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Larger radiator for Mazda Bravo B2500

Submitted: Friday, Feb 19, 2010 at 20:38

Member - DW Lennox Head(NSW)

Has anyone had the experience of fitting a bigger radiator core to a Bravo?

In hot weather mine overheats only when towing. Without the trailer there is no problem.

I once spoke with a fellow who used to work for Government Dept. and he told me they fitted a bigger core to their Bravos. Unfortunately I am unable to contact him.

I look forward to any suggestions in relation to fitting a bigger core.

DW
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AnswerID: 404970   Submitted: Friday, Feb 19, 2010 at 21:17

mechpete replied:

if it has a bullbar that will be the cause , I know of another bloke who had the same problem .when he took the bullbar off it was ok .
mechpete
Reply 1 of 7
AnswerID: 404978   Submitted: Friday, Feb 19, 2010 at 22:30

Member - Cookie & Di replied:

I had a Bravo. The origonal Radiator was Double Cored. It was replaced with a single core type & it ran hotter. I finally got a double cored one & it ran cooler again. Also check your Radiator Fan, mine stopped pushing air when running after a while, found the fluid in it buggered up & I could stop it with my hand. Be careful when trying it.
"OUR HOME IS WHERE WE PARK IT"
Reply 2 of 7
AnswerID: 404982   Submitted: Friday, Feb 19, 2010 at 23:16

OzTroopy replied:

Its only a radiator ... any "old school" radiator shop should be able to come up with something for you.

Has it always overheated in hot weather when towing ??? ... and does it occur at round town speeds or highway speeds ???

If its a recent problem ... then do all the usual vehicle overheating checks.

Fan Belt Tension
Collapsing Bottom Hose
Kinked / Squashed Overflow Bottle Tube
Radiator Cap
Thermostat
Fanclutch
Waterpump
Rad Clean / Replacement
Reply 3 of 7
AnswerID: 404998   Submitted: Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 08:39

Member - DW Lennox Head(NSW) replied:

The overheating only occurs towing up steep hills in the hot weather. The same hills in the cool weather are reasonable.
The radiator was replaced and all the other items have been checked. The only thing I get concerned with is the fan clutch but am not sure if it is a worry or not.
As another mentioned maybe the bull bar is restricting airflow especially at low speed under load. Only problem is that if I take it off I then become vulnerable to a hit.
Keep the ideas coming and thank you so far.
Reply 4 of 7
FollowupID: 674709   Submitted: Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 08:56

OzTroopy posted:

Basically, if its overheating at low speed ... then a faulty clutchfan is most likely ... and air flow restriction at low speeds by bull bars etc is negligible as it is the fan providing air flow.

If its happening at highway speeds ... then airflow restriction needs to be considered ... as does the effectiveness of the radiator and other components.

I do suspect that the "new world order" generation of foriegn made vehicles is lacking in suitability for our particular climate conditions - and in your case ... a better radiator may be required as it was with my imported jeep.

Mind you ... a vehicle under load always works harder / gets hotter than when it is not under load ... So I also suspect that having vehicles operating at "peak efficiency" when they leave the showroom floor .... means they have nothing left in reserve for when they are tasked with towing etc.

FanClutches are important .... and certainly dont last the life of the vehicle.

Fan Clutch Info

...... and theres a bit more info in the ... "Training Section" button at the top of that page.

Hope thats of use.
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AnswerID: 405010   Submitted: Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 10:05

snapper49 replied:

had similar problems with my ford replaced the radiator with a full alloy never had a problem again
Pricey though but worth every bit

http://www.pwr.com.au/
Reply 5 of 7
AnswerID: 405254   Submitted: Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 19:24

davmac452 replied:

Had the same problem with the Discovery. Addrad refitted the 8mm cores with 13mm cores to prevent blocking by a scummy buildup. Any good radiator shop can also do this.

The alternative is to dismantle the radiator every 12 months , clean the top and bottom tanks then re-assemble.

The radiator size is no different but the increse core means less hydraulic losses and hence less buildup, basically becomes self-cleaning.

This fix to the radiator has been trouble free for about 6 years now. Rad only gets a flush and reload every 12 months or so.
Reply 6 of 7
AnswerID: 405291   Submitted: Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 22:10

Member - Murray R (VIC) replied:

DW
I've got a Bravo the same as yours and had the same problem when my camper was fitted. I took the radiator out and had the core checked and I found that it was blocked with glycol that had gone off [grey sludge].They cleaned it out with cleaning rod and refit the tanks, this cured the problem. Yes you can get double core radiators for then as I put one in my old 2600 that i had. See any radiator place and they will scource one for you.

Good luck
Murray

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