Leaking radiator

[woody31]

The radiator is leaking in my SSV Ram 4.7 I need to know how hard it is to swap out?/ How long should it take?/ Any special area of concern? What type of coolant do I need? Owners manual is missing or I;d look it up. Thanks in advance.

 

[reindeerman]

Not that hard. I did mine in about an hours and a half. The antifreeze type is hoat. Napa has it and they call it G-5.

 

[Rustycowl69]

all rads are not created equal. I bought a new replacement rad from OReilly's for my Jeep, and it worked barely, just marginally not overheating. Just past warranty, it started leaking, too. What a piece of crap.

 

[Core-Lokt]

Agree with the comments above. I had 1 1/2 hours in it and the worst thing is getting the fan off the shaft. I have the spanner for it but there's other ways to do it.

I got a Spectra radiator. I've had it in for 18 months with no problems. One thing different about it was it had ears on the petcock rather than a recessed head with a slot like the original radiator. It's nice to be able to open it without getting a wrench.

EDIT: If you're in a small town, get the anti-freeze first. G-05 is not commonly found.

 

[woody31]

Does it have to be G-05 antifreeze? Parts store here says they have a brand that is compatible with all types of antifreeze. Can I mix the types safely? Thanks in advance.

 

[Core-Lokt]

G-05 is supposed to have anti-corrosive properties and I think is pH neutral.

Probably around four years ago, my water pump gasket started leaking. I got another pump and some 50/50 universal anti-freeze. Within a year, the pump started leaking again. I got another pump and since I was in a bigger city, I got what was called for in the manual.

When you look at the pump, you'll see a "freeze plug". Actually, I think that is a casting plug. It corroded from the inside-out. Is this coincidental? Completely unrelated? Maybe, but why take chances? If it's not in store, places like O'Reilly can usually get it next-day.

 

[woody31]

Ok thanks for taking the time to reply.. i;ll be sure to get what is needed.

 

[woody31]

About to go tackle this,,hope it goes smooth,,start time will be 1: 30 p.m.

Finished at 3:20 also fixed a evap hose making my check engine light come on..headed for test drive,,thanks for the replies..

 

[Core-Lokt]

Nice; you came in about the same time as others did considering you did something else while you were at it.