Nissan Altima Performance Cooling

All things Altima Coupe.
WavnesWorld
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2022 9:49 pm
Car: 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe

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Story Time:
I’ve been trying to put performance parts into my 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe. So far I haven’t done anything too wild, only rebuilt my suspension w/ coil overs, new set of wider wheels, and some body work, but a problem I’m always running into is how the plastic portions of my radiator keep cracking.

Question:
Unfortunately for me, nobody makes the full aluminum performance radiators that just fits in the stock radiator housing, and I was thinking of taking this one of two ways. Either A) I rebuy a OEM radiator, and take off the plastic side bodies, and weld my own aluminum reservoir, or B) buy a performance radiator for a 350z and figure out how I can mount it. Only issues I run into for both, is that I don’t know how to weld, and don’t know how hard the first option would be, and for the second option, the compressor mounts onto the radiator, so I would also need to figure out how I can mount the compressor onto this radiator for a different vehicle, so I can have working ac.

or if anyone just knows where I can find a full aluminum radiator that’ll fit my 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe, then s*** that would just make it a lot easier lol.


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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8291
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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You can't weld aluminum by normal means, it either needs to be etched and brazed or TIG welded. But frankly, plastic tanks are usually good for 10 years and more before they embrittle, so if you're constantly cracking them then there's some problem in your radiator supports or hose routing that's putting stress on the tanks. If that's the case, you're likely to split an aluminum tank too.

WavnesWorld
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2022 9:49 pm
Car: 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe

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VStar650CL wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:45 am
You can't weld aluminum by normal means, it either needs to be etched and brazed or TIG welded. But frankly, plastic tanks are usually good for 10 years and more before they embrittle, so if you're constantly cracking them then there's some problem in your radiator supports or hose routing that's putting stress on the tanks. If that's the case, you're likely to split an aluminum tank too.
I believe it’s because it’s getting super hot to the point where the heat makes the plastic brittle, since im running it at high rpm’s

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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8291
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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Dunno if your Altie is a QR or VQ, but those radiators are already set up for a V6 cooling load, so if it's a QR then there has to be some other factor making it run hotter than normal. If it's a VQ then it should have a heat exchanger for the CVT, so it may help to take the cooling load off that by adding a radiating trans cooler.


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