Replace Radiator

[bsr2002]

It's purtie strait foward? Looks like I just take the fans and it should come out?

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by bsr2002

It's purtie strait foward? Looks like I just take the fans and it should come out?

You may have to disconnect trans cooler lines at the bottom, two radiator hoses, overflow hose, coolant level sensor connector, if there, etc.

[jeffcoslacker]

I'm gonna be doing mine here soon. All the above, but yeah, not difficult.

Save that aluminum core and pull the tank off the transcooler side...that transcooler is a nice chunk of brass. Good for a few bucks at the metal recyclers. Might as well get some money back outta the deal...

[jeffcoslacker]

A little more while it's fresh in my mind, I just finished replacing mine.

First off, that transcooler is NOT brass in this one, so don't waste a lot of time trying to recover it like I did ...it looks like anodized stainless steel...worthless as far as scrap.

Make sure you take notice of the two metal brackets that piggy back on the top and bottom of the radiator core, they support the fans and the transcooler lines, you'll have to remove them from the old one and put them on the new one if yours didn't come with them...mine didn't.

And don't forget the low coolant switch on the passenger's side tank, you have to slip a long screwdriver down there to spread the catch on the plug and unplug it. There's a wire thing that locks the switch into the tank...take it off carefully and make sure it doesn't spring away so you spend 15 minutes looking for it like I did...duh.

The easiest route for me was to remove the passenger's side fan first, the other one I didn't remove from the car completely...just set it back against the motor out of the way...it can drop down between the motor and the subframe member and stays outta the way pretty good.

And, as with just about every other damn thing you do to this car, it's easier if you completely remove the airbox. I don't know how they managed to make this thing so in the way of everything you gotta do, but they did. I swear if you wanted to put rear brakes on it, you'd probably have to take the damn airbox out for some reason

[bsr2002]

Thanks! I finally got round to it this past Saturday, The only real problem I had was with the transcoolant lines.
I couldn't get them off. Finally used a pipe wrench on the top one and it worked.
The bottom one I couldn't fit the wrench in. So I had to break down and hacksaw the bottom transcoolant line.
I patched it back up with heater hose and double clamped it. Works like a charm!

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by bsr2002

I had to break down and hacksaw the bottom transcoolant line.
I patched it back up with heater hose and double clamped it. Works like a charm!

And of course you verified that the hose you used is compatible with the heat and the chemical nature of ATF?

Do you have any idea how flammable ATF is when aerosolized by the radiator fan and blown onto the exhaust manifold?

[jeffcoslacker]

True...you need to use hot oil transfer line, or it won't last long....

[bsr2002]

Originally Posted by jeffcoslacker

True...you need to use hot oil transfer line, or it won't last long....

I should have said temporary, I got trans hose today!

[jeffcoslacker]

Good man!