Replace radiator?

[MustangShelly]

I have an '03 2wd Ltd with 160k mi, I'm 2nd owner, bought it from a friend. I need to replace the water pump, thermostat & belt tensioner; the radiator also leaks just a bit from the top right corner, though previous owner replaced in 2013 with a 1 yr warranty. Seems like I heard something about a design flaw... And Chrysler says they upped the warranty in Oct last year to a 2 yr warranty. Humph. Anyway, given the expense & complexity of the radiator replacement ($255 dealer part, or $178 local part w. Lifetime warranty), as well as the age of the car (if the engine goes, I'll scrap the car), any thoughts on whether I should replace the radiator now? Also, any hints or tips are appreciated... Thanks!

 

[dude1116]

I would replace with a Mopar replacement. It's actually not too hard. Aftermarket parts will fail very quickly after installation.

If you want to get a TINY bit more life out of the radiator then you can use JB weld, then use boat/fish tank sealant on the tiny crack (depending on how bad it is). I did this and it lasted about a year (15k miles or so) before more tiny cracks showed up and the Jeep was SPEWING water. Beware though - this is just a bandaid and will NOT be guaranteed to hold. After I did this I carried gallons of coolant just in case.