Radiator Install 7-13-02

The car was running pretty hot over the last few weeks. After installing a new fan clutch, new belts, new hoses, and a new thermostat, it was finally narrowed down to the radiator. The new radiator is a 2-core brass/copper that I got from A-Line Auto Parts for about $160.
The following pictures document the process that it took to swap it out.

This is the first car I have ever owned that took so much just to get a radiator out. Amazingly it pretty much went by the book with minimal injury!

The wheel wells have to be taken out in order to access the nuts that hold the nose to its structure. Nissan uses some plastic expanding screws that do not come out very easily. Be prepared to destroy them trying to get them out.
After that, get a socket wrench with a 6" and 8" extension and a 10mm deep socket. Remove the 4 bolts/nuts on each side of the nose. Then you can remove the 3 10mm bolts at each corner on the top of the nose support structure. Along the bottom you will find 3 10mm bolts holding the nose to the center grill section. Finally you will find some more of those wonderful plastic expanding screws along the center grill section. To get the nose off, pull it forward as far as it will go, pull up around the headlight area so that it will clear the styrofoam underneath then just lean the nose to you and pull it off.

You will want to remove the outer fan shroud, upper radiator hose, and air intake assembly.

Next you will want to remove the upper brace that ties the chassis structure together. This will allow you to remove the inner fan shroud and give you access to the radiator.

The radiator is held in by 2 10mm bolts at the top and then just slides out.

As you can see the new one is quite a bit bigger than the old 1-core. Surprisingly the old one was so clogged it weighed atleast 7 pounds more than the new one.

*When you are putting the new radiator in you will want to remember to transfer the rubber wheels/bumpers at the bottom of the radiator from the old one to the new one. Everything else is pretty much the reverse of taking it out.

Tip: when putting the inner fan shroud back on, bend the upper tabs on the radiator up so that it is easier to line up the bolts that hold it on at the bottom. Once the bolts are in, bend the tabs back down to secure the top of it.

Update: IT WORKED! I can run my car everywhere with the A/C blowing all the time and it has never passed the middle of the gauge.