What model year did the C5 radiator switch from screw-on transmission line connections to quick-connect style connections? Mine is a 2001 with an annoying leak in the inlet tank and I''m shopping for a replacement. Eyeballing it looks to me like the usual screw-on tranny lines, but I thought the Forum could give me a quick heads-up. Also, any thoughts pro or con on a replacement? I see some all aluminum units in the $700 range but that is beyond my budget. The stock unit performed adequately and I'll probably go with that. All of this brings back memories of my cooling problems, seven years of them, with my beloved '78 Silver Anniversary - ended with a BeCool aluminum radiator ($500! Sure it'll drop right in! Not!). Though the car is long gone, that radiator is still one of the best things I ever bought in my life. If you're driving a C3 without an aluminum radiator, make that your next mod!

 

Thanks! I'll be taking a closer look at the fittings today - hoping to order a replacement by nightfall. Should be somewhat routine after I get the part! Thanks again!

 

Hi Mark. Did you find out about the fittings you needed? What did you decide to finally go with? Btw, your name brought back an old grad school room mate from Wheaton. Well, just in case you haven't ordered a replacement yet, or the one you ordered didn't work out, the info 8vette7 posted was spot on. It was 2001 when they started the switch to the fast connect fittings. Be careful with that however because there was also a change in size between the 97'-00' connectors and the later quick connects.

Regarding replacements; you can find some OEM types from as little as $70 online all the way up to $200. The cost difference seems to have nothing to do with quality. The nice thing about OEM styles are that they drop right in, but the bad thing about them is that they still have the plastic side tanks so they will eventually crack again. OEM styles are also typically only 1 row tanks vs AL types that are typically 2 rows. Thus the AL's will provide greater coolant capacity for lower temps (especially at higher rev's). Of course the AL units tend to have some slight setbacks of their own, such as A) more expensive, B) they may not have the appropriate connectors, and C) they tend to be larger so they are more difficult to install.

I'm currently trying to decide between an OEM style for $70, and a 2 row AL that I found from Pro Tuning Lab for $175.49 shipped. I want to call the manufacturer of the Pro Lab unit to make sure it will fit because they list it for a 99'-04' vettes, but with motors other than the LS1. I'll let you know what I find out.

 

Hey darnold! Thanks for the info. I wound up buying a replacement radiator from Spectre, about 140 bucks thanks to a mechanic friend buying it for me at a local parts store (it lists on RockAuto for over 200). Actually, tonight, at about 10 pm est we called a halt to the thrash, having removed the old radiator (pinhole leak on the very top of the plastic tank) and found out that the threaded fittings on the new piece were not the same size. I should be able to get a conversion fitting - no big deal - Monday and we'll try to finish up.

The job was a bear! Lots of out of the way fittings and clamps with indecipherable solutions to remove them. Careful and close-up study usually came up with a way to remove them. The fans and shroud went out the top of the engine compartment, the radiator slid out the bottom. It wasn't easy by any stretch. And, I still have to install the new piece. Having unscrewed and unclamped everything we could reach and find on the fans, the radiator, the condenser, and the front baffle piece, we finally got enough wiggle room to get the fans and the radiator out. A solid three-hour thrash. Hoping the installation goes easier. The old radiator was jammed with debris - you could easily make out the circle radii of the electric fans where the suction had filled the fins with stuff. I haven't posted any pictures yet, I haven't been a member for very long, but I'll try to do so soon so you can see my half-baked/completely baked style of wrenching.

I learned a lot about how the various pieces up front were constructed - not much is actually bolted to the car. The front baffle is held on by five screws up front; the condenser is bolted to that with some plastic connectors and also sits in plastic brackets on the radiator itself and the fans and shroud sit on similar brackets on the backside of the radiator. All of the various harnesses and hoses help locate these things and probable do a great deal in preventing flex in the radiator and condenser. I got 10 good years out of my the radiator (purchased in 2006) so I can't complain. Here's to 15 more trouble free years of cool Dex-Cool!

 

Well, a week has gone by and I'm no closer to finishing the radiator install. Got shut out at a couple of places where I thought I'd be able to obtain adapters of some sort to mate my 2001 threaded trans lines into the "replacement" radiator. No Joy! I then returned the "replacement" and ordered an AC/Delco Original Replacement radiator which arrived Friday last. Guess what! Same issue - trans line fitting too small for my tranny lines. So, Monday I'll take the old radiator, the new replacement from AC/Delco, and the problem to - the local dealership to see if: 1. Is there a true replacement radiator available from GM parts? NOS somewhere? The two radiators are identical except for the size of the fittings and the number embossed into the side of the outlet tanks. And no, ordering a replacement for a 2000 or earlier C5 gets you the same replacement that I received Friday. Alright, on to Question 2. Is there a part number for an adapter that gets me from the 3/8 fitting on the radiator to the 5/8 (I'm eyeballing here) fitting on the trans lines? Then if the Parts guy at the dealer can't help I'll stroll over to the Service Department, tell 'em my problem and see how they would solve it. This cannot be the first they've heard of it - they sell more Vettes than anyone else in Kentucky. If I can arrive at a solution, I'll be sure to include part#s and maybe even pictures to help the next poor slob who runs into this. I've seen several people with a similar issue, some just hot-rodded an adapter solution (and I may wind up doing that myself, later this week!) but I'd much rather have a radiator that accepts the stock lines or a simple adapter that doesn't have different sealing solutions. I'll be back in a few days with a progress report.

 

Nobody ever mentions the weight advantage pf the GM part when radiators are mentioned. My plastic radiator top split and I replaced it with the same GM part, well, the part they still sell. It works, it fits and is consumable , like most modern stuff. Not built to last, but it is designed for the car. Going bigger, better, more capacity, my stock design works, as designed , on a stock car.

 

Finally realized that I never finished this thread on my 2001 radiator replacement. The issue (really the only glitch in the whole replacement process) was the tranny lines - the fittings were not the same size as the ones on the radiator. Never able to find a radiator with the proper size threads. Trip to the local dealer resulted in a Meh! type reaction - I'll keep that in mind when time comes to buy a newer Vette. Couldn't find a proper replacement adapter for the fittings so, long story short, I cut the lines (AAIIGH!) and installed short rubber hoses to a couple of barb fittings my mechanic had on hand. I still can't believe that plenty of other C5 owners haven't had this issue. There has to be a part for this problem. At any rate here I am almost three years later and no issues. Radiator works fine, car runs cooler, just had a rear main seal replaced and new balancer installed (Thanks, Mike!) and looking forward to the next 100k miles. Items for this spring will include driver seat rehab, A/C issues, and resolving whatever is wrong with the CD player.

 

Mark,

Many of us have gone through the same hassle. I have an aftermarket rad waiting to swap into my 03. But I also found no source for the correct adapters to make it fit the OEM setup.
So I will likely do it with hose and barbed fittings as well.