How to Choose Single Core and Double Core Radiators

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Here we have two examples of radiators for a 1998 Ford F-150. And I want to highlight in this video the biggest difference between them. This is a single core, and this is a double core. Before we get into that, though, there are just a few things about quality replacement radiators from 1A Auto.

You can see you'll always get the correct fittings for the transmission cooler. So transmission lines go in here. Transmission fluid flows through and is cooled down by the radiator fluid inside there. It doesn't mix with the radiator fluid. There's these little coils that go down through there. You’re always going to have the correct mounting points for the radiator fans. Some different things you might run into if your radiator goes bad, the original radiator. If it's aluminum, over time and with road salt and things like that, the lower fins tend to corrode and you'll get leaks in the core. Damage, rocks, sticks, or something to puncture the radiator over time. The seal between the aluminum and the plastic tanks may go bad. And since the tanks are made of plastic, and you can get leaks around the plastic because of cracks or things like that, or leaks around your fittings.

But again, the biggest thing is make sure you're getting the right radiator for your application. This is a single row, or single core radiator. So you can see the width of it. And this is a dual core. Single core, more for the six cylinder, smaller engines; dual core for the V-8 larger engine trucks. You never want to try to replace a dual core with a single core. But if you have a single core radiator in your truck, there's no reason you can't obviously replace it with the same single core radiator; or, you can see everything about them is the same dimensionally, so you could replace a single core radiator with a higher functioning and higher cooling dual core radiator.

Obviously, dual core is thicker which means there's more surface area. The function of a radiator is, the coolant flows through it and air flows through it on the outside. The air basically takes the heat out of the coolant, so the coolant comes in hot and goes out cooler. The dual core, or two core, is going to have twice as much surface area, so that's just twice as much cooling power between the larger radiator and the smaller radiator.

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