I have a small hairline crack on the top thats scarring the hell out of my. After just warming up the car yesterday, then shutting it off, the tiniest bit of fluid was leaking out with an even smaller bit bubbling out of the crack. Im scared to death that in just driving it around the cracks gonna bust open wide and my engine being shot all to hell.

I dont want to spend a lot of money getting this fixed, but my local rx7 mechanic says its a $2000 job (I know he cant possibly be telling me the truth)


-What can I do to get this replaced for the cheapest? I dont need an aluminum upgrade and I dont need any of the hoses changed out either.

-Is it a simple swap that I can do on my own or should I go to another mechanic with the replacement pice and have him do it?

-Whats a good radiator that I should buy as a replacement? I googled "rx7 88 radiator" and got this : http://www.1aauto.com/1A/Radiators/M...AD00118/281470


Thanks

 

I epoxied my former 87NA for a temporary fix while I got a stock brass replacement from radiators.com.

 

holy crap dude, $2000??? I found a local shop to sell me a full-metal radiator (no plastic endcaps) for just over $50 I think. between $50-70 for sure.

putting it in is really a cinch, handtools and patience. everything is upfront, easy to get to. you will probably want a friend to help you lift the new one in without banging the fins. BE careful of the fins!!!

good luck.

edit: maybe it was $150 heh heh heh. still a lot less than 2 G's

 

honestly you could do it yourself like i did

is ur car a S4 or S5???

raidiators have been covered much throught out this forum

either custom fab one (lost of monies) i went koyo with an S4, it was a direct swap, idk about the fluidyne radiator

and with the S5 you have to do some custom fab from what i heard to put in an aftermarket one


I got my koyo radiator off of this company call absolute radiator

http://www.absoluteradiator.com/

 

I have an S4


I tried looking through the search in these forums, but every thread Ive read assumes I know what Im doing.

I imagine the radiator is fastened into place with screws, maybe 2 or 3 hoses connected to it, and thats about it.

What worries me is if I dont tighten things enough on the replacement that it will "pop" and my engine would overheat jsut the same as if my older radiator cracked.


Anyone have any "child-like" instructions on how to do it?

 

Pull the level sensor on top,
the fan, (use a 10mm box end wrench - an open end wrench will round of the nuts)
the fan shroud,
the hoses,
the thermo sensor plug,
then the radiator.

 

Im looking at radiotors for sale online and websites are saying that most of the cheap ones are non turbo...


Is there even a difference between radiotors for n/a and tii??

 

not that i know of but yeah its 2 level of hardness on a scale of 1 to 10. should take only like 45 min to 1 hour to fix buy yourself

 

Wheres berkley, ca? if its anywhere in socal drive it to me and i'll show you how to do it, just buy me lunch Theres no difference in na and TII rads unless its off an auto one (iirc) and I think napa sells replacement rads for about 180 bucks.

-Andrew

 

Berkeleys in NoCal


Whats Napa?

 

Its an auto parts store, my spare radiator is from napa and the reciept is from them, it held up well before i swapped it for a koyo. But when your talking prices in the 200 range, why not dish out another 50 or so to get in the koyo group buy unless its over.

 

if it opens and coolant goes everywhere, you'll know because of the familiar *BEEEEEEP* and add coolant idiot light
Oh, and watch the temp gauge XD

Go to a junkyard and get one. If you want a new one, just look at the dealers we use here...

Yes, it is an incredibly simple thing to do. All you have to do is unbolt it and take off the fan shroud and it comes right out. Prolly ought to drain the coolant first and unplug the hoses. Also, keep in mind that auto rx7 rads will fit on a stick shift rx7 but not the other way around. Autos have two fittings for hoses coming out of the bottom that point up for the tranny cooler.

That, and there are tons of rx7's in nocal, so i doubt it will be too hard to find someone to come help you if you need it.

 

You don't really need to pull the fan, but it does make the job go a little easier and faster.

Assuming car is totally stock...

1) Remove snorkel from on top the radiator fan - this require removing a 10mm "screw" on the top to a "clip".

2) Unclip LOW COOLANT sensor on the top of the radiator.

3) Remove fan shroud bolts, one on each side - should be 12mm head.

4) Remove upper and lower radiator hoses - remove clamps to remove hoses on at least the radiator side.

5) Remove heater hose on low radiator pipe - this requires removing a clamp.

6) Check the lower driver's corner of the radiator - there is a temp sensor that needs to be disconnected. There should be two wire leads that pull right off - don't worry about polarity; they will work if connected in reverse no problem.

7) The radiator (and fan shroud) should be loose now - you can remove the fan and fan shroud together. Gently wiggle it around the stock, mechanical fan.

Stock replacement radiators should be under $200 locally.
Check the yellow pages for a radiator shop.

Good luck!


-Ted

 

if $200 is around the going price for a stock replacement radiator, check out EBAY. they have good deals on radiators. i see you have a TII and if you ever plan on modding it, now would be the time to spend an extra $50-$100 to get a great radiator. They have stockers for pretty cheap and alluminum radiators starting at $235.

follow REted's instructions, it's very simple. oh by the way, I love your avatar! cant beat happy time larry. have fun replacing your radiator and "Commence ta Jigglin"

 

I had my radiator made for 160 bucks. all aluminum...