Tried searching to no avail. Looking for some instructions on how to install a radiator. I know I should get the Helms, but I don't think it's possible by tomorrow, Saturday. Anyway it looks pretty easy and straight foward, unhook the hoses, unscrew the radiator, take off the fans, put them on new radiator and drop it in. Is it that easy? My main concern is taking out screws to get to it that I dont' have to. Also I have to drain it first right? Is there a drain screw at the bottom of the radiator i'm supposed to use? If anyone had the HELMS in pdf format I would really appreciate it, or some solid advice. I'm getting a raditor that is a direct OEM replacement, so I shouldn't have any fitment issues. How long of a job should this be?

 

drain it, remove things attached to it, pull it out, put new one in, reattach things that attach to it, fill it.

 

yeah. Its just straight foward - drain, remove, replace....

Since you're changing your changing the radiator - go ahead and do a full coolant flush.

To do a full flush, go to a shop with a coolant machine - it uses a vacuum hose, and it sucks all of the antifreeze out of the system. then just replace it with new coolant.

 

Its pretty easy, just did mine last weekend. Drain the radiator if you want, undo the top and bottom hose. Undo the resecoir line. There are two top brackets(12mm) on top almost where the vents are. Then undo the fans or unplug them. Then it should come staight up and out. Its really easy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crdcz03 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">drain it, remove things attached to it, pull it out, put new one in, reattach things that attach to it, fill it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

X2

 

You guys are effin ill. Quickest replies ever. Anywho I'm sure this is easy. I've already done stuff like ripping off the whole front of the car and re-wiring to install JDM headlights and stuff. So with the hoses tho I just take them off? I'm assuming there should be 2. Along with the 6 bolts on top. My friend told me I should replace thermostat. Also am I going to have to mess with the AC lines?

 

Ya i'm confident I can do this. It's jsut when you call peeps and ask how much labor it is and that it takes 2 hours labor you think yourself WTF? How could replacing a radiator take 2 hours!!!

 

go get a thing of antifreeze, not dexcool, dextron, or any dex...crap.
Go get new hoses for your radiator. Might think about changing the thermostat since you will have the coolant out of the engine.

Then as they said, pull of the stuff around the radiator, fans radiator upper support, radiator hoses, and remove, and re-install.

A couple hours probably because it is a tight fit to get to some of the bolts.



Thermostat is #4 in this bottom image

 

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Yea a chunk of that 2 hours is probably spent burping the system.

 

Word ya so I checked it out, looks liek it's 6 bolts ontop that's holding it in. Now here is the thing. I talked to the radiator guy today and he said after I install it I should keep the cap off at first and run it till it gets to medium temp to get the air out, then I can cap it. Anyone wanna explain that deal to me?

 

Burping is really easy, it is a part of the process.

Make sure u either get premix antifreeze rip off, or antifreeze and mix it 50% water/50% antifreeze when in the car. I usually do 1/2 bottle of anitfreeze and fill the rest with water.
How to burp the cooling system:
make sure to start with a cold engine...(boiling water burns)
start the car on level ground when done, with radiator cap off, let the car warm up so that the thermostat opens up. Make sure the heater lever inside the car is on the hot side to let water flow through the heater core. Then when bubbles start coming out fill up the radiator as needed.

 

Sweet guys, just did the job today, no problems. Also tho, I had the dreaded "surging idle" before. But since I changed my radiator my car idles like a effing dream now. Perhaps radiator problems, or leaks could be the cause of some of yall's surging idles. Just a thought! Ciao!

 

just a note on bleeding the air out:

fill it up as best as you can, play with the hoses squeezing and moving and jiggling to get air out.....then open up the bleeder valve on the thermo housing, and get a towel to catch the coolant

let it run for a while, once a very steady stream of coolant starts pissing out of the bleeder, close it

continue to top off the coolant as much as possible, still playing with the hoses to burp out bubbles, as soon as it starts to get hot, the coolant is gonna slowly start to rise, get the cap on when it does, but continue to play with hoses....

let it get hot enough so that the fan turns on twice, but monitor the guage and make sure it stays below half, then shut it off and let it cool

open it up, top it off, and go

it wouldnt be a bad idea to check it/top it off the day after, before you drive in the morning

 

i am also curious on how to do this. but how do you drain the coolant in the first place? is there a drain plug on the bottom of the radiator or something?? i got a leaking radiator and will soon do a replacement following these procedures. thank you.

 

Yes there is a small winged-bolt in the middle.

 

Haven't done this yet. Am picking up a rad from NAPA this afternoon. It doesn't sound like it should be very difficult.

Burping question. Is this the proper form? Squeeze hoses with the rad cap off getting most of the air out. Put the cap on once engine heats up. Then bleed the system from the bleeder on the thermo housing until no more bubbles.

Other question...why should I consider changing the thermostat? Are thermostats pricey? How much of a bugger is it to access the thermo and change it?

 

Nah the thermostat is pretty cheap (under $10). Heres my word of advice, this comes from experience, remove the splash shield and jack up the car. Everything you need to unhook from the bottom will be right there.

 

Koyo radiator aren't that expensive and does the job well. Highly recommended.

 

Easy to do. I had mine out when I was swapping motors. You might want to replace the radiator hoses. Not needed but always a good idea

 

no fans all summer and still didnt overheat

 

theres way to much here to read thru for just a rad change... so sorry if this is a repeat...


but everything is easy except getting a tight (brand new non strechted) hose on the lower connection if the rad is in place. put that hose on first, then lower the rad into the car. everything else is easy as pie

 

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no fans all summer and still didnt overheat </TD></TR></TABLE>

Is this the 52mm model? Can the stock fans fit?

 

i dont know what model it is. but with the h22 in the ngine bay the stock fans def werent fitting at all. but you can buy a fan from autozone for like 70 dollars

 

Those fans reallu cant generate that much coldness. They are using hot air right off the block, right.

 

also make sure you bleed the coolant system properly.. turn on your heater full blast and wait for the fans to come on a few times to get all the air out of the system and top up as necessary