Hi Everyone,

I couldn't find anyone relatively local to recore my oem radiator at any kind of reasonable price, so I ordered a new aluminum one off FleaBay.

It's a nice looking unit, but it has different threads for the banjo bolt and the height of the radiator where the banjo bolt goes is higher than the oem radiator. The supplier includes two new aluminum banjo bolts with the radiator.

However, the threaded portion fits through the air bleed piping/banjo bolt hole, but the non-threaded shoulder does NOT fit through. Attached is a picture of the banjo bolt and how much higher the hole on the radiator sits, a picture of how the bolt sits in the air bleed porthole, and the air bleed fitting interior.

If I can find the proper sized spacer and copper washers, could I drill the air bleed fitting open enough to accommodate the larger banjo bolt without wrecking the fitting or defeating it's purpose?

Please help, thanks guys.

 

Try a local auto parts store or online for a different sized banjo fitting. Take some measurements and go searching.
I would think drilling it out would be last resort.

 

I would trial fit the entire setup just to ensure your only problem is the banjo. If that turns out to be the only change needed and judging by your pics l would carefully open it the whisker needed.

 

Hi I was thinking of buying one of these for my XJS

Is it one of those £160 ones on ebay?

Please could you post some pics of your new Rad if possible, with maybe some more details: Make/Quality/ general impressions etc.

As a re-core is about £360 and a new Rad over £500 many owners like myself would certainly appreciate your help.

Just wondering if you could use the Original Brass Banjo, or shave a fraction off the Alloy one?

 

Be very careful about the extra radiator height. There is not much clearance between the top of the banjo bolt and the bonnet (hood) when the bonnet is fully closed. It would be a good idea to install the rad, put the banjo in screwed into the correct height as if the banjo cross pipe was there, and check if it fouls the bonnet. A touch of grease on the banjo head and see if it comes off on the hood when closed works for me.

Also check if that banjo bolt is long enough, there is a thick spacer to go under the banjo pipe round piece, or you cannot do up the banjo bolt because the thin pipe across the top panel pipe fouls the rad top panel. It looks too short to me.
Greg

 

I would file the bolt down to go in the fitting. This ensures you do not take too much off the fitting to make it less functional.

The height looks lower to me. I'm not quite getting that part about the radiator sitting higher? I would think it being up a tad more high would make things easier. Adding washers will take away from your thread and possibly cause it to strip. I would put washer below to move the radiator up even higher... Or cut the hole out bigger so you can bend the plumbing a bit to get it to sit down flush. How did the old one work? Was there a large spacer? A longer bolt?

What radiator did you buy? Could you give us a link? I am in need of the same thing. Im looking at this: Radiator Flex A Lite 56000R | eBay

 

Where are the 'Tranny' Oil Pipes on that?

 

See if you can send it back , get your money back & go from their. You shouldn't have to "make a new unit fit" or make any mods .
Lawrence

 

The order of the banjo fittings, bottom to top is:
radiator
copper washer
thick spacer
copper washer
banjo pipe
copper washer
banjo bolt through the lot


If the rad is taller, the cross rad panel will be higher and the spacer will still be needed to clear it, hence the bonnet clearance problem could happen. See 6, 7, 8 on the diagram below:

Greg

 

Just looking, reading, thinking, scary process that last one.

Maybe that boss in the top of the radiator tank is taller, so as to do away with the Jaguar spacer, AND, to give more threads to bite into being as how it is alumiuim, in lieu of the brass of the original set up.

Place that pipe arrangment where it is supposed to go, hold it by hand, and look at the cross pipes, and see if they are "just clearing" the top support panel. If so, then what I said above is more than likely fact, and that steel spacer and 1 copper washer is not required.

As for the bolt not fitting the banjo, Chinese to English, not so good.

Do some measurements, it is possible only a few thousands of an inch are stopping it, so VERY CAREFULLY file the banjo fitting to allow the fitment. I would use a fine file, like a chainsaw sharpening file, and take all the time in the world.

I WOULD NOT DRILL IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

My memory is a bit foggy so I might be complicating things needlessly, but.....

In past years hasn't there been discussion regarding the thickness of the copper washers....which is critical in making sure the holes in the bolt align with the holes in the 'banjo' ?

If that's true then I'd wonder of the radiator builder took all that into consideration in selecting the bolt?

Cheers
DD

 

Never saw one, but, I do have a couple of ideas and a comment to offer:


1. Radiator shops have it tough as to environment issues in CA. Result is gone or high pricing!! A local family owned business was "run out". She shut it down....


2. Call the seller with the dilemna. EBay encourages this. Now that their "odd" CEO has been "kicked upstairs".


3. Make a bolt. A tad longer. Drill through the shank. Drill press plus a guide. A nut in a vise would do just fine. Did that to safety wire some bolts on a past project.


4. A well stocked hardware just might have banjo bolts of differing lengths in that size as to shank and thread...


Carl

 

Radiator shops use some extremely vile chemicals.

I was a California guy until 1994 and I remember how regulation was creeping in. And with good reason, believe me. I'm ashamed to mention some of the things the auto repair industry did before they started keeping an eye on us....from both enviro and safety perspectives.

California, however, seems to have a penchant for taking a good idea and going too far with it.

That's about as far as I'm willing to go with the political-enviro conversation at this point. I'd like a peaceful Sunday. I may have gone too far already!


Cheers
DD

 

Here is the unit:

Pro 3 Rows Aluminum Radiator Fits for Jaguar XJS V12 Up to 87 Model | eBay

In order to make it work, I was going to have to modify the transmission cooler lines because it's designed to fit an '87 or earlier. Before I did anything that couldn't be undone, I was checking the fit of all the other bits when I discovered the banjo bolt issue.

The radiator itself isn't taller, the point where the banjo bolt goes in is raised enough to require a much smaller spacer. Or perhaps no spacer if I increase the size of the cut out on radiator cover to accommodate the banjo fitting.

Not really sure what to do.

 

Offer it up and see what the extra height requirement is, if any. If the banjo sits below the radtop panel, a thinner spacer is better than a bigger hole in the panel, say I, if for no other reason that a bigger hole is un-reversable if you ever wanted or needed to, and the thin pipe across the panel will not sit properly if the banjo is below the panel. That pipe does not take kindly to being bent.
Greg

 

Apart from the Price, Spot the difference!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-ROW-56MM...item235502dfff

How do you rate the Build Quality?

Is it all 'Tig Welded' or has the Core been glued in with Epoxy.

 

It's TIG welded and identical to the photos. I assume it is a Chinese manufacturer.

 

Add in shipping cost and they cost about the same. I didnt realize you could modify these to get them to work with an older xjs. I will look into it. There is a large price jump to the later model radiator. Not sure why the massive difference. If 10 people need a radiator here we can get them for about $100 each from China. shipping is not that bad. Prob around $30 or less, using a community like container.

 

If I was going to modify any of the parts you have, I'd make it the bolt - reducing the shank of that bolt won't change the functionality of anything, where reducing the id of the banjo fitting could cause the inside groove to not flow enough, depending on how much material was removed, and the bolt should be easier to do. That pipe assembly with the banjo would probably be a lot harder to replace too. Before modifying *anything*, I'd advise confirming that everything will fit/line up after you modify it, especially that the hole in the bolt will line up with the groove in the banjo fitting. I don't know if you'll need the copper washers if the fitting is held to an aluminum base by an aluminum bolt, but if you do use them that will change how things line up too.

Edit: Like several others said, that bolt does appear very short, doubtful it would work with the copper washers. And I'd agree not to modify the top sheet metal piece to accommodate the pipe, doesn't look like it would work without making a really large hole to not interfere with the pipe.

 

Looking at this radiator, if the photo in the ad is accurate, it only has an inlet on the upper right, and looks like a fill cap on the top of the tank. I put in an aftermarket radiator with only the single inlet, and it was a LOT more work than I thought it would be to plumb the two hoses into one inlet. I made a "tee" adaptor and a pipe to go from the left bank to the tee, granted my skills are not that sharp but it took a looong time to get it all together, ymmv. Now that it's together it's working fine though. That problem may not apply if you don't have a v12, but the cap on top of the tank I think would cause a lot of trouble with mounting.

Another thing to consider, and I can't tell from the ad, is if it has the fittings for the air bleed system on the top tank. When I was radiator shopping I was told, maybe by Johns Cars?, that some radiators intended for v8 swaps aren't set up for the air bleed, as those engines don't really need it.

I ran into quite a few other snags to get the whole thing working, they might not apply to every aftermarket radiator though so I won't spell out the whole list here.

If I did it again, I'd get my stock unit recored, in my case it would have been a lot faster, cost probably comparable if not even cheaper, but we do still have a few radiator shops here in town, not having that might change your equation.