92 Lumina 3.1L Radiator Leak / Replacement

[JohnDubya]

I noticed fluid leaking out of the driver side of my radiator when I parked on a slope. It was coming out of the top, driver side of the radiator and was coming out decently fast. I had been having problems with my engine overheating, but I finally filled up my radiator with water, and it had been fine since (until I saw it leaking out). The water didn't leak out up to where the hole was, but I'm sure it's still a problem since it's not building up too much pressure.

So if there's a crack in the radiator, it must be replaced, right? Doesn't the 92 Lumina 3.1 have a plastic radiator? I've ordered the radiator now, and I need some guidance in how to replace it. I've got a friend who knows car stuff, and he's going to help me, but I need some pointers, so I know what's going on. Any help would be beneficial. Thanks!

[tblake]

my friend bought a 1989 honga civic for 100 bux just to beat the shit out of and whip donuts in his fields with. the radiator developed a major leak to the point the car would over heat oretty quick if not at highway speeds. like yours it was plastic, so we used JB weld and a piece of a plastic bottle to seal it up. Worked great untill we were out one day beating the shit out of it, hitting every bump in site and the car just died. Skipped the timing and crashed the valves. LOL, was TOTALLY worth the 100 bux, would do it again in a second. That honda took quite a beating all things considered. 1989 civic with well over 200,000 miles on it.

[JohnDubya]

haha, thanks for the insightful reply! :-P

I went ahead and bought a new radiator. $188...OUCH!! I'll hopefully be installing it with my friend on Saturday. Any last minute pointers? Will it be hard to take off all the hoses and parts around the radiator to get it out?

[tblake]

no, it should be pretty straight forward. just be careful not to knick the old radiator when taking it out, as you may have to piece things together from each, its a new "radiator", a lot of times they dont include trans coolers and bug guards and things. compare them before you slap the new one in. also get a new cap, ac delco caps are not very good.

[tblake]

my only issue with this is, if the hole is big enough to see coolant dripping out from parking on a slope, why didnt it over heat??? the one on the honda was just a few small hairline cracks and the thing over heated within 5 minutes of just sitting at idle. we would pour water in and it would evaporate right out. Maybe check the resivior and all hoses while your there. If the hose feels weak pr cracks, replace it.

[JohnDubya]

I wondered the same thing. It seemed as if the water didn't leak out past where the leak was or something. My engine had been overheating, but we filled up the radiator, and it hasn't overheated since. Even with the leak, it still hasn't overheated. Is that possible with there being a crack in the radiator? How could there be no pressure with a crack in the radiator and the water still cool my system?