Tools for Replacing a Radiator

Series Summary

Your car is a complex machine made up of simple machines that have many different parts and processes that must be checked for breakage, leaks, and wear. A properly working radiator is essential for your engine. At some point you will need to remove and replace the radiator in your vehicle. Would you like to know how to remove and install a radiator yourself? The process is not as complicated as it sounds, and makes a great do-it-yourself weekend project. In this free auto repair video series learn how to replace your car radiator from certified mechanic Nathan McCullough. Nathan will tell you what tools you will need and what steps it takes to replace a radiator in a car. He will also demonstrate how to de-pressurize the coolant system in your car, how to drain your radiator, how to remove the air intake duct, how to remove your radiator hoses, how to remove the radiator fan shroud, how to remove your radiator, how to install a radiator, how to remount a radiator fan shroud, how to attach your radiator hoses, how to refill your radiator coolant, and how to install your intake duct work.

Video Transcript

"In this clip, we're going to talk about the proper service procedure for removing and reinstalling your vehicle's radiator. In this step, we're going to talk about the tools and supplies necessary in order to remove and reinstall your vehicle's radiator. What I have here in front of me first and foremost is a standard and metric half inch, three-eighths and quarter inch drive socket set. You're going to want to make sure to have a quarter inch driver in small sockets for the tight places you're going to need to fit into. I also have a pair of channel locks. This is for removal of permanent tension spring loaded hose clamps. I of course have some coolant in case we need to top off our radiator after service. A funnel, try to stay as environmentally friendly as possible, keep spillage to a minimum. And a magnetic tray. We're going to put all our fasteners off that we remove so we don't lose them to reinstall. And what I have here are some swivel sockets. As you can see here, this is a three-eighths. You may need to use one, both or a combination of them. You can see the angles you get out of these swivel sockets. They allow you to turn your sockets at greater than a 90 degree. I got a quarter inch swivel socket as well. This will greatly reduce the stress and trouble in switching your radiator. I also have a drain bucket. We're going to use this to capture the coolant from our drain cock instead of just letting it spill all over the place. We're going to drain the radiator prior to removing it. These are the tools and supplies necessary in order to remove and replace your radiator."