1984 Rad replacement
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 187
Likes: 1
From: Rockford Michigan
[QUOTE=GMAN1953;1580795257]The port you speak of...did it have a plastic plug in place when you bought it? Mine has the two trans line ports and a couple of ports with a plastic plug...?
Regards; G[/QUOTE? I assume this is the low coolant
Regards; G[/QUOTE? I assume this is the low coolant
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
I don't remember mine having a plastic plug, I do know that the sensor just pushed into the hole.....I thought that it would never hold and that it would be blown out by the pressure, but as we type, here it is ~4 years later and it never blew out.
I'd leave that plastic plug in place and just see if it blows out.......from what I remember, that sensor was just plastic and it had "fins" (??) that were directional...in other words they allowed it to be pressed in rather easy, but looked like it would be a bear to pull it back out.....
I questioned it....then did what I was told and pushed it into place and it stayed there....I've not had to deal with it since then.....so I felt I did it correctly and allowed that part of my memory to fade.
I'd leave that plastic plug in place and just see if it blows out.......from what I remember, that sensor was just plastic and it had "fins" (??) that were directional...in other words they allowed it to be pressed in rather easy, but looked like it would be a bear to pull it back out.....
I questioned it....then did what I was told and pushed it into place and it stayed there....I've not had to deal with it since then.....so I felt I did it correctly and allowed that part of my memory to fade.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Norcross Georgia
I just bought the same radiator for my 1985 automatic. It does NOT fit. It is about 3/4" more narrow overall and the filler neck is up against the shroud as well as it not lining up with the condensor so the upper rubber grommets won't work. One side will line up, the other side wont. 
Taking mine back to NAPA tomorrow. VERY disappointed. Hope you had better luck.
Ok, I must have hit my head or something. Took the old and new radiator inside and the old one IS wider but only 1/8". I should be able to make that fit. I have no explanation of why the filler neck wasn't fitting or everything lining up. Pay no attention to the amateur over here.
Taking mine back to NAPA tomorrow. VERY disappointed. Hope you had better luck.
Ok, I must have hit my head or something. Took the old and new radiator inside and the old one IS wider but only 1/8". I should be able to make that fit. I have no explanation of why the filler neck wasn't fitting or everything lining up. Pay no attention to the amateur over here.
Last edited by cubetop; Jun 14, 2012 at 10:10 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 187
Likes: 1
From: Rockford Michigan
I just bought the same radiator for my 1985 automatic. It does NOT fit. It is about 3/4" more narrow overall and the filler neck is up against the shroud as well as it not lining up with the condensor so the upper rubber grommets won't work. One side will line up, the other side wont.
Taking mine back to NAPA tomorrow. VERY disappointed. Hope you had better luck.
Ok, I must have hit my head or something. Took the old and new radiator inside and the old one IS wider but only 1/8". I should be able to make that fit. I have no explanation of why the filler neck wasn't fitting or everything lining up. Pay no attention to the amateur over here.
Taking mine back to NAPA tomorrow. VERY disappointed. Hope you had better luck.
Ok, I must have hit my head or something. Took the old and new radiator inside and the old one IS wider but only 1/8". I should be able to make that fit. I have no explanation of why the filler neck wasn't fitting or everything lining up. Pay no attention to the amateur over here.
G
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Norcross Georgia
Got mine in and think I figured out why I was having "issues." One of the previous owners looks like they ran over a brick or something. There was no body damage but there was some "tweaking" around the radiator I think. The radiator that WAS in there wasn't the original, I'm pretty sure of that. The rubber grommets on the bottom were out of whack. I don't even think the top shroud is the correct one. The bolts to hold the air cleaner assembly down are epoxy to the shroud. (Maybe that's correct, I don't know.)
I had to shave a little off the shroud where the overflow tube goes and then I was good to go. No leaks, temps stabilize around 220. Both fans still kicking on. Looks like I'm back in business.
Anyway, thanks for the thread and words of encouragement. It's hard for me to work on cars anymore. I have a REALLY bad back that does NOT like being hunched over like that. Well, I'm sure my chiropractor is gonna love me for a few weeks at least.
I had to shave a little off the shroud where the overflow tube goes and then I was good to go. No leaks, temps stabilize around 220. Both fans still kicking on. Looks like I'm back in business.
Anyway, thanks for the thread and words of encouragement. It's hard for me to work on cars anymore. I have a REALLY bad back that does NOT like being hunched over like that. Well, I'm sure my chiropractor is gonna love me for a few weeks at least.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 443
From: Upstate NY
Just wanted to say that this solved a mystery for me on my 84. I know that the PO replaced the radiator and I have that spade connector and could not figure out what the heck was suposed to be attached to it.
Last edited by glava2876; Jun 15, 2012 at 01:11 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 187
Likes: 1
From: Rockford Michigan
Got mine in and think I figured out why I was having "issues." One of the previous owners looks like they ran over a brick or something. There was no body damage but there was some "tweaking" around the radiator I think. The radiator that WAS in there wasn't the original, I'm pretty sure of that. The rubber grommets on the bottom were out of whack. I don't even think the top shroud is the correct one. The bolts to hold the air cleaner assembly down are epoxy to the shroud. (Maybe that's correct, I don't know.)
I had to shave a little off the shroud where the overflow tube goes and then I was good to go. No leaks, temps stabilize around 220. Both fans still kicking on. Looks like I'm back in business.
Anyway, thanks for the thread and words of encouragement. It's hard for me to work on cars anymore. I have a REALLY bad back that does NOT like being hunched over like that. Well, I'm sure my chiropractor is gonna love me for a few weeks at least.
I had to shave a little off the shroud where the overflow tube goes and then I was good to go. No leaks, temps stabilize around 220. Both fans still kicking on. Looks like I'm back in business.
Anyway, thanks for the thread and words of encouragement. It's hard for me to work on cars anymore. I have a REALLY bad back that does NOT like being hunched over like that. Well, I'm sure my chiropractor is gonna love me for a few weeks at least.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Norcross Georgia
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 187
Likes: 1
From: Rockford Michigan
Heh. Thanks! As a side note. Do you remember how much transmission fluid came out when you disconnected the lower line? I swear I lost what seemd like a qt but when I checked the fluid, it was still reading full. (Tranny was at normal operating temp, in park on a level surface.)
These things sure are fun to drive!!!!
Regards; G
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Norcross Georgia
And don't let people give you hell about crossfire. I think it's a neat system. I had a Camaro that had crossfire FI and while it wasn't the fastest car ever, it always got a lot of looks when I popped the hood.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 187
Likes: 1
From: Rockford Michigan
I don't worry about what people think about my CrossFire...it has worked great for me and decent fuel mileage. It does have plenty of torque. and I really like driving it...pretty good shape for a 28 yr old car with 77 K on it....
Have fun!!!
G
Have fun!!!
G
