Aurora Radiator Cap

[Catherine Probeck]

Where is the radiator cap on the 1995 Aurora? I have a small radiator leak and someone suggested that I could buy some time til replacement by putting Barr's Stop Leak in? Is this do-able in the Aurora. The shop qouted me $426 for the radiator and $130 labor - total $556. That's more than I can really afford at the moment, so I'd really like to delay replacement if possible.

[Indy8]

There is no cap that attaches directly to the radiator. The coolant reservoir cap takes its place. It's rated at 15PSI. The issue of the leak is not that simple. Because the system is designed this way(with a purge tank), and no direct access into the core, you could try pouring an additive into the reservoir with mixed results. If you did not already have a leak and were just taking preventitive measures, this might be acceptable. In order for most leak sealers to work the entire contents of the bottle need to be circulated through the core, and there's just no way to assure this. Then there is the silicate issue. These engines are all aluminum so they are sensitive to certain chemicals. Anything containing silicate, most coolant products do, should not be introduced into the cooling system. This was covered in a previous thread if you want to go back and read it. The safest fix are GM Seal Tabs. About $4 for six 1"x1" tablets in a blister pack from any GM dealer. They are primarily made of crushed almond shells, ginger and soda ash. To add them CORRECTLY you will need to drain the core(ooh maaann!). Easy. Use a deep 19mm socket through a round access hole thats already there. Under drivers side bumper, behind fog light, in plastic splash panel where you would think the base of the radiator would be. Remember, it's in there at an angle. Use a drain pan with at least a 2gal. capacity. Remove reservoir cap before draining. Then loosen and remove the lower radiator hose at the black thermostat housing and drop all six tablets down the hose directly into the radiator. Reassemble and refill with 50/50 mix of Prestone Dex-Cool and distilled water and this should take care of it. I left more detailed refill instructions in a previous post also. BTW, when it's time, radiatorbarn.com has new units,lifetime warr, free shipping for $214. The factory replacement radiators don't last any longer. Most of us here would agree. Good luck!

[Catherine Probeck]

Thanks Indy. I had just tried adding the stop leak to the reservoir on the advice of a friend when I saw your post. Hope it doesn't do any damage. Might try the proper potential fix this weekend. At least I know that I can get the radiator cheaper.

Originally Posted by Indy8

There is no cap that attaches directly to the radiator. The coolant reservoir cap takes its place. It's rated at 15PSI. The issue of the leak is not that simple. Because the system is designed this way(with a purge tank), and no direct access into the core, you could try pouring an additive into the reservoir with mixed results. If you did not already have a leak and were just taking preventitive measures, this might be acceptable. In order for most leak sealers to work the entire contents of the bottle need to be circulated through the core, and there's just no way to assure this. Then there is the silicate issue. These engines are all aluminum so they are sensitive to certain chemicals. Anything containing silicate, most coolant products do, should not be introduced into the cooling system. This was covered in a previous thread if you want to go back and read it. The safest fix are GM Seal Tabs. About $4 for six 1"x1" tablets in a blister pack from any GM dealer. They are primarily made of crushed almond shells, ginger and soda ash. To add them CORRECTLY you will need to drain the core(ooh maaann!). Easy. Use a deep 19mm socket through a round access hole thats already there. Under drivers side bumper, behind fog light, in plastic splash panel where you would think the base of the radiator would be. Remember, it's in there at an angle. Use a drain pan with at least a 2gal. capacity. Remove reservoir cap before draining. Then loosen and remove the lower radiator hose at the black thermostat housing and drop all six tablets down the hose directly into the radiator. Reassemble and refill with 50/50 mix of Prestone Dex-Cool and distilled water and this should take care of it. I left more detailed refill instructions in a previous post also. BTW, when it's time, radiatorbarn.com has new units,lifetime warr, free shipping for $214. The factory replacement radiators don't last any longer. Most of us here would agree. Good luck!

[Indy8]

Can't hurt at this point. I don't think Bars brand contains silicate. Just may not work. Hardest part of the radiator R/R is the confined space you have to work the oil cooler lines off and on(pass. side tank)other wise it's very easy. Remove upper cowl, disconnect fan wires and retaining bolts, hard lines on both sides, hoses, and lift out. Depending on how long the current one has been in there, you may have reached the service life of it.

[jjdewd]

I looked through the yellow pages a few months ago to find a replacement radiator. After calling around I settled with
Auto Radiator Outlet 1-800-252-0333 Think it was like $275 can't remember shipping cost.
I used my debt card, and while the guy had me on the phone, he even called around my area to schedule the earliest appointment and best labor (shipped the radiator right to the mechanic).
This was a Friday afternoon and by Monday afternoon it was done.
The total cost all together was under $320.

After the fact I found Radiators.com I think it may be the same company they show two options for the Aurora a $200 one and a $280 one
Check it out

[ckpaas]

There is a guy around here who will put new cores in radiators. I have had him do atleast one for me. He last summer put a new tank on my Chevy PU radiator. It still wasnt cheap, cant remember how much though. For what it's worth the name of his buisness is "Dundons radiator service" 269-668-3441. I'm around Kalamazoo Michigan but hey, it might be cheaper to send it to him and have him send it back. Or maybe he can give you some leads to find one near you.

I ran onto this site... http://www.radiatorx.com/oldsmobile-...995-parts.html

this one is a little cheaper..

http://www.radiatorx.com/oldsmobile-...995-parts.html

[Indy8]

Don't waste your time trying that with plastic tanks. The cores are not usually the problem on these, it's the cracking tanks. I would love to meet the guy who convinced his engineering team that plastic is just as good as brass. Companies are making a fortune on these things. Anyway, the edge of the tanks are lined with a seal and then crimped onto the core. So even if you find a shop that knows how to do this properly, the failure rate is sky high. This was also covered on the old GM Forums site, where two or three people tried to have this done, all were leaking again within weeks. The key is, do all the things you can on your car yourself. Buy lifetime warranty replacement parts. I have an '84 Celica thats on its fifth alternator. 14 years ago I paid $74.99 ONCE. Remember, you can't pay someone to take the care and do the quality work that you would give your baby.

[Indy8]

Boxed radiators are UPS "oversize" and charges can be steep. Watch out for this while shopping online.

[jjdewd]

The radiator I bought as stated in the post above from Auto Radiator Outlet cost like $10-20 to ship and it also came with a lifetime warranty.

[Indy8]

Something you will notice if you read each radiator site thoroughly(and there are a LOT of them)is the same manufacturers supply for all of them. Some are twice as much as another. If you only paid $20, they probably covered part of it, or get a big volume discount from the carrier. Also, if you can get a fair price within driving distance, it may be a lot quicker turn around time for your car in case you need to use the warranty. Think of the accumulated shipping time back and forth to an online retailer. Your ride will be down two weeks. How much is that worth?