How to Remove a Car Radiator
Your vehicle's radiator helps cool the engine by accepting radiator fluid that cycles through the engine and acts as a heat sink. The fluid then enters the radiator, which is highly conductive. A fan blows against the radiator to dissipate the heat. The radiator must act as a heat sink to function properly. If it can't, your engine will overheat. Radiators' biggest problem is that they rust. This is often caused by not flushing the radiator fluid regularly or filling the radiator with too much water and not enough coolant. If your radiator rusts, you'll have to remove it.
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Instructions
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1
Place the radiator fluid catch pan underneath the radiator.
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2
Remove the lower radiator hose by loosening the hose clamp on the lower radiator drain hose with a screwdriver and pulling the hose off. Drain the coolant into the catch pan.
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3
Remove the upper radiator hose by loosening the hose clamp on the upper radiator hose with a screwdriver and pulling the hose off the radiator.
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4
Squeeze the release tab on the electrical plug connected to the electrical fan and pull the plug out of the fan.
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5
Remove the four bolts holding the electric fan to the radiator and remove the fan by pulling it straight out of the engine bay. Some vehicles do not use a radiator-mounted fan and instead the fan is mounted to the engine block. If this is the case, you do not need to remove the bolts holding the fan to the radiator or remove the fan. If the fan is bolted to the radiator, however, you'll need to remove the fan.
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6
Remove the radiator mounting bracket bolts on the top right and left side of the radiator.
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Remove the lower radiator mounting bolt. It should be in the center of the radiator at the base of the unit.
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Pull the radiator out of the vehicle.
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Tips & Warnings
For specific information regarding the removal of the radiator in your vehicle, consult the particular vehicle's manual (see Resources).
