I think i've ruled that out. I can see a flashlight through the whole sytem.
At 180 or so, the temp when left to idle, the discharge side of the radiator is cool- indicating all the heat has been removed just by ambient air acrosss the cooling fins.
At higher operating temp, like around 200, which is acheived without much effort both hoses feel the same. I am getting a IR thermometer tomorrow but I bet it's not going to show much difference.
NAPA has a replacement rad for $150 looks very easy to change- does it come straight up, without having to remove intercooler and AC ?
