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SVT radiator?

Raywagner132

CEG'er
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
66
Location
Illinois
Does anyone know if this is a svt radiator? I called and had this ordered from some junkyard and they said it was out of a svt contour but being as paranoid as I am - I researched the part number and I keep getting results for the Mondeo and ford cougar, so it must have been from Europe . however I know how ford using parts for multiple cars. Just looking for someone to weigh in :)
 

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Lots of radiators that came in SVT's ended up being non svt. only way to tell is measure the thickness.
 
All the aftermarket radiators for Contours, SVT and non-SVT use 1" thick cores. The OEM core thickness for an SVT radiator was 1.25" IIRC, but nobody in the radiator aftermarket makes a thick core radiator for these cars.
 
All the aftermarket radiators for Contours, SVT and non-SVT use 1" thick cores. The OEM core thickness for an SVT radiator was 1.25" IIRC, but nobody in the radiator aftermarket makes a thick core radiator for these cars.

Okay, so there's no way to verify it just by the part number? He gave me a vin that matched up to a svt contour. If I measure, where am I measuring at? The outlet tubes?
 
I can tell u right now its NOT from a SVT tour

The stamping on it says "Sept 11 2002"

The SVT shares the same one as the euro Mondeo
 
I can tell u right now its NOT from a SVT tour

The stamping on it says "Sept 11 2002"

The SVT shares the same one as the euro Mondeo


you know, they make production parts after they are finished making the car, so that means nothing.

The svt does NOT share the same one as the mondeo, only the st200
 
Plugging 97BB8005AA into elGoog comes back with several mostly European car parts sites listing a radiator for Cougar and Mondeo, more importantly, several list the core thickness as 26 to 27mm, or about 1". According to Beans, the SVT core should be near 1.75" thick.

That JY radiator in the pics looks fairly beat, and is probably not an OEM SVT radiator, I'd pass on it. Go to NAPA and get a new unit with a warranty.
 
Plugging 97BB8005AA into elGoog comes back with several mostly European car parts sites listing a radiator for Cougar and Mondeo, more importantly, several list the core thickness as 26 to 27mm, or about 1". According to Beans, the SVT core should be near 1.75" thick.

That JY radiator in the pics looks fairly beat, and is probably not an OEM SVT radiator, I'd pass on it. Go to NAPA and get a new unit with a warranty.
but going to napa would mean getting a aftermarket radiator, right? which means it would not have the cooling capabilities. Maybe im wrong because i dont shop at napa much
 
but going to napa would mean getting a aftermarket radiator, right? which means it would not have the cooling capabilities. Maybe im wrong because i dont shop at napa much

Many have run a 3L with a stock non-SVT radiator. So unless you plan to track the car or drive it really hard there shouldn't be an issue. I would also guess that having a new radiator and not one that has seen road time will cool better too.
 
you know, they make production parts after they are finished making the car, so that means nothing.

The svt does NOT share the same one as the mondeo, only the st200


True about the ST200 sorry my mistake, my reason for my response was obviously if it was a SVT radiator then they would have all been accounted for in a SVT car that was built/bought WELL before sept 2002...So I highly doubt ford was making radiators for a select group of cars 2 years after they stopped making said car... I could be wrong????
 
but going to napa would mean getting a aftermarket radiator, right? which means it would not have the cooling capabilities. Maybe im wrong because i dont shop at napa much

Yep, it's all aftermarket now, and nobody in the aftermarket has tooled up to make the 40mm core SVT/ST220 radiator, so I'm afraid we're all stuck with a 26mm core radiator unless you're lucky enough to find an SVT radiator in a junk yard, and you have to take into consideration that the youngest of these is going to be 16 years old, so you'd be installing a very used radiator.

SVT Contour radiators are not easy to change, so were I you, I'd want to install something new with a warranty, even if it wasn't the thick core OEM part, which is Unobtanium anyway.

The SVT Contour cooling system was designed to cope with its 140 MPH sustained top speed, and I know the Roush employee who was the principal calibration engineer for this car. He lapped an SVT Contour on Ford's Arizona Proving Ground oval track at 140 MPH, long enough to empty the gas tank several times, and if you're regularly doing this, you probably need the 40mm core radiator, but as others have pointed out, the 1" core radiator will serve you just fine.

Suggestion: While you have the radiator out, clean the 100,000+ miles of accumulated road crap out of the A/C condenser, you will be amazed at how much debris is caught in the fins of the A/C condenser, and this is blocking airflow through the condenser and the radiator which sits behind it. I use a garden hose and nozzle to spray water backwards through the A/C condenser. Don't use a pressure washer, it will bend over the fins.
 
Just for grins, I search ST220 Mondeo radiators and emailed a few suppliers of radiators in the UK, and they've all come back saying that while the factory rads were 40mm cores, all their aftermarket radiators are 26mm cores, so they're screwed just like we are. The UK and European performance markets are a bit more robust than here, and I figured that somebody across the pond would have a 40mm core radiator, and maybe they do, and I just haven't found it yet, but so far, nuthin'...
 
Thanks for all your input, but I definitely think this is a set radiator. I measured the core at close to 2.5 inches while my cougar was about an inch. Take a look at the pics - theres is quite a difference and the radiator doesn't look half bad now that I cleaned it
 

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well there ya go .... the one on the right is of course a non-SVT radiator
awesome, Im kind of excited. I mean i know that the svt capabilities are a little over what I need, but the fact that i found this radiator for $75 is amazing. I really just wanted to make sure the 3L im installing never has a cooling problem because it has 12000 miles, im also installing an oil cooler and a 180 degree thermostat :)
 
Again there are many 3L running around with a non-SVT radiator. Most if not all Cougars with 3Ls do not swap out the radiator.

Also, imho, don't run a 180 degree thermostat. There is no need for it. The PCM is setup to work with the factory 190 degree thermostat. Having watched coolant temps they have always ranged from 190 to 212 degrees, where the low speed fan kicks on.

I even still have a 190 degree thermostat is my 3L turbo. I lowered the low speed fan turn on point, and I have had no issues with cooling.

So basically, I wouldn't worry about it .... unless plan to do nothing but race the car.
 
Again there are many 3L running around with a non-SVT radiator. Most if not all Cougars with 3Ls do not swap out the radiator.

Also, imho, don't run a 180 degree thermostat. There is no need for it. The PCM is setup to work with the factory 190 degree thermostat. Having watched coolant temps they have always ranged from 190 to 212 degrees, where the low speed fan kicks on.

I even still have a 190 degree thermostat is my 3L turbo. I lowered the low speed fan turn on point, and I have had no issues with cooling.

So basically, I wouldn't worry about it .... unless plan to do nothing but race the car.


Thanks for your input. I don't know how much this changes anything (if at all) but Joey at NPG is making me a custom tune for the 3L and I also ordered the headers and cold air intake from him. I mentioned the thermostat to him and I think he mentioned something about changing what temperature the fans turn on. I probably could have kept the 190, in heinsight, but i was just being extra cautious for some reason. What I like about the radiator though, is that the cooling should be plenty suffient even if i were to add turbos, or anything else down the road.
 
Fan set point for when they turn on can be set from the XCAL itself, doesn't have to be written into the tune.
 
1987 Mercury Sable Radiator is about the same as SVT radiator. I dont remember how I dealt with the filler neck but I had this radiator on there for years. Found it in a barn at the junkyard and it was in mint condition, obviously had been sitting there for 15 years or so.

Might be worth a look if you can find an oem one or a aftermarket one that is an actual 2 row.
 
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