Last nite my 03 Z idled at around 1200 rpm during startup and stayed there for a long time. Fan turned on and stayed on. Temp gauge needle went up to 'overheat' temps. as I pulled out of my office pkg structure. Turned right back around and parked it. Had it towed to the dealership today ($100 even with AAA).

Service advisor calls me to say radiator is cracked, needs new thermostat, and a complete flush. Grand total for parts and labor an awesome $1,136 out the door. Right before xmas too. Sonuvabiatch. Don't have time to pick up an aftermarket radiator and will most likely cost even more to get a performance unit.

My first Nissan and it has suffered a blown motor (oil consumption most likely) in May and now this all under 50k miles. Niiiiiceeeee.

Aye, I need a different cheaper hobby.

 

you betta hope your block is ok. that sux.

 

Can't say OEM radiator is a weak design.

Do you have forced induction?

 

Nope. Just intake and exhaust. Don't even have a performance plenum, plenum spacer, headers or test pipes.

Dealer was scratching their heads and asked me if anyone had worked on the car because of the location of the crack. Top/side of the radiator, apparently not a popular place for such a thing to occur.

 

epoxy it for a quick fix untill you can buy a new one. I have done it on sevral radiators. just let it sit for at least 4 hours before starting the car. I had a couple epoxyed ones last several years.

 

I hope you didn't actually have them do it.

 

lol - I did the same thing on my first car (Geo prism)...worked like a charm! JB weld and duct tape can fix just about anything!

-Peter