I have a 2010 Maxima SV that one day I noticed I had a coolant leak. I called my local Good Year where I get the harder jobs done on my vehicles and they said it would cost about $800 dollars to replace all the radiator hoses on my car. Since I only noticed the smell after the car got to operating temperature and I only lost coolant about the size of a small pie plate I decided to try the job myself and save a ton of money.

I removed the underside engine protection and saw that the radiator hose from the engine to the mid pipe was slightly wet. I bought 3 gallons of coolant and both lower hoses as mine were original to the car. After I drained the fluid, I removed the upper radiator hose clamp but in the process of prying the upper hose off, the filler neck broke into several pieces, so I had to buy a new one ($33).

I next found that I couldn't access the clamp for the lower hose, so I cut a portion of the hose off and I had to buy a clamp tool ($33) from Harbor Freight. After struggling to remove the lower hose for over 2 hours off and on I finally got the new hose on. Due to how long it took and my frustration level being so high I decided to only change the hose from the engine to the mid pipe. All in all, I got the job done but it took me 6 hours and cost me $165 dollars and one busted knuckle, but its way cheaper than the $800 I was quoted by Good Year..

My car is coming up on 180k miles and this is the worst job I've had to do so far. It still drives great and I'll probably still have this car for another 5 or 10 years.

 

Good Work. I did the same thing a few years back and I too, had a broken filler neck! That is why, a few short months after all that work, when the radiator got a hole in it, I let someone else tackle it!

 

Nothing like a DIY.

had to replace radiator a few months back. Stealership was going to charge over $1500.

Took me about 3 hours to complete and under $100

i beleive you may have to drop bumper and other real estate to access that hose.

 

My car has been running like a champ and hasn't given me any major problems. When my radiator finally goes I'll see if I can tackle it first before I hand it off to a shop. I park inside and I was surprised how good my car still looks underneath after all these years.

 

I followed this video last year for my surgery.


only hiccup: lower AC line was blocking radiator for final extraction. With a little twist and turn, then…..hhhhhhsssssssssss,,,,hhhhhhssssssss.

traced and found the AC knuckle and slide back together. In the end, had to get AC recharged….line still good

saved a load of $$$$$$

 

Yeah, Youtube has been a lifesaver with all my vehicles. I already have a little knowledge and after watching a video or 2 I'm freakin dangerous.

 

did replacing the radiator fix the overheating and white smoke issue long term? I’m dealing with a similar situation on my ‘13 Maxima, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth trying a good aftermarket radiator or going OEM. Did anyone see better results with one over the other?

 

ended up taking way longer than expected to fix. Ended up spending a few hours and some extra cash on parts too, but at least it runs fine now. Also, while sorting some bills for car parts, I stumbled on Pedirayudas—super handy for info on aid, grants, and other resources in Spain.

 

My car is in the dealer right now for a coolant leak, Cost quoted to replace all the hoses, clamps and filler cap is $400. Now I don't feel so bad. They didn't have OEM parts readily available and asked if I'd like to after market for a lower price, I said no stick with the OEM, so I had to leave my car with them for 2 days until the parts arrived. Offered me a free loaner car, but I declined it.