Well, was fixing a crank position sensor o-ring and oil pan gasket. Upon putting car in front end service mode I found a small crack in the plastic end tank of the radiator.

Weird, because I hadn't been losing any coolant and the car wasn't overheating.
Hooked up the hoses and mocked the radiator support on the car. Ran a pressure test.
Smallest leak you could ever imagine.

WELL. Im not going back to stock.

Do some shopping on all aluminum units.
Mishimoto-- mixed reviews.
EBay--mixed reviews.

Well, seeing as this car is slowly turning in to an EBay car anyway (headers) figured why not try the radiator!!

Ordered this bad boy from DNAmotoring and I have to say, I'm surprised at the quality!!!



I capped the outlet and hooked the pressure tester to the inlet and it is not losing pressure (20 minutes)
Of course that is no real world test, but I wanted to make sure it's at least welded shut lol.

Stay tuned because I am finishing the oil pan and fitting this bargain radiator this evening. Will report back.

 

Please describe in detail how you pressure-tested your cooling system.

 

Pressure testing on the car was simple. You just use the correct adapter for the pressure tester and test from the reservoir.
It's a hand pump device with a PSI gauge. Almost like a bicycle pump. Hook it up, pump it up, let it sit for a little bit and make sure pressure doesn't drop.

 

How much was that radiator? I just installed a CSF and it was not that much more than stock so I am wondering if the gamble was worth it.

 

$126 shipped. Fits perfect. There's no lower support for condenser though. The little c shaped holder. I improvised. Zip ties did the trick. There are no leaks and when the fan kicked on high speed it cooled down FAST. The fan was only on for maybe 15 seconds?????










Don't mind my broken radiator support if you see it, pulling that front end off solo made me drop it.... Little epoxy goes a long way

Time will tell if it holds up but all is well now. Hopefully someone gets some help from this thread. Decent radiator at a GREAT price.

Now I can hit the track this weekend and really put it to the test

 

Yeah, I don't even have a blown radiator and the first thing I did was order an all aluminum radiator, because it is a known fact that those crappy plastic tanks always fail and at the worst time!
Congrats to you!
I bought mine from Amazon and paid about the same, but with free shipping.

 

There are some troubling reviews about DNAMotoring.

 

Yes I have seen. But there are also a lot of good reviews as well. This was my first transaction with the company through eBay. And it went smooth. Shipping was very fast (2 days!!). I did message them about some details on it and was responded to very quickly with detailed pictures of the radiator.

I would say I'm pleased with the way they run things, but that's just my opinion based on the service I've received thus far.

 

Noticed you're new to the mini world and congrats! If you ever have questions or stumped working on the car, send me a PM! I'm more than happy to help in lending knowledge