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Radiator removal/replacment

76K views 59 replies 28 participants last post by  06armadaman 
#1 · (Edited)
I don't post much here but do lurk around and use the site for info/ideas. However, I do try to contribute when the opportunity arises, so I decided I would do a brief diy guide for those capable and confident enough to try.


****PLEASE NOTE: I am not a formally trained mechanic, or ASE or Nissan certified. Proceed at your own risk.****

I'm a diehard DIY'er and just cringe at paying $100/hr for most basic repairs. A month or so ago the radiator cracked on my 04 Armada. Left me stranded on the side of the road...with boat in tow. Thankfully it was cool out so the motor didn't get too hot before I shut it down and even more thankful that I was only about 15min from my home. I limped it home, called the dealer and got the bad news....$500 for a replacement part. A quick online search didn’t turn up any significant discount and the dealer had one in stock so off to the parts dept I went.

Here is a pic of the crack. The only other thread on radiator replacement I found online the radiator had cracked in the exact same spot, pass side-lower corner. If you’re out of warranty I would inspect this area at every oil change.


I would rate it about 3 out of 10 on a difficulty level and only needed basic tools. Tools I used: 8,10mm box wrench (ratcheting), ¼” & 3/8” drive 8/10mm sockets, ¼” drive swivel & extension, ¼” & 3/8” drive ratchet, screw driver, pliers and a bucket or pan.


1. Disconnect battery. Remove engine cover and intake pipe.

2. Underneath, drain radiator by unscrewing large plastic bolt on lower pass side. Also remove lower radiator hose as it will also be holding fluid. Here is a pic of the underside (sorry, only took pics of replacing, I'm just reversing pic order)


3. Disconnect and plug up the trans cooler lines. I used some bolts to plug up the lines and some wire shelving caps to contain the oil in the radiator (to keep the mess down).

4. Disconnect the top hoses and all hoses clipped to the shroud.

5. Loosen fan shroud, but leave one bolt to hold it in place.


6. Remove 4x10mm nuts holding fan clutch to water pump, remove the last fan shroud bolt and pull fan out between the radiator and shroud.


7. Remove fan shroud.

8. Loosen outer most bolts on core support for the condenser.


9. Loosen two top radiator bolts and tilt radiator forward to remove two bolts holding trans cooler to the radiator.


10. Lift condenser off the radiator (it is just set down into two mounts on the bottom) and secure it up in the bumper area. Secure trans cooler as well.


11. Lift radiator up and out of its mounts. Remove it from vehicle.

12. Installation is reverse of removal.

13. I filled up radiator and reservoir with a 50/50 (since I’m in the south I dilute it more like 65/35 or so for better cooling) mix of anti-freeze (dealer told me their techs use regular Peak brand) and distilled water. Start the engine and leave the cap off the reservoir (not the radiator) while the engine warms up and continue to top it off as the system bleeds. You should see bubbles in the reservoir as they are worked out of the system. Once the car has warmed up and run for a few minutes you can put the cap back on. You should also check the transmission fluid and top off as necessary. Check the coolant level again after a day or so. And keep an eye on your temp gauge in the interim.

It really wasn't all that difficult and I had it done in a few hours (that includes figuring out how to get everything out). I hope this will help anyone that needs to replace their radiator. I now have about 1000mi on it with no issues.
 
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#36 ·
I've heard that Stillen aluminum radiator is the best
 
#38 ·
Had to re-do the damn radiator again!!!:censor::censor::censor::censor::censor:... stupid plastic tanks cracked again, so.... I called Stillen, $385 later (free shipping)... I had a Big chunk of Aluminum sitting at home.

Well, after a good 3 hour fight, out with the old radiator (actually 7 months old), in with the new, added about half a gallon more coolant since this one is 3 rows instead of 2. Had to move my intake inward a bit, might have to cut some of the fan shroud to compensate for this. The stillen radiator is thicker than the stock one.

Good news is that with the new model radiator lines up with all the peripherals (AC condenser, and external transmission cooler), it takes some massaging, but, it fits.
My hoses were good, but its suggested you swap them out (minimize the headaches later).
Now, I'm going to test this, and hopefully not get any leaks for a looooooooong time.
 
#39 ·
You should have bought the koyo all aluminum radiator. Its far better than the Stillen and most consider it a lifetime replacement.
 
#40 ·
It has been my experience that even with the crappy clamps being replaced with worm gear clamps that they loosen over time and allow some transmission fluid to leak or spew. This has happened when pulling heavy loads and upon inspection and re-tightening of the worm gear clamps (loose) that the radiator was not leaking. Upon doing this work and completely cleaning the guard underneath the engine, no additional trans fluid leaked. I topped off what leaked out on all occasions and ran for hundreds of miles, and have yet to replace the factory radiator on my 2007 Armada LE with 101k miles. The radiator may eventually fail, but the connections have persistently been the reasons for my trans fluid leaks.

Regards,
Lotastyle
 
#41 ·
This is why you want to get away from plastic. This ain't no Mada but the point should be easily seen. I witnessed this happen, I was standing right next to it when it happened. Hood was closed of course when it occurred.

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#43 ·
Replaced my 2006 Armada Radiator - This post helped

Guys, this thread was very helpful and I was able to replace my radiator within a few hours using only the instructions you all left here. If I had to do it all over again, it would be much quicker.

The local dealer wanted an arm and a leg to replace the radiator and the local car repair was just under $800.00. I just could not justify paying that kind of money to someone else when it looked reasonably simple to do it myself.

My cost was a $215 replacement, 50/50 jugs of fluid and elbow grease.

So far everything is running well. I will note that my old radiator did have the same crack as everyone else mentioned in the lower right passenger side. If I had to rate the difficulty in this project i would give it a 4 only because of the fan assembly being in the way.
 
#46 · (Edited)
I installed the CSF 3328 this past weekend. Install went very smooth. I changed all radiator and reservoir hoses as well as the water pump hose. I also changed out all the clamps. I was going to run worm style on all radiator hoses but used all new OEM clamps. The originals have been on for 100k and none leaked. They are so easy to use as well, just line them up and pull the tab and bingo. I changed out all cooler line with Gates TOC line I picked up from NAPA and used worm style clamps on all transmission cooler line fittings and doubled them all up. I also changed out the t-stat with a factory unit. I had to trim the shroud to fit my intake and trimmed all the tabs off on the sides and a little in each top corner. I used short pieces of cooler line in the bottom where the shroud fits into the aluminum slots on the radiator. The short section of hose fit very tight and keep the shroud pressed against the lower tank securely. There seems to be plenty of fan clearance and all is good so far. The hardest part of this job was reinstalling the fan bolts with minimal clearance. I got two from the top and two from under the truck and used a 10mm 12 point ratcheting open-end. I did not wait for mine to crack and did this entirely as a preventative measure.



http://s826.photobucket.com/user/Ratherbecampin1/slideshow/Armada%20Radiator
 
#47 ·
Gonna wake this thread up , this'll be my next fix. I had the intake "air tube" off and found this leak. This it's the second time this has had to be replaced, first was under warranty about two years ago I Auto part Fuel line Engine Pipe Vehicle
guess. Wonder if it was aluminum would this occur? It's at what appears to be the thermostat. Things that make you go "hum."

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#48 ·
EJ. Yes that is the T-Stat. When you replace make sure you use an OEM that will come with the rubber gasket. Also make sure it is torqued to spec. If you need the torque spec let me know I will look it up in my service manual. I would also change out the pressure cap in the plastic reservoir to ensure you are not over pressurizing the system.
 
#49 ·
Stupid Fan nuts

Let me preface by saying this instructional was fantastic. That being said; eff those effing fan nuts! Project was going along nicely then completely derailed when it came time to remove those stupid things. The only tool that can possibly remove them is a 10mm box end wrench with the closed end AND you'll need a pair of channel locks to hold one of the other nuts so the whole project doesn't just rotate while you try to loosen them. So, I'm not sure what the factory torque spec is on those nuts but son-of-a-gun if they don't just try to round out even with a box end wrench (which should never happen). I got 3 of 4 loose but number 4 was not coming loose for anything. I tried everything I could but the corners rounded out and I was now dead in the water. I was not going to get that fan off. So, after my string of Yosemite Sam expletives including taking a bite out of my hat, I said eff it! I'll just have to try and get the dang thing out with the fan still on and hope I don't break something. Now, I'm here to tell you it was no picnic but with my wife standing on the bumper and in the engine compartment wiggling the radiator and me underneath bench pressing it while moving the fan back and forth to get just enough clearance we brute forced it out of there! Nothing else broke thank goodness. Once it was out I invented the new Olympic sport of "Radiator Toss", look for it as an exhibition event in the next summer games. Getting the new one back in wasn't too bad, again with my wife above and me below (heh) wiggling the fan to get a sweet spot, we got it in with little smushing of the fins. So she's all back together and seems to be working fine. I just wanted everyone to know that, while I don't recommend it, the job can be done without removing the fan if you round out a nut and have no way of getting it off.
Cheers!
 
#50 ·
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the fan bolts. In my description I noticed I said 6 point. I used a 10mm 12 point and had no issues. A quick and swift strong force on the wrench broke them all free pretty easily. I removed two from the top and two from under the truck. Having 12 points makes solid contact and will not allow rounding. I will update my post for others. Glad to hear you got it in.
 
#51 ·
SE, I think you meant to say 6 pt. 6 pt sockets and wrenches are ALWAYS better when turning nuts and bolts. A 12 pt does in fact give you the possibility of rounding the corners because that is all that is "gripped." A 6 pt makes full contact with each side of the nut or bolt. Hence an impact socket will NEVER be a 12 pt but rather 6 pt.

There are 6 pt wrenches that will do a job like this better when the corners of the nut have been rounded.
 
#52 ·
I actually used a ratcheting 12 pt. open-end on this application since it seemed to grip the nut better than my 6 pt. The fan bolts are very soft metal and with the 12 pt. there is more points of contact on the fastener. I do agree through a 6 pt. is normally less likely to round off a fastener.


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#53 ·
Got home last night to coolant on the floor and a cracked radiator. I started the removal process last night and got to removing the fan and the first bolt sheared. I stopped at that point and put everything back together thinking it will have to go to a shop. This morning I am wondering if that pulley the fan attaches to is easily removed? If any more of the bolts snap I could drill them out after removing the pulley. Can anyone help?
 
#54 ·
The bolts need to be removed before you can remove the pulley. What type of wrench were you using to remove the bolts? You need a tight fitting open-end with No Play. A swift tug will break them free pretty easily. If there is any play between the wrench and fastener rounding will occur as you discovered. Can you get a small vice grip on the bolt?
What year is your truck? How many miles?
 
#56 ·
Yes, once all the nuts are removed the pulley can be removed very easily. You can then replace the pulley and studs. Sorry, I misunderstood I thought you rounded the fastener. Once you get the fan out of the way the rest of the job is very straight forward.
 
#58 ·
I just completed this project on my '07 Qx56. Same large crack in the plastic on the passenger side. A HUGE THANK YOU to "Fix It Angel" on YouTube for posting a step by step video of his repair! Here's the link: https://youtu.be/81GzolKQ0Yw I used his video and this thread on ClubArmada to replace my radiator. I ordered the Spectra Premium CU2691 Radiator from Amazon for $143. It's the same as Autozone carries but I saved $90 by ordering online. Perfect fit. I would have loved to go with Stillen all aluminum, but I bought a few tools with the money saved instead. In the video, he used a prybar to wedge the fan while he loosened the nuts. Worked for me, too. Thank you to all who take the time to share their knowledge and experience. I saved a ton of money by doing this project myself!
 
#59 ·
man, looks like the radiators on our madas goes bad alot. My 08 when i only had about 30k or so on her my radiator was leaking too. luckily i was still under warranty so they just replaced it w a brand new one. I did not pay a dime and i saw the bill, WOW! almost 2 thousand dollars and some change... I was really lucky i still had the warranty. Now, no more leaks...

Believe
 
#60 ·
You definitely want to get away from plastic. I installed all aluminum beauty of a radiator in my 06 Friday. I just feel compelled to share this info. I bought it from Champion Cooling and it has the trans cooler built in. Top and bottom polished looking as sweet as it performs. I waited way too long to do this and had been packing 4 gal of water to go to work and back home in case of loss of fluid. Well this radiator was only $209 plus about $30 shipping. Took a week to get here in Ohio from California but I am satisfied to date. Took longer than advertised to remove original but the new install was about 35 minutes and weighed a fraction of the original even when drained. I hope this helps others looking to go all metal.
 
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