So my Fiero died... (Page 5/12)
RWDPLZ AUG 06, 01:13 PM

quote
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock:


My car never had A/C so that's probably why it's this model.



I don't think I've ever seen a GT without A/C, maybe that was a Canada thing too?
Cliff Pennock AUG 07, 04:37 AM
Why are these Chinese sellers always out to scam people? I asked for a partial refund because of the wrong fittings and he denied any refund claiming "we recently changed the fittings so it would be easier to install" which is of course complete and utter BS. So of course I kept my original claim, wanting a $50 refund. Which isn't much considering these radiators are in fact now completely useless for Fieros who still have the original transmission lines. No one in their right mind is going to cut their transmission lines and replace the last few inches with a rubber hose just to make these things fit.

At the end of today, if we haven't come to an agreement, Aliexpress steps in and will make a decision. I hope they understand why I demand a refund. In the past they have always been very helpful but I'm unsure about this one. Either way, the seller has not delivered what he offered since the pictures of his product page show the original and correct fittings.
theogre AUG 07, 10:35 AM
You bought an aftermarket rad w/ Al tanks and very likely Al heat exchanger to cool AT oil.
Does Ali page say this is a Direct Fit? Likely No.
And you "trust" a pic showing OEM part knowing will have Al tanks?

Only Some "Custom" marker will have right hole/fitting so can use OEM fitting is this case 2 part GM line ends to fit the new heat exchanger.
If Ali doesn't give money, no surprise to many because even US and other local custom builders of X often do not make exact fit parts & up to the buyer to make whatever mod same as already done to mounting points & brackets.

Plus you don't want brass fitting etc in direct contact w/ Al parts. Has big problems as heat cycles at different rates and electrolysis rotting. While Has oil on inside but road "water" & crap on outside to rot the joint. If steel mounting parts touches Al tank then can rot there too. Is Why OEM rad had Rubber in the mounting points. Related: is why they make "insulating" steel/copper joints to install Water Heater when have Steel tanks to Copper plumbing. look up "Dielectric Union Water Heater"

Plus already cut the tubes to trans. So you need to splice them somehow...
AT lines already have "Rubber" in engine bay that likely gets hotter from oil and engine, exhaust, etc. that likely needs replacement.
1 is ~ 18 inch loop to act as anti drain w/ loop has a bracket on side cover to keep the loop safe. Other is "long" just to prevent breaking as engine moves normally.

Use right hose and will last another 20+ years.
Use wrong hose and expect large problems in the very near future.

As to what is plugging the OE tube(s)...
No clue as Nothing should be doing that and the AT will have problems w/ block "cooler" lines because that oil is "waste"/"bypass" oil from the regulator and should never be block same way as Fuel Return from the Engine.

I would discon the trans end and blow air etc from there to make sure rest of lines are clear.
Dennis LaGrua AUG 07, 12:17 PM
If you do some research on fittings you may find that is is possible to mate just about any line to a threaded fitting. For instance my trans lines are #6 AN braided lines. I found fittings that IIRC have been 3/8 NPT to a #6 AN male fitting. The used the #6 AN female ends on the hoses. If you must cut the lines and use rubber transmission oil hose to connect them that will work. Just make sure that you flare the old steel lines so when clamped the hoses will not slide off. There is not a lot of pressure in the cooler lines so I would not have any worries.

------------------
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"THE COLUSSUS"
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Cliff Pennock AUG 07, 02:05 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

Does Ali page say this is a Direct Fit? Likely No.



Yes


quote
And you "trust" a pic showing OEM part knowing will have Al tanks?



I trust that if someone says "look, this is a picture of the product", I get the product pictured. Not something else. The only difference between the radiator they sent me and the one pictured is the fittings. They even admit the product was changed. They said they sent me a "newer" version of the fitting that makes it easier to install. That's like saying, "hey, we changed the HDMI input of your TV to DVI to make it easier to connect to HDMI equipment" .


quote
If Ali doesn't give money, no surprise to many because even US and other local custom builders of X often do not make exact fit parts & up to the buyer to make whatever mod same as already done to mounting points & brackets.



I don't care that many aftermarket manufacturers don't make exact fit parts. I bought from a seller that claims he does. He even show pictures of it with the proper fittings, then sells something else. This radiator is sold as a direct replacement for the OEM Fiero radiator. If you check out all radiators on Ali, there's only one shaped like this and it's for the Fiero. So it's specifically made for the Fiero, not for any other car. So if the fittings are none standard and won't fit the stock transmission lines, then it's no longer a Fiero radiator.


quote
Plus you don't want brass fitting etc in direct contact w/ Al parts. Has big problems as heat cycles at different rates and electrolysis rotting.



Electrolysis "rotting" is something I've read many times but I think the real life consequences are greatly exaggerated. It needs a specific fluid of specific acidity for it to happen. I don't think transmission oil is that fluid. Nor is rain water.
theogre AUG 07, 06:57 PM
I'm not and others shouldn't dig thru a site looking for your "proof."
So If Ali Page said was 100% copied... you Never bothered to post a link or even screen grab showing that.
Plus You installed and post that and now "bothered" it isn't "right?" You think the maker or Ali won't web search this?

quote
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock:
Electrolysis "rotting" is something I've read many times but I think the real life consequences are greatly exaggerated. It needs a specific fluid of specific acidity for it to happen. I don't think transmission oil is that fluid. Nor is rain water.

Wrong. Go ask many local mechanics. Electrolysis "rotting" is why Brake Bleeders, long bolt for many Alternators, and a lot more are "welded" into whatever Aluminum part.

Rain and other outside Water = Polluted Water.
You drive on the street then car gets way worse polluted water plus salt or other chemicals to melt ice plus god knows whatever else that leaked or spilled on the roads, P-lots, and more. Road Salt etc can take Months to Never go away in summer then Any moisture Reactivate this crap and spray on your car. That's if the crap isn't already on the car to reactivate.

IOW Even if you claim "I only drive in good weather," the road crap will get at the whole car. And part of why your old rad is toast w/ missing "fins" etc because crap react w/ thin Al fin materiel then nothing to support the tubes. So If the tank didn't fail, the tubes would have or did. Just 1 small section Blown Up from your pic so others can easily see the Fin Rot.

This Rad has big problems likely for Many Years. I've junked so many cars that are way older and didn't rot like that. 99+% had no rot at all.

Only People W/o a clue say Aluminum won't "rust."
Exact Opposite: Aluminum is Very Reactive and "rust" instantly as soon as you cut so most people never see "raw" aluminum metal. Other things can eat Al Parts Directly (like "Liquid metal Heat Sink grease") or be a "catalyst" for "water" etc to attack it. Once Coolant loses its Additive Pack for any reason even that will "eat" aluminum. Coolant rated 3-5+ years often drops lifetime very fast, days to months, when have Ground problems.
Cliff Pennock AUG 07, 08:38 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

I'm not and others shouldn't dig thru a site looking for your "proof."
So If Ali Page said was 100% copied... you Never bothered to post a link or even screen grab showing that.



So you didn't see my post on this?


quote
Plus You installed and post that and now "bothered" it isn't "right?" You think the maker or Ali won't web search this?



I wasn't bothered. I was pissed. But since I didn't want to wait another 12 weeks to return the radiator and hope they will sent me a correct one, I decided to keep this one and try to make it work. But the fact I am able to make it work takes nothing away from the fact they did not sent me the product I ordered. And what do you mean "you think the maker or Ali won't web search this". Do you think AliExpress is going to search the internet just checking if a guy in the Netherlands might have posted about this problem? Of course not. And even if they do, what are you implying? That I am lying to them and I'm just trying to make a buck? Did you read any of my posts? I told them exactly what I've been telling here: that I'm able to make it work but it's a lot of extra work (and it is) and that I can no longer use the stock transmission lines without modification. They sell it as a drop-in replacement. It isn't. It's as simple as that.


quote
Wrong. Go ask many local mechanics. Electrolysis "rotting" is why Brake Bleeders, long bolt for many Alternators, and a lot more are "welded" into whatever Aluminum part.



As I stated before, in order for a copper/aluminum connection to corrode, you need either an electrolyte, an acidic solution or an alkaline solution. Transmission oil isn't one of those. Sure, liquids from the outside could cause some corrosion but again, like I said, this is a very, very, very slow process since the connection is not submerged in that liquid.


quote
And part of why your old rad is toast w/ missing "fins" etc because crap react w/ thin Al fin materiel then nothing to support the tubes.



Yes. All kinds of crap can speed up corrosion of the very thin cooling fins on a radiator. Which has nothing to do with the fittings on my new radiator so I'm not even sure why you bring that up.


quote
Only People W/o a clue say Aluminum won't "rust."



Well, it's actually the other way around. Only people without a clue say aluminum rusts. It doesn't. It oxidizes. It corrodes. But it doesn't rust.


quote
Exact Opposite: Aluminum is Very Reactive and "rust" instantly as soon as you cut so most people never see "raw" aluminum metal.



Again. It doesn't rust. It oxidizes creating a very strong protective layer around the aluminum. It's what makes airplanes so strong. When you cut it, it oxidizes almost immediately protecting the inner layers from corrosion. "Rust" makes iron weaker. Oxidation makes aluminum stronger. Corrosion is what makes aluminum weaker. And it doesn't corrode when you cut it. It oxidizes.


quote
Other things can eat Al Parts Directly (like "Liquid metal Heat Sink grease") or be a "catalyst" for "water" etc to attack it.



Yep. So it's fortunate our radiators never get in contact with liquid metal heat sink grease. But again, not sure what it has to do with the fittings on my new radiator.


quote
Once Coolant loses its Additive Pack for any reason even that will "eat" aluminum. Coolant rated 3-5+ years often drops lifetime very fast, days to months, when have Ground problems.



Yes, like you said, many things can cause corrosion of aluminum. It's probably exactly what happened. A small coolant leak caused the thin fins to corrode, causing a cooling pipe to crack. But I still don't know what all this has to do with the fact a seller on AliExpress didn't sell a product as advertised.
Patrick AUG 07, 08:52 PM

quote
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock:

Do you think AliExpress is going to search the internet just checking if a guy in the Netherlands might have posted about this problem?



The Chinese have caught on to you sneaky Dutch people!
IMSA GT AUG 07, 10:35 PM
I have a question about this subject. The Hummer radiators have dual cooling tanks for motor oil and trans fluid. They are notorious for failing which will put antifreeze into the trans cooling tank and blow up the transmission. I change my Hummer radiator every 60,000 miles to be safe. Is anyone aware of a situation where an automatic Fiero radiator cooling tank failed internally and destroyed the transmission?

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 08-07-2023).]

Cliff Pennock AUG 08, 05:56 AM
Back on track, the weather is clearing up here so I'm preparing to finish the job. I have three things left to do.

1) Connect lower transmission line
That one is easy. I'll just cut the transmission line at the yellow line, then use a piece of transmission oil grade rubber hose to connect the two




2) Connect upper transmission line
This one is going to be harder and I have a few concerns about this one. I need to connect these two:



I cannot simply use a single rubber hose, since it will pinch:



If the radiator would have the proper fittings, I would be able to use the original piece of transmission line:



So here's my dilemma. I can cut this piece up and only use the bend.



But that means I can't use that piece anymore if I ever choose to go back to a radiator with stock fittings. So I will have to find a piece of metal tubing with a bend of the right size instead. So not sure what to do here yet.

3) Making room for the fan
I think I will trim away a small piece of the bracket:



So any tips before I start? 😊