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In mid 2000 I bought a used 1994 Chevy K2500 pickup. It was in excellent condition. Most of my friends thought it was a new one as it looked like it could have been.
Soon after I bought the truck, the radiator sprung a small leak. The damn plastic side tank on the radiator had cracked. The original radiator seemed to be very thin, one or maybe two cores at best.
I decided to install the biggest and best radiator I could find. My research led me to the Modine Model 2755 radiator. Modine was supposed to be the best! Yah! Ha! What a joke!
The Modine Model 2755 was a large fat 4 core radiator. It looked very impressive. I thought I had cured my cooling problems for as long as I owned this truck. Well as far as the radiator goes anyway. And after all, it came with a lifetime warranty.
That was October 2, 2000 that I installed the first one.
My problems were far from over as it wasn't long before the new Modine radiator started leaking. One of the internal cores sprung a leak. Just my luck! Oh well, I had no choice but to get another one.
So on October 30, 2001 I got the warranty replacement. Just over a year from the original purchase. The first one had sprung the leak in September of 2001 so it never even made it a year. It took me a few weeks to get around to changing it as the leak wasn't bad and I wasn't driving the truck very much anyway.
After installing the second one I figured now it should be alright for a long time to come. What a surprise I had in store for me!
By July of 2002 the damn thing was leaking again!!! and in just about the same spot. So on July 8 2002 I got yet another warranty replacement and installed it. Now though I didn't have a very warm fuzzy feeling that all would be ok.
I am getting very good at changing the damn thing! I can have the new radiator installed, by myself, in under half an hour!
Yea, you should realize what I am about to tell you!!! In May of 2003 the piece of crap Modine, supposed to be top of the line shit, was leaking again, and in the same general spot!!!!!! Now I am MAD!! It's no longer just one of those things that happens. It's proven to be a piss poor piece of crap, be it design or whatever but I have had enough!
I called NAPA and they gave me a 800 number for Modine in Miami. I called and talked to some asshole who I could tell was not interested in talking to me about a radiator problem. When I told him how many times I had a problem he put me on hold and when he came back online he informed me that he checked his computer and it showed that they only had one defect ever for this model radiator. That was a crock of shit since I had personally turned in 2 of them and was in possession of a 3ed one. I could not believe that I was the only person this was happening to. In few words he insinuated I didn't know what I was talking about and to just take it back to where I bought it and get another one. When I insisted that something special needed to be done, like have them investigate the bad one and see why they all start leaking. He never really agreed to this but assured me that he would do some checking and get back to me and hung up. Yea, the asshole never even asked for my name or phone number and I am supposed to believe he will get right back to me.
I decided I had had enough of good quality Modine crap. Fortunately I had kept my original radiator from way back in 2000 when this experience all started. I got it out of storage and took it to a radiator shop, and for $95.00 had it repaired. I kept the crappy Modine radiator in the garage for quite awhile as I just didn't feel like messing with it.
Just the other day, Feb 27, 2004 I had NAPA replace it for the last time. I know they will never have to replace it for me again as I never plan to install it. When I picked up the new piece of crap I had the bad exchange in the original box that the first one came in. This means I now have a very expensive piece of shit, new in the box, unopened, factory fresh, and guaranteed to leak, for sale.
So, before you consider a Modine, I would recommend getting your original repaired. If you can't wait because the vehicle is your only transportation then I recommend you go to one of the big chain parts houses and buy whatever cheap brand you can get your hands on. I am convinced that it will be a much better radiator than any Modine crap.
I hope that this story being posted on the internet will save someone from making a decision to purchase a Modine radiator and then having the same problems I had.
If you still think you want a Modine radiator and you have a 94 Chevy pickup or equivalent, I have a brand new radiator, in the box, never opened I would be glad to sell.
I received an email from someone to chicken shit to leave a real name. I only know him as BJSLEXUS, whatever that is supposed to mean. Anyway, he thinks I shouldn't be slamming a good company. He is in the radiator business for 30 years and he says the problem is "electrolysis".
I should have mentioned in my story that when I took the original radiator into the radiator shop to be re-tanked and explained to the shop owner about by poor luck with Modine, we discussed the possibility of electrolysis being the cause. But since it didn't take very long for each Modine radiator to leak and each one leaked in the exact same spot I wouldn't buy the electrolysis theory and had him fix the old radiator.
It is now April 2005 and the old radiator is still going strong.
So much for the electrolysis crap!! As far as my slamming a good company????? duhhhhh of course I am!!! But it is all a true experience that can be backed up with receipts from NAPA, and I gave Modine a chance to make it right when I went to the trouble to call them for help!!
It is now Oct 06 and the old radiator is still in use.
So much for bjslexus electrolysis theory
Surprisingly, the new Modine, still in the unopened box, has not started to leak yet.
Received the following. Mr Schlater may be having electrolysis problems but my reparied OEM raditor is still going strong with no leaks. If electrolysis was the problem with the modines I went thru then why is it not a problem for the OEM radiator? Remember, I changed the OEM out because of a cracked plastic side tank.
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MessageType: Suggestion
Subject: Radiator Issue
Username: John Schlater
UserEmail: was provided but I will not display it
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Remote Name: 24.209.123.46
Remote User:
HTTP User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR
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Date: 19 Apr 2007
Time: 11:11:45
Comments:
Hey man...I just read your article too. I am currently going throughj the same
problems with my radiators...not Modine...but I AM suffering from electrolisys
with my 1993 Caprice. I have gone through at least 5 radiators. One actually
held as long as 2 years...but eventually it too failed...and they all started to
leak in the same spot...the lower pass. side. Your story seems very much like
mine. I hope you do not have to deal with what I have to deal with it sucks. It
is nearly impossible to find.
Sincerely,
John Schlater II
Kneohsa, WI
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The rebuilt OEM radiator is still going strong. Hey BJSLEXUS, it sure taking that electrolysis a long time to affect it!! This is why I am convinced that it was not an electrolysis issue with the Modine radiators but just piss poor workmanship or materials or a combination of both!!
btw, I still have a Modine Radiator Model 2755, brand new in the box, never opened, for sale.