leaking radiator sportrack 1.6 elxi

Forum: 

How do I get the radiator off a sportrak K reg elxi -mine has developed a leak and I would like to have a go at repairing myself?

RADIATOR REMOVAL

HI LETS GO
1. disconnect the ground cable terminal from the negative(-)terminal of the battery.
2. drain the coolant as follows:
[1] REMOVE RAD CAP
[2] REMOVE THE ENGINE UNDER COVER.
[3] DRAIN RAD AT DRAIN VALVE ON BOTTOM OF RAD.
[4] TIGHTEN DRAIN PLUG.
3.
(1) DISCONNECT RAD RESERVE TANK HOSE FROM RAD.
(2) REMOVE TANK LIFT UPWARDS.
(3) LOOSEN THE ADJUSTING BOLT AND TWO TIGHTNING BOLTS
TEMPORARILY REMOVE POWER STEERING PUMP.
(4) REMOVE THE 3 CLAMPS HOLDING CLUCTH CABLE ON FAN SHROUD.
(5) REMOVE AIR CLEANER BOLT ON SHROUD.
Diablo REMOVE THE CLAMPING BOLT AND DETACH THE CLAMP.
(7) DISCONNECT REST OFF HOSES.
(8) REMOVE 2 ATTACHING BOLTS ON FAN SHROUD THEN DISCONNECT SHROUD LOCK FROM RAD.
(9) REMOVE FRONT GRILLE.
(10) REMOVE THE FOUR ATTACHING BOLTS.
(11) LEAVE FAN SHROUD HOOKED OVER FAN NOW LIFT OUT YOUR RAD.

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS CALL STEVE ON 07733370038 IM BASED IN LYMINGTON HAMPSHIRE SO41 8YA GOOD LUCK CHEERS STEVE.

Many thanks . A piece of cak

Many thanks .
A piece of cake then (not).
How long do you reckon it will take Unknw
Is it as diffiult as it sounds Unknw
And most importantly will I break a nail ???

time taken

roughly 1hr to remove if your going to the trouble of removing it id recomend having a new rad-core fitted, this will cost you around 95.00 quid. this sounds alot but the sportys have a habbit of blowing head gaskets, ive found this mainly to be due to blocked waterways in the rad and head. when you remove the top hose that connects to the metal pipe ontop of the exhaust manifold, have a look inside you should find this has plenty of corrosion in the bottom of the pipe,
on my sporty i have replaced this with a stainless steel pipe to elimanate this problem. also when i do a oil change i flush the coolant system as well, when the rad gets re-built they fit new core and do all repairs to the top and bottom tank on the rad, this is then put back to gether and pressure tested before its returned to you with 12months warrenty.
hope this will help you were in the country are you?

Im in cardiff and havent foun

Im in cardiff and havent found anywhere to do this yet -but have only just started looking.
Im assuming ive got a leak but Im not too sure. Water on the road which has never happened before but when I looked underneath nothing much to see as there is a bar in the way.

rad

r u in the aa or rac if so do what i did when out stop of at a cafe call your breakdown service and say your overheating, they will come out and do a pressure test on your rad and cooling system and its free this will showup if you have any leaks give it a try cheers steve

Radiator removal cont....

To late to do the rac thing now ! but what a no nonsense idea that is
BiggrinBiggrin
Taken rad off and it looks as though it is leaking (followed instructions and it came off no problem),have to go through phone book now to see where I can get hold of new one or get this one re cored.
no doubt will post progress report later!!!

rac rad check

most people with common sense would like to know why there rad is leaking in the first place, a simple pressure test ie. by the aa or rac would show up any problems like, is the rad blocked/ is rad cap faulty/ is water pump working properly/ has head gasket gone and is it pressure-rising the system thus pushing water out of the rad cap this could all be covered by a simple pressure test which is FREE!
thus saving the dilema of having your rad repaired only to find out something else was causing it to leak?

After removing the smash plat

After removing the smash plate underneath and with the engine temp up I could see water leaking from bottom of rad,now recored (68 pound plus vat) ive flushed pipes replaced rad and filled system to check for leaks all ok, now how much water does the system hold and how much anti freeze do i need? thanks for all advice so far
Cheers
sarahlou

Capacity.

System capacity including reservoir is 6.5dm3
Mix according to the instructions on the antifreeze. Usually about 25%.

mace & daihatsu steve

just to let u know the job is done and running well, thanks for all advice & help from mace & daihatsu steve sorry about the delay in reply but been busy once again thanks lads sarahlou

Rad Cap

One other solution ......
check the radiator cap. They often leak from the seal which becomes too thin. When pressurised steam escapes and condenses on the radiator but vents away because the rad it hot. Try crimping the lugs inside the radiator cap so it fits snug. Alternatively cut a new cap seal from an inner tube and refir the cap. I solved my leaking cap with a new home made seal - too ages to discover the drip was from the radiator cap.

Many thanks Taken rad off an

Many thanks
Taken rad off and it is leaking but Ill bare this in mind in the future -a bit of xtra knowledge didnt do anyone any harm
Cheers
sln

Piece of cake.

Piece of cake unless the cross head screws holding the grill are rusted. Take your time and think before wrenching parts away .. there are a few consealed screws/plastic poppers etc.
Hardest is disconnecting the bottom hose. Take car not to damage it because its a complicated piece of tube and probably expensive.
When you get the radiator re-cored [dont buy a new radiator] get the radiators top tank inspected at the inlet pipe. It tends to fracture at the weld/brazing.
Time ... removal about 2 hours. Refit in 30 minutes!

Many thanks . A piece of cak

Many thanks .
A piece of cake then (not).
How long do you reckon it will take Unknw
Is it as diffiult as it sounds Unknw
And most importantly will I break a nail ???