You can change the style the forum displays by selecting your preferred style at the bottom left of the site.
We have made an enhancement so that old threads should now link from search results to the correct thread. This is not yet in place for single post links
Folks, my old 7A CQ water radiator is gone and I have to change to a new one. There aren't many options on the market these days. Are Nissens radiators any good? I know there are plenty of custom-made ones, but the prices are way out of my budget.
I forget to mention that I am swapping the engine for a turbo one.
The old all metal Nissen's ones are fine apart from they're prone to cracking around the bottom mount, that can be repaired pretty easily though.
The newer one's with plastic end tanks aren't anything like as good as a Behr, if you can try and find one of them, especially if your not in a hurry for it.
I'd take a decent second hand Behr over a brand new Nissens every time.
The new Nissen's ones are cheap for a reason I'm afraid.
1990 B3 2.0 80 quattro.
1992 C4 2.8 Avant quattro
1994 MTM RS2.
1998 B5 TDI quattro Sport.
2000 B5 TQS.
I recently had radiator rage & ruination on my 90 20v (7A).
Brand new Valeo rad (£60 on eBay, seemed like a bargain) had small, lower outlet in the wrong place (the one that runs to bottom of expansion tank). Anyway, that had plastic top and bottom. Felt cheap. Sent it back.
Nissens 604411 (without aux rad outlet) from EuroCarParts, suitable for the 90 2.3 20v according to Nissens site, didn't fit.
The top hose connection had moved across a few inches. I found out their drawing was correct but the rads weren't made to drawing. Pointed that out to them, got annoyed, etc. and exchanged it for the following...
Nissens 60442 (for models with aux rad) does fit! Had to replace rad bottom bobbin / mount. I plumbed off the outlet to aux rad as I don't need it.
I recall that Nissens have variants for cars with or without air con. The rad that fits is meant to be for cars with air con but my car doesn't have air con. It's all a minefield.
New Valeo and Nissens rads were slimmer than previous rad, ~32/34mm v 40mm. Supposedly more efficient cooling fins, though... new Nissens doesn't run hotter than the previous, thicker rad although my MFTS was recently changed too so temp gauge might be reading different...!
The Nissens and Valeo rads looked to be the same construction with the plastic top/bottom. Images online of new Mahle/Behr units looked like they were also using the plastic top/bottom - it's as if everyone has sold out to the Chinese. I liked the look of the Hella offerings but either I couldn't find them in stock or their premium offering was too expensive.
I was glad of a second hand Nissens radiator from Tractor Dave to get me by. It's still in the car. Kept the brand new Nissens 60442 rad (same model as Dave's old one) as a spare. In hindsight, I should've just got a custom aluminium job considering I'm keeping the car forever.
I'd definitely go for that if I was considering a more powerful lump. I was reading that running engines too cool is not good either but I'd imagine the thermostat will take care regulating coolant temp if the radiator is too efficient.
If you take a look at the link below, I've got photos and details of my radiator dabblings starting at post #119. It'll continue on the next page or two, so worth a flick through if you find it useful.
Where did you get your Nissens 60442 from? Was it labelled 60442, new in a box? Mine was from Euro Car Parts a few months ago and it's got plastic ends of a different shape and silver fins. I wonder if you have a better, older design or perhaps Nissens listened to my complaints and changed the design
Where did you get your Nissens 60442 from? Was it labelled 60442, new in a box? Mine was from Euro Car Parts a few months ago and it's got plastic ends of a different shape and silver fins. I wonder if you have a better, older design or perhaps Nissens listened to my complaints and changed the design
USA. most of the stores has the nissen with plastic ends. But few listed the (most likely) old style, with metal end.
I emailed them, just to confirm its the one on the picture
Find Nissens, 60442 Radiator; Main Radiator 893121251G at discount prices in our extensive Audi auto parts catalog. AutohausAZ offers a large selection of Nissens parts online. For models with manual transmissions. 1 per car. Fits Audi 90 Quattro, Coupe Quattro, 80 Quattro, 80, 90. 376711281 60442 W0133-1600798
The older ones with the metal end tanks were the ones that had all the leaking problems in the past.
That's right, the one in the pic Varia linked to is the old type with brass/copper alloy end tanks, these are okay (better than the brittle plastic tank version) but still prone to cracking and leaking especially around the bottom mount, which can be repaired fairly easily.
The best quality OE radiators are the Behr/Mahle version, sure they have plastic end tanks but these are way robust than the one's on any of the other options and the core's are vastly superior. You can also swap end tanks on them should you damage one which is impossible with the Nissens plastic version.
1990 B3 2.0 80 quattro.
1992 C4 2.8 Avant quattro
1994 MTM RS2.
1998 B5 TDI quattro Sport.
2000 B5 TQS.
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Comment