[V8] Re: Radiator Replacement

[Buchholz, Steven]

... there are *supposed to be* 6 bolts that hold the bumper to the 5 MPH
bumper shock struts ... if you have a belly pan installed you will need
to pull this to get at them.  Before sliding the bumper out too far be
sure to disconnect the Kostal connector near the right front bumper
strut.  There may also be an additional wiring loom that runs along the
bottom of the bumper that you need to make sure is not clipped ...
recollection is a bit fuzzy.  The bumper slides forward and off ... you
may want to slide the bumper forward a couple inches and then crawl back
underneath to see if there are signs of wiring looms in tension.  I
don't see any need to mess with side marker lights or anything else ... 

The A/C condenser is attached to the front of the radiator.  You remove
the screws that attach it to the rad and the thing swings down and
underneath the engine.  

Drain the coolant and disconnect the rad lines to the upper and lower
fittings.  On the left side of the rad is the tranny cooler, you will
find two metal lines for the tranny fluid.  They are held in place by a
bolt, and IME they can be a real pain to get them loose.  Be advised
that you'll probably need to pry pretty hard to get them out ... but be
careful too!  Make sure that you get replacement O-rings for these lines
before starting!

I think there's a temp sensor or something that is tie wrapped in the
area that you need to get out of the way ... should be pretty apparent
to you by now if there is ... once it is out you should be able to
remove the radiator.  

One thing I'm also not getting a clear recollection on is the engine oil
cooler.  I'm pretty sure it is attached to the core support, but ISTR
that it is associated with the lower mount points of the radiator ... as
I recall I was able to leave the oil cooler rail suspended from the core
support ...

I know that I've posted this sort of info before ... and I didn't send
this earlier because it sounded like the person who was doing the job
had a manual to refer to ... that is what I would heartily recommend if
it is available to you ... 

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> Just did this and yes, it's about a 2 hour job if you remove the front
> bumper.  The bumper is basically held in by 4 nuts, 2 on each side.  I
> am not very technical because I had help on this but I am almost
> positive that removing these 4 bolts and 1 screw under the wheel wells
> will allow for your bumper to come out.  Of course there are some
light
> sensors and things to unplug, but not a lot.  Take the side marker
> lights out as well.  Once done, you will notice that you can drop the
AC
> condenser fairly easily.  Hope this helps.