The wife's truck sprang another coolant leak, this time it's from the radiator. The radiator in there is about an inch thick. It's got A/C and a 5.0 engine.

Autozone's site lists the radiator that is used with A/C as a heavier duty model about twice as thick as the one the vehicle has. One of two things is going on here. Either one, Autozone is trying to upsell me a radiator that I don't need, or two, someone replaced the stock radiator with one that's too small. I think it's the first one since the vehicle refuses to overheat even on Oklahoma summer days that exceed 104 degrees.

I wonder ... if I did purchase the bigger radiator, will it fit? Who here has tried it? If possible, I think I wanna stick with one that's the same size as what it has, though.

She drives a 1991 F-150 Lariat, BTW.

 

I have the same problem. Only im an 89'. Everytime i see a truck like mine it has a bigger raditor. it should fit as long as you dont have a huge fan shroud. Here in arizona its a must have, because i cant afford it i just dont drive around during the day in summer.

 

Better to have & not need, than need and not have. Whatever you decide, Flush the engine before installing the new radiator & run distilled water w/ antifreeze in it.

 

You may want to verify that your Fan Shroud from the thinner rad will work on the thicker one. I believe the thick rad takes a shorter shroud.

 

The fan shroud opening is larger than the diameter of the fan anyway. The trans cooler runs through it right? The larger capacity might just save your *ss some day depending on the circumstances. The smaller capacity couldn't if it wanted to. It's just not the place to cut corners. Personally, I have an aversion to warped heads, blown head gaskets and such. And it's undisputable that anything over normal operating temp for a transmission, reduces it's lifespan. By their own admission Ford knows their tranny's lack long term reliability (the weakest warranty of all U.S. made trucks at 60K/ only 60% of what GM offers, Dodge provides limited lifetime) You want to push that envelope? If Ford only backs it for 60K, it must be a pretty thin envelope!

 

I have a 87 4x4 with the 5.0 and my radiator is about 1" thick. I know mine was replaced by the previous owner but mine never has heating issues.

 

The difference is not in the fan opening but in the distance from the rad to the fan opening. The thicker rad requires a shorter shroud.

 

My 93 f150 5.0 w/ AC has the big one with two rows.

 

Check out the Advance Auto site, they have one for around $130.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...ype%3ARadiator

Of course, it is the heavy duty model that lists for $159.

 

The bigger radiator will fit, the thickness of the tanks are still the same so the shroud is designed to bolt to either. If you can afford it then get it, upgrades are always good.