hello, new here picked up a cat e120b 7NF04809 runs and operates good for my property, im having an issue with the machine overheating. there is no water in the oil, ive replaced the thermostat and the water pump and its deffinately helped, Ive done a radiator flush and cleaner but can tell looking down inside the radiator that the tubes are nearly corroded over. There is no shops around me that will recore a radiator so my next option is to buy new, being a greymarket machine every radiator ive found is coming out of china, and Mottrol usa has them in stock for around $700 shipped to VT, anyone have any positive to say about Mottrol or any other leads to buy a new radiator. machine has 5000 hrs thanks!
Good day Often what gets overlooked will be the fan shroud and air passage through the core, any damage to the metal work can have a real adverse effect on temperature. Kind regards Uffex
The coolant absorbs the heat.......the airflow through the radiator core is what cools it. Have you checked the core for dirt or contaminants obstruction? Fan belt tightness and condition? Fan blade condition?
Also check the foam around the radiator. If it is bad or gone the air will go around instead of through the core.
I believe you are correct in the assumption that you need a new core. All the other things stated here are necessary but if the inside is corroded to the point that you can see the corrosion from the fill tube, none of the rest of the points above will matter. I have not heard of the company you speak of above but it also doesn't appear that you have any other choice. Possibly you can take measurements of what you have and explore if something else can be modified to work. Good Luck!
I had the shroud and fan off when I changed the water pump. Everything is free and clear of contaminants, belts are tight and good shape. Fresh antifreeze but I’m just gonna go ahead and change the radiator. Looks pretty well screwed inside( never seen one as bad as this, looks like crumpled up alum foil on the tubes), I’ll take a pic tomorrow and post it. Thanks for the replies, can anyone give me info on the year of this machine and where I can find a service manual. Not a bad backyard machine if I can correct this issue
Not the best pics
I've had a hard time in the past taking good photos of inside of radiators like that. Most of the time I take them without a flash and then edit the shadows to bring out the solder bloom. You might be able to take that to a radiator shop and have them boil it out in a hot tank. They can then redo the solder on top and bottom. The big issue is how thin the tubes are. Just rodding them out may poke holes in them. All that depends on if there are any good radiator people left to work on them any more.