Radiator or transmission line?

[Vincent Vega]

Yeah, I would never risk my engine and tranny to a junkyard radiator. If that internal tranny cooler goes, so goes your trans ....

You can order one off Amazon and have it in 2 days. Or if you have an AutoZone nearby they stock 'em.








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@Hamfisted are you still having good times with that Duralast radiator? Whats the update on that. Now that my timing tensioners, intake, and fuel pump and relay have gone south, radiator is probably next. Thanks

 

[Hamfisted]

@Hamfisted are you still having good times with that Duralast radiator? Whats the update on that. Now that my timing tensioners, intake, and fuel pump and relay have gone south, radiator is probably next. Thanks

Yeah, it's been fine for a couple of years now. The paperwork inside the box was all Spectra paperwork, so I guess that's what they're selling under their name brand now.





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[BigRed2004]

I completed the practice run at the junkyard today. Learned some good things and came away with some food for thought on my process when I go to do this.

What was learned:
To remove the fan shroud disconnect the top transmission line to move it over enough for a socket and ratchet. I don’t have a tiny ratcheting 8mm wrench. Otherwise I will had to go slow mode with a 8mm wrench.

Easiest way I found to remove the clutch fan was to attach a 10mm wrench to a bolt on the water pump pulley and rotate it to be 90 degrees to the right (driver’s side) and then put a 1/2 inch socket on the pulley right above to to act as a stop. Without that socket the wrench won’t have enough resistance to stay under the pulley. Fan came off no problem after that.

Disconnecting the lower radiator hose is necessary to more easily remove the lower transmission line. It was such a tight space and the removal tool did not want to fully seat and allow for pressure. So I used a breaker bar to push the disconnect tool in while also leveraging the line out. Photo below shows the difficult space to work in.



If I take my time I will have no problems with the removal and install.

Food for thought:
I may want to invest in a retainer clip removal tool to deal with the ribbed clips holding the splash shield in place. At the junkyard I ended up ripping the splash shield out because my cat paw tool was not giving me enough leverage to remove the clips. And I want to keep the splash shield if possible.



I also need to make sure I have some rag towels down to catch the extra radiator fluid that will flow out of the hoses.

Hey, @Hamfisted do you have any suggestions for any of this to make it a little easier? Im trying to not buy more than I have to in the way of tools. I plan on getting new hoses so I don’t have to worry about trying to ‘line the clamps up’ with their impressions on the old hoses for a better seal.

 

[whtbronco]

Just cut the head off the plastic tree retainers with side cutters and punch the rest through the hole. They are really not made to be reused and after 20yrs they might break. You can pick them up for like $1-2 each in the help section at the auto parts store. Those things are tough to get out and are usually in pretty bad shape after removal. Napa has the best selection around here. I have various tools to remove them, none of the tools work well enough to save the retainers

Harbor Freight also sells a box full of plastic retainers that have been very helpful, but it's $18, was on sale this past weekend for $10. I've used this kit for lots of different retainers, like those screw in type in the upper air deflector. I use push in style in place of those.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-plastic-fastener-kit-240-piece-57671.html

Try a 1/4" socket with extensions for the small bolts, that's what I use.

It feels very strange, but I push the trans line release tool in until it just barely clicks/releases. Then pull the tool and the line together and the line comes out easy. Any other way I have struggled to the point of anger.

 

[BigRed2004]

Thanks for the advice @whtbronco. I was becoming angry with that bottom line, but I was just working through the process at the local pic-a-part to understand everything. For all I know when I do it on my EB it’ll be hassle free like the top one was.