Just installed grounding kit, and took the san for a test drive. Came back opened the hood and heard a hissing sound coming from the top of the radiator near the nissan sae badge(to the right of the cap). Bubbles were coming out and the wind had pushed most of it onto my engine cover ect. What should i do, can i drive like this, how expensive will it be to fix? All advice would be apreciated.

 

bump

 

Sounds like you have a pin-hole in the top of your radiator. This means that the cooling system will no longer be able to properly pressurize which reduces the boiling point of the coolant-water mixture (due to the higher than ambient pressure in the radiator). This also means that you will not be able to keep the radiator completely full (by pulling in coolant from the surge tank) because coolant will leak out of this hole.

You may be able to get a radiator shop to solder-fill this hole. But this will most likely be a short-term solution. It will likely hole-through again in the future. A new radiator is the best solution.

Good luck.

 

my radiator just popped too. Instead of using the 5/8" core that comes in the 02's, I bought a '99 with a 1" core from advance. Not sure if the code is still good, but I used LC123 and got the radiator for $115 shipped. There MAY be a little bit of mod work required for this, but i think its jsut the 'feet' of the fan assembly, nothing a little dremel cant take care of.

 

Well now i got another problem, i can either drain the rad, and put some anitfeeze in it and drive it home where i can have it fixed for cheap or i can pay 440 to have it done by the local tire shop down the road. I had to fill the rad with water to get back to school, and now it is filled with water. Do i have any options at all, or is the local shop the best way to go. I live 2hours away from school btw

 

$440?! holy sht! This is one of the easiest fixes you can perform yourself, and the radiator doesn't cost more than $150, DIY man....

 

Yea but do inhave the time and the tools. I am not much of a mechanic.

 

dont need to be a mechanic. if you know how to use a ratchet, and have some common sense, its all very simple.

 

A hot-water radiator consists of a sealed hollow metal container filled with hot water by gravity feed, a pressure pump, or convection. As it gives out heat the hot water cools and sinks to the bottom of the radiator and is forced out of a pipe at the other end. Anti-hammer devices are often installed to prevent or minimize knocking in hot water radiator pipes.

 

not a bad way to get 15 posts

 

Nissan plastic-topped radiators: a known problem when they get old.
Seems like they all go out at about 10 years or so. Cracks in the upper portion of the tank.

I epoxied one of mine and it held for about 6 months (if you can see exactly where the leak is)

 

Thanks for the info on the plastic top radiator. When I gave my "solder the hole" solution above, I did not realize this was the construction. Looks like I have about 3 more years on my 04 (bought in May of 03) before I start having problems. Now that I know, I will watch more carefully for the problem. Right now I'm at 101 K miles and look to put up to 200 K miles before I replace my Max. Love the car and the 6-speed, so I'm in no hurry.

 

The good news is that you can buy a new one from RockAuto or on Ebay for about $65 for the cheap one and $85 for the better one. The best ones run about $110. Easy install, also a good excuse to change out the 2 big hoses and do a couple drain/refills on the coolant.

 

Radiator is an important part of an engine of a car, performing as a heat exchanger. The coolant inside it absorbs the heat from the engine block and passes this to auto part where the belt-driven or electrical fans cool it down. Now, this radiation system may develop leakage with time and usage. Being a significant part, it calls for instant fixation.

 

nice choice in font color mr spammer

 

Sorry to bring up a post but i can't make new thread. So... I changed my radiator and and remember red fluid coming out of the tranny line for auto radiator. Do i refill the auto tranny fluid via dip stick hole? I felt the car chifting rough after radiator replacement.

 

Anyone know if there's any reason why OEM upper/lower hoses ordered online would not be the right part? I gave them to my wife's uncle and he said they don't fit the car--double-checked the part #'s. Are there cali. and fed spec'd hoses??

 

yes on automatics you fill it through the dipstick hole, park it on a level surface, leave it in park, and let it warm up. see how much you need to add, put it in the dipstick tube, then hold your foot on the brake and go to P, then R, then N, then D, then 2, then 1, without moving, and put it in park again. check the level and add more if you need to

 

I think I have been hit with the same radiator leak issue. I am filling up with water for a couple of days now. Is there a link for the items you folks purchased? Was it a direct fit? Any surprices when trying to replace the radiator?

 

2011 bump?!
Check the dates guy.

Radiator removal/reinstall is easy.
Disconnect hoses and reconnect, fill with fluid and burp the air out.