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Sagging Radiator

2747 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Yachtie, 
TargetDan
Hi all,

Had to take my car into the main stealer yesterday to sort out a keyfob problem and while they were checking it over they noticed the rad was sagging quite a bit :shock:

Now I normally only use the stealers as a last resort, so I'm thinking of replacing it myself but wanted to check on some things first so I go in armed with at least some facts!

Does anyone know whether this is a crucial job ie now I know about it I should rearrange my weekend plans and sort it pronto? The dealer was quite keen I should fix it right away but then that might have been because they wanted to prize £900 out of my hand for it!

I'm assuming I need to do it pretty soon so I don't end up pulled over without any coolant. So the next question would be: how do i tell which rad I need? I have 2 choices from http://www.fastrads.co.uk/partfinder/?id=1&vrm=KV06JEL and not sure which one to choose. The only difference as far as I can see is one has ports for oil cooler connections and the other hasn't. Mine is a 2006 3.0 Auto so would I be right in thinking I need the oil-cooler version?

My 3rd question is has anyone done this job - the few posts I could find made it sound do-able but quite a painful one! As for my skill-level: I've done brake calipers/suspension struts and all the normal service items but I wouldn't tackle something like a cam-belt. If there's some special tooling I would need or its just plain awful I'd probably take it to a garage, but if it just needs a bit of time and elbow grease then I usually quite enjoy it :-D
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Roger Peatman
Quite a straightforward job to do once you have removed the undertrays - no need to remove the bumper or the A/C condenser/pipes - they bend out of the way with care. -
Be careful when removing the small diameter bleed hose from the top hose plastic "octopus" - they break off very easily and a new hose assembly is around £100.00 !!
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G
Had the same problem, bought my new rad from ECP £108 also changed the belt £20 look for there discount code on the net, not a bad job to do
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S
Got mine from Euro Car Parts for about £140 and let my indy fit it. They do have two different diameter trans cooler fittings so make sure you check.
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TargetDan said:
Does anyone know whether this is a crucial job

I'm assuming I need to do it pretty soon so I don't end up pulled over without any coolant
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Yes and would need an engine.

But if you delay it might not happen immediately. Feeling lucky?
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T
the sagging is caused by the fins rotting out.

My 1st try on my 2001 took about 3hrs, I know how to do it now.

The most time consuming part is getting the undertray off.

It's a little more tricky on the 2002.5 as the header tank is located with the rad.

£900!! That's theft.

TT
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TargetDan
Brill thanks for the input guys! Anyone know if i ned the oil cooler version? On ECP the oil-cooler ports are on the one which matches my VIN. Guess I can just have a look when I get the car back tomorrow
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TargetDan
Roger Peatman said:
Quite a straightforward job to do once you have removed the undertrays - no need to remove the bumper or the A/C condenser/pipes - they bend out of the way with care. -
Be careful when removing the small diameter bleed hose from the top hose plastic "octopus" - they break off very easily and a new hose assembly is around £100.00 !!
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Sounds like a pro tip - cheers :)

PS why are hose-type parts on our cars so easily broken?!! Already replace the expansion tank due to the dreaded leaky nozzle :p
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TargetDan
04str said:
Yes and would need an engine.

But if you delay it might not happen immediately. Feeling lucky?
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This made me laugh. Thanks for confirming my gut feel, weekend it is!
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TargetDan
twin--turbo said:
£900!! That's theft.

TT
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That's exactly what i thought! "Stealer" for a reason eh!
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Yachtie
Hi TargetDan,

I fitted a new rad to my 4.2 Sport (MY 2004) yesterday. Started at 9am and finished about 6pm, but that was done around watching F1 Qualy and Footie throughout the day.

As others have said it's a fairly straight forward job if you are reasonably handy on the spanners... I found the trickiest part was getting the old rad out past the pipes to the AC condensor, but just needed some gentle pushing/pulling. Refitting the new unit was easy. The connections at the rad for the autobox oil pipes have small o-rings, which I wasn't aware of, so best to renew those as well.

I am in Germany so ordered the new radiator from Eurocarparts.de for €130, it was £170 with them in the UK... funny thing is it was shipped DHL from Eurocarparts Wembly, London... bigger discount at the time in the Fatherland :-D.

Went for a test drive this morning and all good. Pic below of my new and old rads, you can easy see the 'sagging' on the bottom.

Cheers
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Yachtie
Here's the pic, forgot to ad to previous post

Grille Automotive radiator part Wood Rectangle Gas

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