R33: Radiator Replacement.

[PranK]

ok , here's a little how to replace your radiator in your R33 GTS-T.

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1. Open bonnet, undo the coolant recovery hose clip and move hose out of the way.

2. Undo the temperature sensor wiring at plug on the side of radiator, then loosen the 4 hose clamps on the top and bottom radiator hoses. (see pic ). Remove the 2 hoses.

3. Remove the 2 self taping screws that hold the fan shroud to the radiator and wiggle in around abit to remove in from it's retaining clips at the base of radiator. Undo the 2 nuts that hold the support brackets of the support mounts. (see pic )

4. Push the fan shroud back towards the engine as far as you can, then turn support brackets out of the way and remove radiator by gently lifting upwards, ensuring not to damage the delicate cooling fins and tubes. ( see pic )

5. Now this is were the choice is up to you, depending on circumstance or fault... From here I removed the thermostat housing and tested the old one, found it faulty ( not opening properly ). My recommendation is that if there is any doubt with the thermostat, replace it, as if it doesn't open when it's supposed to it will inevitably cook your engine or make it operate at temperatures it not supposed to.

6. To replace thermostat housing, remove old sealant from housing using a suitable scraper and I used a wet/dry sand paper to finish of the surface .

7. Do the same for the mating surface of the engine block.

8. From here place the thermostat into it housing, apply a suitable sealant to both mating surfaces and refit the thermostat housing to engine block.

9. When refitting the radiator ensure the 2 rubber mounts are in place on the locaters on the bottom of radiator and refit is reverse of removal.

10. Once all hoses and mounts are fitted and tightened correctly, fill with suitable coolant and test for leaks.

NOTE - this is only a simple explanation and if in doubt don't do it.

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by Nuffin_werks

[Mid_Nite_R33]

those pics dont work...

[shogun]

hey mate i want to replace the radiator of my 32 and this will make a great guide, thanks. Do you think you could repost it though with the pics again (the pics don't show up anymore). I think the hosting of the pics muct have expired.

Cheers.

[DJ-Static]

+1 for pictures. It's friggin annoying when the pictures don't work and your cars in bits lol

[ShyBoi]

Just pulled mine out tonight for engine swap...

Its pretty simple about 10min job at most and I have no real knowledge about cars so a n00b can do this

1. Undo 2 screw on back of radiator at the top to move the fan shroud

2. Undo the 4 screws in the clips on the ends of the radiator hoses, top and bottom of radiator, bottom one can be a pain to get to if its not set properly as you cant get to it underneath if you have the underbody tray there

3. Unplug the sensor thats on the bottom left of the radiator it'll be located on the left of the radiator just trace the cord up from it

4. Undo the 2 screws on the top mounts then lift up radiator

5. Then once radiators removed you can also take out fan shroud

Generally also a good idea to replace the two rubber hoses as they become brittle over time and you dont want them to crack after all the work

[369]

is this the same for r34gtt?

[jjman]

you note that you could tell that your thermostat was faulty and not opening properly.

How can you tell that? iv got the replacement one from nissan ready to go n i cant get it to move in any direction (not that im applying that much force to it as i dont know how they work n dont want to break a $60 part before i even get it in...)

can u usually move the mechanism with your hand?

Also what kind of sealant did you use? gasket sealant (like what i just used to do the half moons on the cam covers?)

Edited December 8, 2011 by jjman

[jjman]

did this job on the weekend.

when i got the existing thermostat out, while it didnt look terrible or have any visible problems, it didnt look great either.

Also i then worked out what part of the mechanism moves and it seemed to move alot more easily than the new one i had.

anyways, since putting in it has definately stabilised the temps so seems to have been the culprit.

I did however take the long way round and removed my FMIC piping and all of the wiring harness in the area to do the job, see the DIY pic 7 (above) n you can see all of the wiring i moved to have better access n also ensure i didnt get coolant on any of those wire that might have holes in the coverings now...

id say it was prob about a 3 hr job at an even pace doing it all properly.

i.e. removing the wiring from that area, draining radiator system, cleaning up the thermostat housing and where the housing bolts to the block, then making sure i bled all of the air out of the cooling system after finishing the job.

Tho also add another 30min for the trip to repco to buy a socket extender to be able to get at the rear bolt on the housing.

Edited December 12, 2011 by jjman

[datto 1600]

^^^ to properly test a thermostat you place it in a saucespoon with water and heat it up, it should open once the water gets to the thermostats opening temp( normally marked on the thermostat)