Radiator Removal
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,621
Likes: 206
From: Orlando FL
Due to a cooling problem and not to long after I got my 94 in 03 I replaced the radiator and thermostat. The GM replacement that came was a bit thicker than the original which did help. But given the age of the car and not knowing what maintenance it had before I got it I change the coolant once a year. Drop the lower hose and at least give it a hose flush.
This give me the best chance of keeping things running good. The heater core was clogged originally but still needs to be cleaned about once a year also. I tried 2 years but can feel the difference in heat (for the 3 weeks we need it in Orlando). Junk always comes out of core and radiator.
If you think my maintenance is excessive it might be for another car but not this vette. It needs some extra TLC and just trying to stay ahead of the curve.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 180
Likes: 5
From: Williamstown, wv
They charged me $65.
They told me they always replace the side tanks after removing since they tend to get brittle over time...and its like an $8 or $10 part or something.
A new OEM radiator is probably $130-150. Aftemarket ones like a DeWitts can be $500+.
So it's definitely cheaper to get it professionally cleaned. I ran a garden hose with pressure through mine and did did get a lot of gunk out, but not everything. I actually had a powerwasher, but was scared spraying it would mess up or bend the fins. When I took it to the shop, they powerwashed the core. So apparently that was okay to do.
They also use a "bar" that looks like a dipstick except it is about 1" wide. They run it back and forth through each tube to get all the gunk out. Much like cleaning the barrel of a gun. The bottom half of my tubes were clogged. They sprayed a powerwasher through the end that still had the side tank attached and when the water came out the end of the tubes, it shot up like the Bellagio Hotel on the top half of the tubes, but the bottom half, barely anything came out.
They told me they always replace the side tanks after removing since they tend to get brittle over time...and its like an $8 or $10 part or something.
A new OEM radiator is probably $130-150. Aftemarket ones like a DeWitts can be $500+.
So it's definitely cheaper to get it professionally cleaned. I ran a garden hose with pressure through mine and did did get a lot of gunk out, but not everything. I actually had a powerwasher, but was scared spraying it would mess up or bend the fins. When I took it to the shop, they powerwashed the core. So apparently that was okay to do.
They also use a "bar" that looks like a dipstick except it is about 1" wide. They run it back and forth through each tube to get all the gunk out. Much like cleaning the barrel of a gun. The bottom half of my tubes were clogged. They sprayed a powerwasher through the end that still had the side tank attached and when the water came out the end of the tubes, it shot up like the Bellagio Hotel on the top half of the tubes, but the bottom half, barely anything came out.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 805
Likes: 3
From: Waco TX
I just used a garden hose to run through the radiator and through the fins, got almost nothing out of the radiator but did have some build up in the fins, but my whole problem was the plastic bag. It is nice to know what I m getting into if I ever have cooling issues in the future.
