Radiator for 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max?

[BJH324JH]

liland global 188aa is a radiator that fits a 1988 mighty max. Although, I can't find it anywhere for sale. Does anyone know of alternatives? I need a radiator asap. Mimes is shot. A universal one would be great. Preferably one that isn't plastic.

[BJH324JH]

Osc- 700
osc-188

These might fit?

[FMS88]

Of the two, the OSC-188 is what you want. Be sure it's all aluminum. Some sites list plastic tanks or don't specify. So give them a call if not clearly stated. Also, look at aluminum radiators for the Starion. Hose, core and overall sizes are the same. The mounting brackets are short so a little fabrication may be needed. Here's an example:

https://www.b1speed.com/1161_Radiator_For_Mitsubishi_Starion_Chrysler_Dodg e_Plymouth_Conquest.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9rqDpqS K9QIVwhmtBh11dwABEAQYASABEgKa1_D_BwE

[BJH324JH]

Of the two, the OSC-188 is what you want. Be sure it's all aluminum. Some sites list plastic tanks or don't specify. So give them a call if not clearly stated. Also, look at aluminum radiators for the Starion. Hose, core and overall sizes are the same. The mounting brackets are short so a little fabrication may be needed. Here's an example:

https://www.b1speed.com/1161_Radiator_For_Mitsubishi_Starion_Chrysler_Dodg e_Plymouth_Conquest.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9rqDpqS K9QIVwhmtBh11dwABEAQYASABEgKa1_D_BwE

spectra premium cu188 is another I think that would work. No one has a radiator in stock

[FMS88]

This site states the the CU188 is available, but I'd call to confirm and to ascertain how legitimate they seem. "Partlimit" seems like an odd name to me.
https://partlimit.com/products/spectra-premium-cu188-complete-radiator-for-dodge-d50-ram

Also, if there's a radiator shop near you, consider having your old one repaired.

[BJH324JH]

This site states the the CU188 is available, but I'd call to confirm and to ascertain how legitimate they seem. "Partlimit" seems like an odd name to me.
https://partlimit.com/products/spectra-premium-cu188-complete-radiator-for-dodge-d50-ram

Also, if there's a radiator shop near you, consider having your old one repaired.

My radiator is too far gone unfortunately for a rebuild. I ended up finding that website too and ordered one. I hope they didn't scam me. I payed with PayPal, so I think I'm protected. I'll give an update soon.

[geezer101]

I just looked up Partlimit - overall reviews aren't pretty. Website owner is also keeping their identity hidden which isn't a great indicator. There isn't a lot of info on Partlimit even though it has been registered and operational for a while. Not good :shakehead:

[BJH324JH]

I just looked up Partlimit - overall reviews aren't pretty. Website owner is also keeping their identity hidden which isn't a great indicator. There isn't a lot of info on Partlimit even though it has been registered and operational for a while. Not good :shakehead:

They just refunded my money because it wasn't in stock like the website said. Great, now I have to keep looking for a radiator.

[BJH324JH]

Found this: https://www.autopartskart.com/mitsubishi-mightymax-1988/radiator.html

[FMS88]

Glad to see PartLimit was legit enough to refund your payment. Try looking for the Spectra Premium CU758. On this site it looks like the CU188 and the cross-reference P/Ns include that of the '88 MM with the G54b.
https://www.autoanything.com/coolers/77A11816A4372509.aspx?kc=GOOGADW&DZID=PLA_g_1776971454_68269781039_11816-4372509_c&utm_source=g&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1776971454&utm_content=68269781039&utm_product=11816-4372509&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI28LM4vKO9QIVtBrnCh19nACZEAQYDiAB EgJYqvD_BwE
Autoanything may be as flaky as PartLimit, but there might be other reputable sites that have the CU758.

Although I don't like promoting O'Reilly's due to past negative experiences, I found this on their website:
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/murray-heat-transfer/engine-cooling/radiator/radiator/02ac48565f9e/murray-heat-transfer-radiator/rht0/433188/v/a/2013/automotive-truck-1989-dodge-ram-50?pos=2
Doesn't indicate availability and I've never heard of Murray Radiators. Reviews look underwhelming.

If new radiators aren't available, any used ones at a local wrecking yard that you can pull and have a radiator shop test for flow and leaks? If it failed you could at least return it to the yard as defective.

[BJH324JH]

Glad to see PartLimit was legit enough to refund your payment. Try looking for the Spectra Premium CU758. On this site it looks like the CU188 and the cross-reference P/Ns include that of the '88 MM with the G54b.
https://www.autoanything.com/coolers/77A11816A4372509.aspx?kc=GOOGADW&DZID=PLA_g_1776971454_68269781039_11816-4372509_c&utm_source=g&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1776971454&utm_content=68269781039&utm_product=11816-4372509&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI28LM4vKO9QIVtBrnCh19nACZEAQYDiAB EgJYqvD_BwE
Autoanything may be as flaky as PartLimit, but there might be other reputable sites that have the CU758.

Although I don't like promoting O'Reilly's due to past negative experiences, I found this on their website:
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/murray-heat-transfer/engine-cooling/radiator/radiator/02ac48565f9e/murray-heat-transfer-radiator/rht0/433188/v/a/2013/automotive-truck-1989-dodge-ram-50?pos=2
Doesn't indicate availability and I've never heard of Murray Radiators. Reviews look underwhelming.

If new radiators aren't available, any used ones at a local wrecking yard that you can pull and have a radiator shop test for flow and leaks? If it failed you could at least return it to the yard as defective.

Thanks a bunch for your help guys. I ended up going for the oreily one. They have a lifetime guarantee. Well, I hope they have them in stock for a lifetime. I ended up getting rusted ones shipped to me. The rusty ones kept coming from China and were dinged up. The very last one I received was made in Jordan. The one from Jordan was painted very well and had no visible rust on it. My advise would be, if you were to buy the radiator from O'Reilly, ask for the ones made in Jordan. They know how to make good radiators. I also like that they used flat black paint instead of glossy black paint like the ones on the Chinese made radiators. Oddly enough, the radiator made in Jordan came with a label on the box that said made in China. Btw, the Spectra company makes these radiators for oreily and Oreily just labels them as "Murray radiators".

[BJH324JH]

Does anyone happen to know if the pipe plug under the exhaust is a bleeder screw for the coolant system?

[SubGothius]

Technically a "bleeder screw" would be at the highest point in a cooling system if that isn't the rad cap or coolant bottle, to bleed out air that could get trapped there.

That said, there is a coolant drain plug screwed into the side of the block, if that's what you meant. For the 4G54 it's below and aft of the exhaust manifold, not sure about other engine types. Mine seemed to be seized, wouldn't budge no matter what I did, so I just left well enough alone and drained via the radiator. Also discovered my rad drain has a hose fitting (5/16" ID just like fuel hoses, IIRC?), so was able to attach a hose for tidy drainage rather than having coolant slop all over the place.

[BJH324JH]

Technically a "bleeder screw" would be at the highest point in a cooling system if that isn't the rad cap or coolant bottle, to bleed out air that could get trapped there.

That said, there is a coolant drain plug screwed into the side of the block, if that's what you meant. For the 4G54 it's below and aft of the exhaust manifold, not sure about other engine types. Mine seemed to be seized, wouldn't budge no matter what I did, so I just left well enough alone and drained via the radiator. Also discovered my rad drain has a hose fitting (5/16" ID just like fuel hoses, IIRC?), so was able to attach a hose for tidy drainage rather than having coolant slop all over the place.

I ended up making a radiator bleeder from stuff I gathered around the hardware store. Worked surprisingly well. I get hot air on idle now. Having air in the system definitely affects the heater. Before using my homemade bleeder I had cold air blowing out the vent with all settings on hot and engine fully warmed up. I wondered why it wasn't blowing hot air. So I did some research and came to the conclusion that there was air in the coolant system. Watched a couple videos on how to bleed the coolant system of air and everyone seemed to use that big funnel that attaches to the radiator feeler neck. I didn't want to wait to get one in the mail, so I just made my own version:
27087

I could have attached the pinesol bottle directly to the rubber stopper, but it's cool to see bubbles come up the hose and I heard the higher the container, the better the air escapes the coolant system. I don't know if that's true? May someone please help me understand the concept of how air escapes a coolant system?

[SubGothius]

I gather if the radiator cap or coolant recovery bottle are the highest point in the cooling system, any air in the system eventually migrates and collects there and doesn't need to be bled, so it's only when some other part of the cooling system is the highest point, such as the head, that you need some way to bleed air from that point. Since our trucks have the rad cap as the highest point, they don't need air bled out.

P.S. I noticed in your photo the ground wire from the firewall to the head is disconnected, in case you weren't aware. You'll wanna reconnect or replace that. A generic braided ground strap from an auto parts chain store worked fine for me, albeit a bit long, so I attached it to an intake manifold stud instead of an exhaust stud, which was easier to unscrew and took up much of the extra slack.

[BJH324JH]

I gather if the radiator cap or coolant recovery bottle are the highest point in the cooling system, any air in the system eventually migrates and collects there and doesn't need to be bled, so it's only when some other part of the cooling system is the highest point, such as the head, that you need some way to bleed air from that point. Since our trucks have the rad cap as the highest point, they don't need air bled out.

P.S. I noticed in your photo the ground wire from the firewall to the head is disconnected, in case you weren't aware. You'll wanna reconnect or replace that. A generic braided ground strap from an auto parts chain store worked fine for me, albeit a bit long, so I attached it to an intake manifold stud instead of an exhaust stud, which was easier to unscrew and took up much of the extra slack.

Thanks for letting me know about the ground strap. Do you know what that does? I didn't think much of it so I left it disconnected. Didn't look like it powered anything.

[geezer101]

Missing or bad grounds can cause a lot of random electrical faults like struggling starter motor cranking, blowing fuses or intermittent light and wiper faults etc. It can also do some really weird and unpredictable stuff like trigger electrolysis in the cooling system (it can turn the coolant acidic and cause it to eat out a copper core radiator and heater core + corrode alloy in the head and intake manifold)

[SubGothius]

That particular ground is also the primary ground for the spark plugs via the head, so can lead to weak/sporadic spark if left disconnected.

[FMS88]

Here's a good explanation and illustration of electrolysis, and its effects on aluminum engine components. (You can ignore the pitch for the anode radiator cap if the system is well maintained and the grounds are in good shape.)
https://theprowlerstore.com/Explanation_of_electrolysis.htm

[geezer101]

^good explanation of electrolysis from FSM888. A member on another forum had a situation where his coolant had turned a yellow colour and had some kind of sediment/silt suspended in it. The radiator wasn't grounded to the frame due to heavy paint but it had a ground strap to a bolt mounting it...

[BJH324JH]

Thanks guys. I'll hook it up to the exhaust manifold stud. That's the closest it seems to reach. Here is a picture of how I did it:
27089

[BJH324JH]

UPDATE: Saturday, October 29, 2022. 2:22 P.M.

My radiator that was made in Jordan unfortunately failed. It had a very small sewing needle leak at the braze weld. Fortunately, O'reily has a lifetime warranty on my radiator. So, I removed the new leaking radiator out of my truck and took it to O'reily to have it replaced under warranty. To my surprise, instead of receiving an ordinary brass metal radiator. I ended up getting a fully made Aluminum radiator! The Oreily's employee was hesitant about giving me the new one. He had to quadruple check the model number on the box to see if it was really the one. Finally, after checking the box back and forth several times, he had no choice but to give me my new aluminum radiator. Yup, I was happy! :)) I guess O'reily upgraded the radiator. Oddly enough, the Oreily website description lists the radiator as being made of aluminum, but the pictures show a brass copper radiator. I guess they didn't bother to update the pictures. Anyways, this new radiator has very nice welds. This thing was so light as compared to the other one and my truck has been running nice and cool. Heater works really well too! Hmmm, I theorize I might have been the reason why parts stores have our radiators back in stock again. I was contacting a multitude of radiator shops, auto parts stores, left and right for a new radiator for my Mitsubishi Mighty Max, 1988. Out of curiosity, I decided to see if these radiators were back in stock and to my surprise they are! They must have listened to my cries of desperation for a new radiator! All these websites I'll list didn't have them in stock, except for O'reily, when I was looking for one a couple months ago. Get them while they are in stock even if you don't need one right now. These are hard to come by once they are gone! Trust me.

Murray Heat Transfer Radiator 41-188 | O'Reilly Auto Parts (oreillyauto.com) (https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/murray-heat-transfer/engine-cooling/radiator/radiator/02ac48565f9e/murray-heat-transfer-radiator/rht0/433188/v/a/7066/automotive-truck-1988-mitsubishi-mighty-max?q=radiator&pos=0)
Radiator 1988 Mitsubishi Mighty Max - 2.6 Liter L4 156Cid Radiator Aluminum With Outlet On Passenger Side Only | Radiator Express (https://www.radiatorexpress.com/product/radiator/mitsubishi/1988/mighty%20max/base/26l-l4/230677/1206683#tabs)
Liland Global® 188AA - Engine Coolant Radiator (carid.com) (https://www.carid.com/liland-global/engine-coolant-radiator-mpn-188aa.html?singleid=968186148&url=17699698)
Duralast Radiator A188 (autozone.com) (https://www.autozone.com/cooling-heating-and-climate-control/radiator/p/duralast-radiator-a188/22669_0_0)
More Information for LILAND GLOBAL 188AA (rockauto.com) (https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=10331588&cc=1206683&pt=2172&jsn=363&jsn=363)

[xboxrox]

More Radiator Info:
GEN 1 MONTERO RADIATOR UPGRADE FOR 4WD MIGHTY MAX / RAM 50
https://youtu.be/zrermn0Lwkc

GRIFFEN MADE IN USA ($$$) STARION RADIATOR
https://www.griffinrad.com/inc_results_ymm.php?year=1986&make=mitsubishi&model=Starion

[BJH324JH]

Awesome! Thanks for the information.

[FMS88]

One thing worth noting, except for the Liland 188A, all the radiators listed in the previous several posts have single row cores that are only 5/8" thick. The Liland core is twice as thick and has two rows so it has more cooling surface area and a greater capacity.

[BJH324JH]

One thing worth noting, except for the Liland 188A, all the radiators listed in the previous several posts have single row cores that are only 5/8" thick. The Liland core is twice as thick and has two rows so it has more cooling surface area and a greater capacity.

It's cooler than the rest. :grin:

[xboxrox]

COOL the 4x4 is two row as well

[FMS88]

COOL the 4x4 is two row as well

…if it’s an ‘86 or older. For some reason Mitsubishi started pairing the 2.6L engine with a single row radiator in ‘87.

[SubGothius]

For some reason Mitsubishi started pairing the 2.6L engine with a single row radiator in ‘87.

Prolly because the new 2nd-gen body had less room between the engine and the front clip, so not enough clearance for a dual-row rad.

[dash]

used to see the Spectre radiator for these trucks all over the place.... seem to have vanished
perfect size ~16" H x 19.75" W & 1-5/8" thick.... under $100 too!
Ran on moded starion 2.6, hopped up turbo diesel and hot 4g63/4 dohc... all street trucks
https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/img/produits/CU700_FRO_P04.jpg

[dash]

https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/img/produits/CU700_FRO_P04.jpg

[FMS88]

Prolly because the new 2nd-gen body had less room between the engine and the front clip, so not enough clearance for a dual-row rad.

Hmmmm... I now have the Liland 188 and before that an '86 2-row until I broadsided a deer. Both fit perfectly with no clearance issues.

[xboxrox]

Aluminum & plastic don't last as long as an original Mitsu brass 'n copper radiator & can't easily be rebuilt ~ I used a DIY car wash pressure wand to bend several fins like a dummy but the truck keeps cool still, looks to be an original radiator probably... I'm too lazy to phone 'n verify stock BUT one of the various links in this thread supposedly has the right stock 2 row brass copper 4X4 radiators ~ according to that YouTube video a gen 1 Montero radiator fits MM & Ram50 with minimal tweaking ?!?

[SubGothius]

Aluminum & plastic don't last as long as an original Mitsu brass 'n copper radiator & can't easily be rebuilt

Brass and copper also cool more effectively than aluminum. Main reasons ppl switch to aluminum are weight (for racing duty), cost and availability, if OEM rads are NLA or scarce enough to command a premium price.

[dash]

if plastic/alum can't cool any street performance rig "efficiently".... you have other issues
and how long do we need a radiator to last ? Work fine in millions of passenger vehicles

[SubGothius]

Never said plastic/aluminum wasn't effective, just countering the common misconception that aluminum is somehow better or an upgrade from brass/copper OEM rads.

[xboxrox]

I noticed here in salty Hawaii that the window air conditioner condenser aluminum fins on the copper tube coils corrode rather quickly ~ they eaten by that exfoliation process which turns the fins into a white powder then they just fall off ~ the fins on my truck's radiator where the paint is washed off turned a purple reddish color but the fins stay intact... The aluminum is great for weight savings and cost ~ without looking I imagine aluminum & copper cool pretty much the same FOR A TRUCK as in close enuff for govt work LOL

[geezer101]

Aluminium and plastic are all about cost saving and weight reduction. Alloy is adequate for heat transfer but is near impossible to repair in the event it fails (and it will almost always fail where the cooling tubes are sealed to an end tank) The thing that bugs me about these type of radiator is the plastic tanks cracking. They are nowhere near as resilient to critical heat cycles if there is a leak somewhere else in the system and coolant levels drop. It's like it sends it on a death march once something goes wrong.