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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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#4 ·
Great job. I was reading a post by scr38 and he mentioned that the spring clips for the transmission cooler lines are prone to leaking and should be replaced with screw clamps. Might be worth it since you are already familiar with where everything is.
 
#6 ·
Oh..... lookey, another issue that seems to be across the board..
I just encountered the same issue, seems like the 04 year was just a waste.. Axle slides out, evap purge control solenoid valve breaks, radio stops working, break lines leak, and radiator breaks for no apparent reason.... Awesome


Thanks for the write up, im just sick of these nevr ending problems
 
#7 ·
carnagebeatz said:
Oh..... lookey, another issue that seems to be across the board..
I just encountered the same issue, seems like the 04 year was just a waste.. Axle slides out, evap purge control solenoid valve breaks, radio stops working, break lines leak, and radiator breaks for no apparent reason.... Awesome


Thanks for the write up, im just sick of these nevr ending problems
Sorry to hear about that Player!:( A lot of '04 have problems, but a lot of them have had no problems at all. It just seems hard to narrow down which '04s have. You know, like whether they are the first generation '04 or later '04 models. :confused:
 
#8 ·
I normally don't necro-post, but this is relevant.

It's been a long time since I have been back to this forum.

And true to form, I had an issue with my Beast... This first and only one.

My radiator developed the same crack on the same side.

Mine is a 2006 LE....

Called up the dealership, and my warranty had expired just the month before. I only have broken 52K on my vehicle. Oh well, I asked how they would charge, hahahaha!! No freaking way, was I going to pay $1K or upwards.

Found think post and remembered my login.

I will post my results...


-chris
 
#10 ·
it can be done...but it's harder than it looks. Radiators are not like the old days when all you had to do drain, pull the top and bottom hoses off and unbolt the cooling fan. These trucks got too much sh!t connected to it.
 
#11 ·
Annoying as hell. Ours is cracked also on a 2006. I can get the part for $220ish but have to work the next 9 days so it's the auto shop and the $400 oem part.
 
#14 ·
This being my first post on here, I am going to rep Bremsen :bow:

I just did this to my 2004 Armada, after the dreaded passenger side radiator crack (just like the OP), but, if I may, I wil add a step that will make things a bit easier: Before removing the fan shroud completely, if you go underneath the truck, there are 3 clips holding the bottom half of the shroud in place, unclip those, lift up, and pull back (towards the motor), the lower shroud should come right out. Then when you remove the 2 screws holding the whole shroud in place, the top shroud should come out completely. This makes it a lot easier when you remove the fan (pain in the a** btw) to pull the radiator out.

There... my first post, and I managed to add something useful for the next person that has to do this.
 
#16 ·
Well I just had the same problem with my 05 Armada happen this weekend.. same exact location. also while towing.. and luckly i was backing up into my driveway when it happend. by the looks of it I got really lucky. I currently have 125K miles on my Mada. Thanks for the step by step. #1 on my list for this weekend. Has anyone found the OEM part cheaper. I seen it online for as low as $140 but makes me suspecious when everyone else is paying alot more.
 
#19 ·
Great thread, thank you for sharing!

I'm thinking about some preventative maintenance. We've owned our 2007 Armada since July 2012 and love it. I recently DIY replaced all the tranny coolant hoses and clamps after an unexpected leak. Upon further review, and considering the truck now has 85k miles, it seems like a good idea to order a Stillen radiator.

Below is the pdf install guide link for the Titan/Armada/QX56 Stillen radiator for reference.

http://www.thenismoshop.com/assets/images/stillen/401441inst.pdf

Or search the web for '401441inst.pdf' if the link is no longer available.

Does anyone know why prices on this unit seem to be going up? Any thoughts for ordering at a good price?

Regards,
Lotastyle
 

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#22 ·
Thanks for the write up! I'm about to do this on my 05 QX once my Koyo arrives. Does the Armada have a huge cooler blocking the radiator as well? This thing blocks the whole radiator and from the pics I see of the Armada it looks like it's only a small cooler bolted in front of the radiator.
 
#23 ·
You must mean the AC condenser. It attaches to the Radiator, and the lower front Radiator support via mounting tabs.
Once you get the radiator out, putting it back in, with this damn thing is probably the biggest pain of the process. But, like all things, its an acquired yet patient skill that will help.

I had a harder time pulling the fan shroud until I read the tech manual. Make sure you have enough lighting, and if you can have your smartphone, or tablet handy so you can reference the info compiled here.

Good Luck, and please post pics of the Koyo before you pop that beast in!!!!!
 
#26 ·
Sorry I posted this in the general discussions area then found this thread.

I just installed a new radiator today but I have a couple of concerns:

1) My AC doesn't seem to be working, no cool air
2) I noticed the fan, behind the radiator isn't spinning even with the AC on but the temp gauge looks normal. Shouldn't this fan be spinning at all times? (I removed this fan to have more room to take the radiator out. Bad idea???)
3) I hear a hissing noise coming from the drivers side area of the radiator (see pick)
4) I've heard a grinding noise a couple of times I started the car, thinking it could be the fan trying to spin maybe?

Took me about 4 1/2 hours to get the darn thing in and I'm just baffled now with these issues.

Any help is appreciated. I hope I didn't screw up my mada.
 
#27 ·
Hope you didn't pinch the AC condenser lines.... as for the grinding sound... drivers side?.... weird.

And yes, you did right by removing the fan. I say go over the install, and double check that all the parts are in place properly.
Next, and this may get expensive, take it to get the AC checked out. Either you ran out of freon, or it leaked out without you noticing it.

I'm not a fan of having to replace the radiator on my truck, but had to do it twice, so far without a hitch.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I hope thats not the case. Is this part of the AC condensor line? Because during the install, my buddy loosen this and noticed it was releasing pressure. We thought it was coolant because green stuff was being released. I believe this is where the hissing may be coming from right now. After driving around to test it yesterday to pressurize the cooling system, came back home and parked turned the engine off and a hissing sound is heard in this general area. My dad suggested that it could have been the air in the cooling system being released due to the pressure since air probably got in when we filled up the coolant.

If low or no Freon is the case, is it hard to recharge the freon? I'm almost betting thats the issue.
 

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#31 ·
Yeah I followed the directions from titantalk. It wasn't mentioned but one step was to remove all lines from the radiator and then there was a pic of the radiator and tranny cooler out together.

I think the hardest part for me was getting those 4 nuts started that hold the fan to the water pump when I was reinstalling it.
 
#34 ·
I think Koyo is all metal? I purchased a CSF radiator locally because couldn't wait to have my mada back on the road. Temps in my area are 100+ degrees and the CSF has been great so far, no issues. Have kept a close eye on the temp gauges and all are where they are suppose to be.
 
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