radiator leak


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Old 07-16-11, 09:05 AM
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radiator leak

I have a chevy impala 2002 the radiator sprung a leak . Whan you replace the radiator they tell you to loosen up the moumts and swing them away. My question is if I loosen them up and swing then out of the way will the motor move or shift.
 
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Old 07-16-11, 12:50 PM
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You're loosening the radiator mounts, not the motor mounts, so, no the motor won't move.
 
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Old 07-16-11, 02:39 PM
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I beg to differ, the mounts that have to be loosend and swung away are the motor mounts. They are attached to the frame and the motor only. They are on the top of the motor in the front and there are two of them, the other mount is in the back. The year of the car is a 2002. The motor in the car is the 3.8. the car is also fully loaded
 
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Old 07-16-11, 03:31 PM
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Disconnect the negative battery cable.

Drain the coolant from the radiator.
CAUTION
Never open, service or drain the radiator or cooling system when hot; serious burns can occur from the steam and hot coolant. Also, when draining engine coolant, keep in mind that cats and dogs are attracted to ethylene glycol antifreeze and could drink any that is left in an uncovered container or in puddles on the ground. This will prove fatal in sufficient quantities. Always drain coolant into a sealable container. Coolant should be reused unless it is contaminated or is several years old.


Remove the engine mount strut. Some technicians will disconnect just one and swing the strut out of the way. In this case, loosen the through bolts to prevent shearing the rubber bushings when the strut is moved out of the way for radiator removal. In some cases, it is best to remove the strut and its mounting bracket completely.

Separate the cooling fan harness connector from the engine harness.

Separate the low coolant level module harness connector at the module.

Disconnect the radiator hoses.

Remove the cooling fan assembly from the vehicle.

Disconnect the automatic transaxle cooling lines from the radiator

There should be two small retaining brackets at both ends of the radiator that are removed.

Carefully lift the radiator up and out of the vehicle. Note that the bottom should have locating pins on each end which should fit into grommet-like rubber mounts at installation.

| Repair Guides | Radiator | Removal & Installation | AutoZone.com
 
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Old 07-17-11, 04:10 PM
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So nobody with experance in changing a radiator can tell me if I loosen and remove the mounts that the motor will not shift???????
 
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Old 07-17-11, 04:19 PM
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I'll go out on a limb and say "yes", it might shift. I never fool with motor mounts without supporting the engine first. None of the radiators I've ever done required touching the motor mounts which is probably why chandler made his comments.
 
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Old 07-17-11, 04:27 PM
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I've changed plenty of radiators...just not on that car. It's highly unlikely that you only have one mount or that the engine will move. If you needed to brace it somehow, that would have been given in the instructions.

The instructions ukrbyk gave are taken from the service manual...not sure what else you need/want as a source.

Sorry, but if no one here has done the job on the exact same vehicle..all they can give is opinions and advice based on experience.

btw...you notice it says "strut"...not mount? Its a torque strut...to hold the engine from shifting under load. No load...no shifting...

Engine "mounts" aren't on top...at least in any car I've ever seen.
 
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Old 07-17-11, 06:14 PM
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OK, no, engine will not move. If you are still afraid it will, run jack stand underneath the oil pan, place a board between jack and pan, and jack it up a little.

for pete's sake, it's nothing but a dampener, not a mount.
 
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Old 07-20-11, 02:29 PM
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Thanks for all the advice I didn't think to add a jack to the oil pan to steady the motor. It maybe took me 3 days to replace the radiator but it got done. I'll tell you something they sure have stuff cramed in there. The heat and humidity were just as bad. Thank again
 
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Old 07-20-11, 03:31 PM
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good! I like when cars run well.

btw, try 91 Honda Civic for crammed. Or a Mitsubishi for sharp edges. Or a 3.0L Transverse Toyota V6 for rear spark plugs replacement.
 
 

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