whats good maxima family i got a 01 max i was at the drive thru with my boo and we start to see smoke so im like wtf? when i popped the hood i noticed coolant was sprayed thruout diffrent areas under the hood so i started to check see whats the problem i noticed on the top of the radiator the black plastic part was leaking from the left side drippping down to the fan and then getting sprayed everywhere does that mean i need a new radiator? thanx ahead for the help

 

Clean it up and find the leak. Best bet is the radiator or hoses.

 

Yes, you need a new radiator.

If you can wait a couple of days, there is a group deal for Koyo radiators. They are much better than the Nissan radiator. You can find cheaper radiators, but they won't have the same quality.

Link to radiator group deal

 

ok thanks alot bro

 

Sounds like a bad radiator. But first check all hoses and the radiator cap

 

Ya, if i remember right, there is an issue with the radiator by where the overflow hose is. Could just be a line though. But worst case scenario, replacing a radiator really isnt to bad.

 

ok cool thanx another question lets say i need to get home and i place like a towel to soak up the drip so it wont fall onto fan to then spray it all over will i be able to drive it till i replace the radiator providing i check the levels of the coolant???

 

Ehh, I mean, how far are you driving? 2 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles? Autozone and advanced usually have those radiators in stock(if thats whats leaking) and it shouldn't take to long to put in.

 

If it's not leaking so much that you are overheating regularly then you should be fine doing that for a short, temporary period. The longer you drive on it, the worse the leak will develop though. So I wouldn't take it on any road trips or anything. Lol.

 

ok yea about 3 miles i actually seen some radiators for 40 bucks on ebay i think ill get one for the time being see how long it last every where else they cost more $$$

 

the engine will be at regular temp, so no matter what you do it will spray anywhere. A new radiator and you will be golden.

 

ok cool yea imma just get the new radiator and not take no chances

 

Spend $60 on a good name brand and just be done with it. This is a TYC/Koyo brand.

 

Ya, i agree with Tom, i bought a cheap one and it only lasted about 2 months and I had to buy another one, but i spent a little more and got a decent one. Its not to bad of a job, but why do it more than once?

 

truu make sense thanks guys imma look into that thanks for the info

 

Hey BxMuLTiFLow,

Any luck on swapping in a new radiator? I sprung a leak yesterday driving home and when I read your post, it sounds like I experienced the exact same thing you did.

I'd definitely be interested in what model/brand you went with and any steps you took to remove/install the new one (people on this post have said it isn't too bad to DIY).

Thanks in advance... Any help you can offer from your experience is massively appreciated.

 

Drain the coolant from the rad, unplug hoses and fan, unbolt the top clamps and pull it out, Replace the fan on the new rad, then hook er up. Fill up the rad with coolant and start up the car with the rad cap off. Once the thermostat opens the coolant will drop, you can rev the engine a bit to speed up the process, fill it up until it doesn't drop anymore, then fill up the coolant res. hope this helps.

 

Let me be sure I have what you said so it's straight in my mind:

1. Drain the coolant from the rad (Should I drain the reservoir as well?)
2. Unplug hoses and fan
- Off hand, do you know # of hoses total I should expect?
- Should I have something to plug/clamp shut any that might leak?
3. Unbolt the top clamps and pull it out
4. Replace (I assume you mean "attach" or "install") the fan on the new rad
5. Hook er up (Steps 3-1)
6. Fill up the rad with coolant
7. Start up the car with the rad cap off
8. Once the thermostat opens, the coolant will drop
9. Rev the engine a bit to speed up the process
10. Fill it up until it doesn't drop anymore
11. Then fill up the coolant res
12. Hope this helps (Immensely, Thank you!)

 

Just let all the coolant drain I till it stops. No need to plug anything to stop the flow. It should take you less than an hour to do the job. Once you look at it you will know exactly what needs to get done.

 

ok guys well im waiting on the radiator now it should get to me in a few days im gonna def follow the steps on this thread but one question i heard on an automatic u might have tranny fluid coming out of one of the hoses is that true??

 

Yep, that sounds correct. I got my Koyo rad yesterday... installing as i am typing this. Ill keep it updated.

 

cool thanx bro do keep me in the loop ill be checking

 

Okay cool, so I finished. It took just about an hour to do. They is a very fine write up with pics here:

https://maxima.org/showthread.php?t=594235

Couple pieces of advice that I believe are stated in the thread.

1. Carefully remove the plastic clips on the holding the splash guards under the engine bay, unless you have some spares on hand.
2. Carefully remove the clips holding the fan lines to the fan assembly. Now that I think about it, im not sure if you totaly need to take them off. I did, and I think it helps with manuevering.
3. Your new rad should come with little rubber plugs covering the transmission lines. Take those off and pop them onto the old radiator when you remove the lines... it will realy help to keep the old rad from gushing fluid.

I burped the system with the rad cap off for a little under 15 mins. Checked for leaks. Took for a test drive. Checked the levels. Temp looked good. Hope this helps!

 

The seals on OEM radiator are sh*t but the good news that a radiator is only $100-200 depending on brand

 

how many gallons of coolant did it take to fill it up?? what did you use???

 

Let's see. I did not do a full flush of the coolant. I left the reservoir alone and whatwver drained from the engine drained. But I dont believe there is that much in there.

I saw some threads and general info online that said your should do a distilled water flush, but I found plenty of other info that says otherwise.

Lonh story short, I ended up using about a 1.25 gallons to fill the new radiator and top after during the burbing process.

I bought two gallons to be safe but also had about 1/3 of a galllon from when my radiator started leaking. So you are probably safe and which way with two gallons.

 

wow what a job and what a relief to have it fixed and to have my max back i was able to buy the koyo tyc 2329 radiator for 55$ brand new came in a blue and white box i would have to say that besides the tranny fluid everything else was great thanx to my wife she helped out a little and i did the job at night would have helped to do it in the day time but hey got it done im really glad this forum is here the writeups were great i did all that was on the lists and took my max for a spin and everything is everything im back in bizzness so u can catch me doing 80 in a 55 again LoL i wanna thank everyone in the maxima fam for the great help good lookin out

 

SWEET! glad she's back to normal.