I'm taking out the old, busted radiator from my '93 Loyale tomorrow and replacing it with a new one. I've never done it before. Can you guys tell me what tools I will need and what the most efficient way of removing the old and dropping in the new one is? What bolts do I need to take out? Which ones don't need to be removed? The car is not here, it's in the parking lot of a hotel where the radiator blew, so I can't see it now.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank, y'all,

- Tyler

10mm wrench, flat screwdriver, philips screwdriver.

Un-do hose clamps, un-plug rad fan/temp sensor, un-do top brackets, pull out from the top.

You might want to take a couple of new 1 1/4 hose clamps.

The rad locates on rubbers that are installed over pins on the bottom, make sure to move the rubbers over to the new rad.

Probably one of the easiest rads you will ever change.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

 

I'm on it! Tomorrow I'll have that sucker operating within the confines of normal (safe) temperature ranges!

You may want to remove the fan(s). The one bolted to the rad is easy. 2 bolts on the top and maybe 2 on the bottom. Disconnect the plug and it comes right out. Now, if you have a clutch fan, its a little more diffucult. Theres 4 bolts holding it to the waterpump shaft. Its a tight squeeze getting a wrench in there to remove them, but with patience it can get done.

Shouldn't have to take the clutch fan off. And there are two 12mm(the size of the head of the bolt) holding the radiator. Electric fans can stay on, but it may be easier to remove.

 

Steps, that I can think of.

-Drain Coolant

-Undo upper and lower hoses at the engine(at least that's easiest for me)

-Disconnect electric fan wire

-Undo and plugged tranny lines (If it's an automatic)

-Removed two bolts on top

-Remove overfill tank line

-Pull up, minding the clearance

psh, true professionals skip draining the coolant.

Eastern Washington; if you're near Spokane and haven't bought the replacement radiator, try Spalding Auto Wreckers. They have the best price on new replacement radiators that I've found. 800-366-2070

Johnson']Shouldn't have to take the clutch fan off. And there are two 12mm(the size of the head of the bolt) holding the radiator. Electric fans can stay on' date=' but it may be easier to remove.

 

Steps, that I can think of.

-Drain Coolant

remove the 4 bolts holdin the Clutch fan shroud. fan can stay but shroud has to come off. Once unbolted slide it carefully up, there are notches on the bottom to allow it to pass the fan

Unclamp charcoal canister, and flip it over the engine so the 4 hoses are out of the way

-Undo upper and lower hoses at the engine(at least that's easiest for me)

-Disconnect electric fan wire

disconnect Thermoswitch connector. Pass side of radiator half wat up, near fan plug

-Undo and plugged tranny lines (If it's an automatic)

-Removed two bolts on top

-Remove overfill tank line

-Pull up, minding the clearance

 

 

I added a few things

easy as pie, honestly. If the car is an automatic, then you will also have the two ATF cooler lines to disconnect on the driver side...

 

good luck.

Changing the rad may disturb the o-ring that seals the inlet to the water pump, especially if the water pump is original and the seal has hardened up. Keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days, and watch for coolant drips. The O-ring will leak at the bottom, where it can't be seen as the source, and the coolant will run down and drip off the sump.

 

Cheap and easy fix, the o-ring is $5 from the dealer, and I am sure there are cheaper sources.

 

Good luck.

Changing the rad may disturb the o-ring that seals the inlet to the water pump, especially if the water pump is original and the seal has hardened up. Keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days, and watch for coolant drips. The O-ring will leak at the bottom, where it can't be seen as the source, and the coolant will run down and drip off the sump.

 

Cheap and easy fix, the o-ring is $5 from the dealer, and I am sure there are cheaper sources.

 

Good luck.

 

 

+1, excellent points.

 

it NEVER hurts to be extra vigilant checking your coolant levels for at least the first week or so after doing something like this, ESPECIALLY if, to the best of your knowledge, there are lots of OE or very high mileage parts on the car.

Eastern Washington; if you're near Spokane and haven't bought the replacement radiator, try Spalding Auto Wreckers. They have the best price on new replacement radiators that I've found. 800-366-2070

That's where I got it! $78 after tax with a lifetime warranty.

I didn't want to take my chances with a used one.

One tip that might help someone down the road:

 

I found with my aftermarket that I put in a few weeks ago that the pins and bolt holes weren't really lining up properly.

 

I ended up having to trim the little rubber bumpers that fit on the bottom pins so that the fixing bolts on the top would line up properly. A small problem, but vexing none the less. I guess that I will possibly need to find new ones for the next rad that goes in that car, but I expect to have it sold by then.