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replacing radiator

9K views 27 replies 11 participants last post by  Road Ripper 
#1 ·
I'm going to replace the radiator in my 96 T&C tomorrow. Here is a list of parts I have. Let me know if there is something else I should replace at the same time.

radiator
radiator cap
thermostat
upper hose
lower hose
new coolant
 
#5 ·
Sounds about right, make sure you use the proper coolant for your car. NAPA carries the HOAT, zerex, if you need that. Why are you replacing the radiator? Reason I ask is that if your radiator opened up a seam, it could be a head gasket leak that is pressurizing the coolant system and it will bust the new one, or something else, soon.
 
#8 ·
Why are you replacing the radiator? Reason I ask is that if your radiator opened up a seam, it could be a head gasket leak that is pressurizing the coolant system and it will bust the new one, or something else, soon.
There is at least one leak in the radiator, on the side where it is plastic. I will check the head gasket. My neighbor (a mechanic) is helping me. Or rather I am helping him!
 
#10 ·
I would bet that your radiator just suffered from old age. They are known to leak where the fins join up with the plastic tanks.
 
#11 ·
I would bet that your radiator just suffered from old age. They are known to leak where the fins join up with the plastic tanks.
Even so, I will mention it to my neighbor. I will say that having the right tools (like the hose clamp pliers he has!) makes jobs like this much easier. Any of you guys ever used them?
 
#6 ·
Our 3rd gens use good ol green anti freeze. Easy to find and know you are using the correct type. They even make it long life now.
 
#13 ·
Not necessarily. Depends on how persistent and the ambient air temp. If you see persistent white smoke that doesn't dissipate quickly then I would worry. Also, often a head gasket leak goes hand in hand with coolant entering the crankcase. Not always...but often. Watch for milky colored oil.
 
#15 ·
By the way.

I changed my radiator last year do to an apparent crack over on the cap side (driver's side).

It still leaked afterward. Found out it was the cheap but new cap I had bought at one of the local parts stores. Bought a slightly better one and not a drop leaks now.

The radiator definitely was cracked as there was epoxy over a crack, but just be aware that a bad cap can make it appear like a leak as well.
 
#17 ·
Mine was cracked on the opposite side from the cap.

Also, the old thermostat was in 4 pieces. Probably the cause of the radiator crack to begin with! So always at least check it when replacing the radiator.
 
#16 ·
A water leak into a cylinder will release steam consistently, not just a white puff at warm up. I have seen them fill a yard with steam in a few minutes.
 
#18 ·
If your minivan has the transmission cooler built in to the radiator, check the rubber transmission oil cooler lines. Sometimes they like to split and crack when removing them.
 
#19 ·
Radiator is in (was installed Monday) and I had a leak at the overflow hose/filler connection, and another on the other side. I tightened the hose clamp on the overflow hose and it seems to have taken care of that one. I need to get under it to see where the other leak is coming from. Most likely another hose clamp, since there are 4 on that side.
 
#24 ·
Consider rad fan unit as well, it comes out as a unit when you remove the rad and as these fans are notorious for eventually seizing up why go to all that work and not replace it? Only about $100 or less from Dorman, pretty cheap for peace of mind. If the fan does seize up you are in for a world of hurt - overheating, possibly blown head gaskets and also it will take out the fan pulse-width controller module which is a very expensive dealer-only part, which requires removing the rad/fan unit again to get at it to replace. Ask me how I know all of this!
 
#25 ·
^^You're replying to an 11 year old thread. Van has probably been junked by now.

Also, why replace fans that are working? I wouldn't trust Dorman over a good used unit from the junkyard. Plus there are two fans, and I doubt both would burn out at the same time. I had one fan seize up on my 2000, the one closest to the exhaust manifold. It started smelling burnt first, that hot electrical smell. I test spun the blades by hand and could see that one was hard to spin. It finally blew the square 40amp fuse, so I unplugged that motor and drove it on the one working fan to get a used fan unit from the junkyard. I also replaced the fan controller module which was easy to get at, under the driver's headlight. They were moved there in 1999 or 2000. I got a new fan controller at autozone for $54. I also replaced the original copper radiator (rotten fins) with a newer aluminum one from the junkyard, along with different hoses.
 
#26 ·
^^You're replying to an 11 year old thread. Van has probably been junked by now.

Also, why replace fans that are working? I wouldn't trust Dorman over a good used unit from the junkyard. Plus there are two fans, and I doubt both would burn out at the same time. I had one fan seize up on my 2000, the one closest to the exhaust manifold. It started smelling burnt first, that hot electrical smell. I test spun the blades by hand and could see that one was hard to spi n. It finally blew the square 40amp fuse, so I unplugged that motor and drove it on the one working fan to get a used fan unit from the junkyard. I also replaced the fan controller module which was easy to get at, under the driver's headlight. They were moved there in 1999 or 2000. I got a new fan controller at autozone for
 
#27 ·
FYI - Dorman supplies auto components to many suppliers, for example a couple of little outfits you may have heard about - NAPA & RockAuto.
As far as replacing the fans before they both quit and incurring untold possible damage from overheating, chalk that up to me favouring Proactive Maintenance, as opposed to sitting around and letting the fuse box point out the problem.
 
#28 ·
Dorman parts are crap - sometimes. If it's a critical part, I no longer trust it. I had a brand new brake master cylinder fail and lock up my front brakes, costing me all new front brakes, hubs, and making my engine run hot and losing a day of work.

I didn't sit around waiting for a problem to show itself. I could smell the hot electrical smell, but couldn't track down what was causing it. Both fans were working at the time. I finally noticed one not working, looked in the fuse box and saw the blown fuse. That's when I spun the fan blades and found the stiff fan that failed. That's when the hot electrical smell thing clicked in my head, when I realized it was a fan motor going bad. I never had one fail before, so it was a learning experience. I noticed the rusty remains of a metal heat shield on the back of the motor, and surmised the exhaust heat in close proximity of the motor helped it to fail. I had a $9/hr job at the time, so a used unit for $30 was better than $150 for a new one (would have been 1/4 of a month's rent!). It's 8 years later and I still have that same fan and radiator in that van, working fine.
 
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