear return port which goes to the tailhousing of the transmission. The front pump pushes fluid out, and it returns in the tailshaft.

 

In '90 had and '80 Firebird Formula the fitting in radiator for trans line stripped.
The AC did work anyway so I used the AC condenser as a trans fluid cooler.
Worked like a charm. Think I plumed the fluid coming in the top and the return from the bottom.

Owned that car for 5 years. Went through 3 engines (305,350 400), 1 extra set of heads,
2 transmissions (400 turbos). When I traded it off you could throw a football through the oil pan.
I was going uphill doing 80 and pulled it down into 2nd and never let off the gas.
One night going up other side of the same hill after rain.
In a curve the a$$ end passed the front end.
Went 200' uphill backward in ditch.

YES, Very dumb back then and not much smarter now.

 

So you've had 2 back to back fan clutches fail on your I'd think thats a major issue. And the question reamins when they were working did the cooling system work? From what it sounds like you dont really have a working cooling system atm.. the fan is just free spinning with the engine not really pulling much> and i agree with dak mag and all; if you got the cash for a new rad go for it.. I would in my truck and debating on doing it for the hell of it as i redo my cooling system again.


secondly you should have enough room and ability to 'rig' up an Aux fan or something between the rad and the mech. fan being the 3.9 has a big ol shroud on her there's alot of room there if you wanted to keep it 'factory' with the mechanical fan you could at least wrie the aux fan up to a toggle.

or lastly if you wanted to go strait electric fan your year model and engine you should have enough room to put the mark Viii fan shroud and all on there and then put a controller... you should have plenty of room for that.

Lucky Lucky

 

Yesterday 8/7/14 after puttin 60ish miles on water/ iron out.
Popped cap on radiator. Black water. Drained and flushed rad and engine 3 times.
Filled water and another cup of iron out. Made sure overflow tank was full.

Read someone, don't remenber who, said something about a T-shirt test.
So I revved engine a little. T-shirt hung to condenser by fan suckin air.
Let engine idle and 3 - 4 seconds after engine was idling the T-shirt fell.
Guess the fan is suckin.

Put 180ish miles today. will drain and refill tomorrow. Temp got about 210 was cool out and off and on rain.

When I first drained the antifreeze out on 8/6/14.
Did find black silicone stuck to the inside of the hose on waterpump side.
When I changed the waterpump 5? years ago I didn't put silly cone on it.
Hope the iron out only eats the silly cone that blockin the radiator passages. If that is what made the water black.

Any one remember when the bottom radiator hoses had a spring in them to keep them from collapsing?

I found a place today that had 3 radiators. $50.00 plus my old one, 30 day warranty. Only problem it's a 115 mile trip one way.

 

How long ago did you get it? I doubt they even make a double row, so you're probably good. Did you save a reciept or order it online? I'm ****... I scan everything (paperless for years now) and save all online purchases in an email folder called "purchases". LOL

 

they do. 1.25" single row, 1.5" double row, and 1.63" single row.