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Replaced my radiator this weekend. As others have noted, it is really the pits.
1999 9-3 SE Auto
Had a leak in the radiator and the shop wanted $900 (!!) when the parts from Eeuro were only $220. Seems like a no-brainer, right?
I think this is a job that would be a lot easier on a 5-speed NG900S, but on a turbo/auto car it is just awful.
You have to remove pretty much everything. To start, you should remove/detach the following:
Headlights/indicators
Splash shields
Front bumper/foglights
Air intake hose
Turbo bypass valve air hoses
Intercooler, charge air hoses
Turbo heat shield
Boost pressure controller should be detached and tucked out of the way
After taking all that off, you can drain the radiator. I used the drain plug, which is under the battery. Tough to reach and especially annoying when you have attached a hose to it. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't draining, but then realized I had forgot to open the reservoir cap. It really dumped the coolant after that. My drain pan was undersized for the 7L or so of coolant.
At this point you can start taking stuff off the radiator:
Lower/upper radiator hoses
~4 8mm screws which attach the oil cooler and A/C condenser to the radiator
2 screws holding the fan shroud
2 plastic electrical connectors to the fan
An A/C wire is bracketed to the left edge of the radiator, so remove that when you can reach it.
At this point you will need to detach the power steering hose from the PS pump. It's going to spill some fluid. You can bend it up and out of the way. Actually it might be better to remove the hose and the reservoir altogether. I didn't think of it but it would simplify things.
I also loosened the battery to push it over a little and gain 3/8'' wiggle room or so.
The fan shroud can slide out relatively easily at this point.
With the fan out of the way, you should be able to see two hard metal lines attached to the left side of the radiator. These contain ATF, and some of it will spill when you detach the bolts. Be careful not to lose the backside washers on the banjo bolts.
I was forced to manhandle these hard pipes a lot more than I was really comfortable with, but they seem none the worse for wear. I don't think it is possible to remove the radiator without manuevering them up and out of the way.
Now, the radiator is still held by two clips at either edge near the top. They are "W" shaped spring clips which can be removed by compressing the center with pliers.
You will also need to detach the A/C condenser from the radiator. You already removed some 8mm screws at the bottom of the condenser, but it is still hanging from some plastic brackets. Push the condenser up and pull it clear from the brackets. You should hang the condenser from a zip tie or something so it's not just supported by the refrigerant lines.
So now the fun part -- everything should be detached from the radiator at this point and as out of the way as we can manage. The radiator is supported now at the top by a post with a rubber boot on it at each side. By pushing the radiator toward the engine you should be able to get the posts free of their brackets.
At this point it is mainly a matter of wrestling and trying to keep various pipes and hoses out of the way. The A/C pipe under the battery is a BIG problem here. You can detach it from a clip on the subframe to get a tiny bit of extra give. Ultimately I ended up pushing the left corner as far left and forward as possible until I was finally able to get the right foot clear of the A/C pipe and then the other pipe (brake line I think).
Once I got the right foot clear of the main impediments in its way, I was able to shove everything to the right and try to clear some of the crap at the left side. I seem to remember the hoses to the boost pressure controller were one of the obstacles on this side.
Eventually I got it free! Sadly it is not a lot more fun to get the new one in place. At first glance it seems completely impossible to make it fit, but the same general process applies (shove it to left, clear obstacle on the right, shove it to the right, clear obstacle on the left etc etc)
Now reattach all that stuff!
I needed to replace a surprising amount of power steering fluid. Not really sure where it all went. Others have noted this too.
Refilling the coolant, I filled the reservoir and then massaged the upper radiator hose. You can feel and hear it sucking the coolant down. about 3-4 fills seemed to get things full again. Let the engine run for a while and topped up.
I have done a lot of work on this car but this is easily the worst job I have taken on. Probably 6+ hours for me over 2 days.
Hope this will be helpful to someone!
posted by 24.211.248...
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