Review on Efficient Cooling: Spectra Complete Radiator CU1290 for Optimal Engine Performance by Billy Berry

My old radiator cracked just below the filler neck and I replaced it with this one. The fit is good, the installation went well, there are no leaks at the core. Then I had problems: fluid was leaking from under the radiator cap, the hose to the interior heater radiator came loose, the heater return hose leaked, the top hose burst, and even with no such obvious problems, I'd have to install discs every few times. Somehow I suspect the liquid may have seeped onto the hot engine somewhere, so the evidence has literally evaporated. I have never found liquids on the floor under the car, except in cases of disaster. Eventually I noticed that the overflow pipe was a blind hole. The liquid could not get into the expansion tank. All in all, the problem was that the system was over pressurized. I attempted to drill out the spout by hand as I couldn't mount my drill with the heatsink installed and ended up drilling too far through the bottom cap gasket seating surface. (I twisted the drill with pliers, pushed with my hand, and was so focused on the process that I didn't realize how far I'd gone.) Of course the way was open now, but it had always been open. So the system can't build up pressure, which you don't want either. I then used a gas tank patch to freshen up the seat just to make sure the coolant loss issue was fixed, which it did. I'm considering buying this again. Despite the problem with the overflow spout I know it is in the right place and other than that the product seems good. Even if the next one has the same problem with a blind overflow, this time I could drill it more carefully than I would have done before installing it and have more control. I would feel even better if the seller told us we had to do this. Comparing prices and other things being equal, I could save $15 on the closest competitor if the only difference was that I had to drill that hole. Regardless, I wanted to leave this review if I can get a response from the seller to validate and share my experience with other buyers. I noticed that another reviewer specifically mentioned this issue, but I'm wondering if others reporting header leaks might be having the same issue. Do you top up fluid regularly? Do you smell coolant? Do you feel your system is under pressure?