87 B150 Van Radiator Change Out

From : pak

Q: looks like my radiator is shot. as soon as engine is warmed up have lots of leaks and steam. also have a transmission cooler not sure if it is attached to radiaotor or seperate. not sure if radiator or cooler is where the leaks are. anyway is there anyone out there who has tackled this job and can offer any advice i have replaced radiators on cars before but havent tackled the van ever surroundinig real estate looks somewhat congested. .

Replies:

From : bryan swadener

pak never had a van... im thinking youll just have to cowboy up and do it... remove whats in the way to r&r it. it should have a heat-exchanger in the bottom for the transmission. a separate cooler is a good idea if you plan on doing any regular heavy-duty use w/ it. if you want to have yours recored it likely will cost nearly as much as just replacing it. while youre in there change the thermostat if its been a while since the last change and use a new radiator cap. most radiator suppliers will guarantee their parts only if you do so. the radiator in my 77 d200 not original owner was cold-blooded and then would boil over w/ the slightest load. the radiator had a lot of deposits in it and the top tank was starting to separate from the core so i looked into a replacement. performance radiator http//www.performanceradiator.com/ it was supposed to have a 3 row radiator but i could step up to a 4 row... which i did. when i pulled the old one out i found it was a 2 row! likely someone changed it out for one from a ton truck. no matter -- i wanted the most cooling i could get. then after i filled the new radiator and started the engine radiator cap not yet installed i noticed the coolant rushing past... not right for a stone-cold engine. the bonehead before me had removed the thermostat! oy! bryan 77 d200 400/auto stump-puller looks like my radiator is shot. as soon as engine is warmed up have lots of leaks and steam. also have a transmission cooler not sure if it is attached to radiaotor or seperate. not sure if radiator or cooler is where the leaks are. anyway is there anyone out there who has tackled this job and can offer any advice i have replaced radiators on cars before but havent tackled the van ever surroundinig real estate looks somewhat congested. .