Radiator replacement.

[Jeepster]

I’ve just acquired a radiator that’s in pretty good condition to replace my existing rad ( that’s in a less good condition), on my BJ8.

Is is this a straight forward swap, or are there any tips or tricks I should be aware of?

My main concern is how to get the bottom hose off/back on once the rad is swapped.

Thanks

 

[bob hughes]

Jeepster

I have completely forgotten how I did mine, but looking at the BJ7 ( the BJ8 should be no different) I would go about it as follows.

1) drain the rad - obviously

2) remove the upper rad hose

3) sliding your hand down the side of the rad remove the top and bottom retaining bolts, I think that I removed the bottom brackets completely as I was going to remove the engine.

4) the rad should be able to move forward at this point and with some luck you should be able to see and get access to the bottom hose jubilee clip. You can release it and grab the bottom hose and tease it off the spigot.

Quickly checking the Good Book, they advise removing the bottom hose fixings at the water pump and the copper heater pipe but this would then mean bending the pipe at the cross bar near the bottom of the rad to feed it through the gap, - I do not think that I did it that way.



Bob

 

[Deleted member 21878]

being able to work from under the car is a big help.
as i recall the radiator is off the cross brace just a little so you can reach up and undo the clamp on the lower end of the lower hose. can't remember exactly but i may have gotten access to those bottom side bolts from below on the front side of the radiator.

it might even be easier to undo the brackets from the frame and pull out with the rad. but i think you want them losely attached to the frame when you put the rad back in.

 

[steveg]

I've done this several times in the last year. It's easier if you raise the front of the car - for #4 below.
1) drain rad; remove upper hose.
2) loosen but don't remove the nuts/bolts affixing the lower brackets to the frame crossmember. This will allow slight movement on rad removal.
3) loosen but don't remove the upper bolts. They will support the rad until you remove it.
4) remove bolts affixing lower brackets to sides of radiator. Leave brackets in place on frame crossmember.
5) underneath car: rotate bottom of rad forward to access, loosen and remove the lower hose*. You may be able to pry it off the stub. You can probably wiggle it back and forth from above to loosen it on the stub.
6) remove upper mount bolts and lift out radiator

* If you can't access the lower hose clamp and have to undo the lower hose from the water pump, it's pretty soft and you should be able to remove it from the heater pipe without bending it.

For new rad installation, reverse above.
Lower rad hose, make sure hose clamp screw is pointed downward for accessibility.
For upper mounts, suggest substituting 1/2" longer bolts with spacers to move the bolt heads outside of mount channels for accessibility.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

When you reinstall the hoses, smear a little bit of silicone grease--like the dielectric stuff--on the inside end of the hose. Will make removal a lot easier in the future.

 

[Keoke]

Have look good radiator pressure tested

 

[Michael Oritt]

IMHO the easiest way is to have a helper with the car up on four jackstands, one person working from underneath and pushing the radiator up while the guy up top guides the rad out. Because the hood on 100's opens from the rear it is essential to be able to angle the rad back as it comes up and out. I remove all hoses first, then the rad.

 

[MarkP]

From years of working on my own vehicles, to include replacing coolant hoses, there are two tactics that make the job easier.

- Old hose rubber that is clamped to an inlet/outlets typically becomes brittle and hard to remove. I just slice them open with a razor blade and toss them in the trash. Why waste the time trying to twist them off.

- Apply a thin coat of vaseline to the inside of the new hose. Makes sliding them on and moving to the correct depth much easier.

 

[HealeyRick]

Might want to cover the fin surfaces with a sheet of cardboard when installing the new one to protect against accidental damage during the install. Also, as MarkP suggests, it's a good time to replace the old hoses so you just might as well cut them out and put in new ones to make it all easier.

 

[Jeepster]

All good advice. Thanks.