replacing the radiator, need help quick!!

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

hi there, as some of you may have read, im replacing my buggerd radiator, me and the missus took it out tonight and noticed that the commodore was fitted with a tow kit, and the auxillary trans radiator

how do i take this off the radiator and how do i install it onto the new radiator?

is it diy able or do i have to take it to a holden dealership/mechanic

also, any one got pix/diagram of were the hoses go?

here are some pix

[ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH]Attachment 57214[/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[moff_man]

un bolt it and pull the bolts through the radiator. its mounted with long bolts through the vanes. hope fully the nuts haven't been rusted on.

the line can go other way, from trans to radiator through radiator and in to cooler through cooler back to trans.

has this car got a/c? because its a weird spot to have a trans cooler. most Ive seen including mine has it up the front on 2 brackets to get the cold fresh air first through the condenser than radiator.


edit: sorry i have no idea what is holding that on i would just leave it off or buy a new unit and mount it up front

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

is it easy to mount a new unit?

how hard wuld it be to remove??

yea my car has ac, there is another radiator still in the car, this one is connected to 2 hard lines running back through the engine, is that tha ac radiator??

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

un bolt it and pull the bolts through the radiator. its mounted with long bolts through the vanes. hope fully the nuts haven't been rusted on.

the line can go other way, from trans to radiator through radiator and in to cooler through cooler back to trans.

has this car got a/c? because its a weird spot to have a trans cooler. most Ive seen including mine has it up the front on 2 brackets to get the cold fresh air first through the condenser than radiator.


edit: sorry i have no idea what is holding that on i would just leave it off or buy a new unit and mount it up front

if i do manage to get the bolts out, how do i get them through the new radiator, do i just push them through??

[moff_man]

thats the trans cooler attached to the radator the a/c condensor is still in the car.
verry easy to mount a new unit depending what type you get.

i wouldnt reuse that unit personaly but its your choice its just ment for extra cooling for the auto trans for towing etc.
i would be putting the new radator in and worrying about a trans cooler another time, the new radator shuld come with a cooler as per the stock setup anyways, just hook that up and go from there, and remember to top up the transmission fluid too as the new unit will be empty 1/2 - 1 litre should do it...

[moff_man]

if i do manage to get the bolts out, how do i get them through the new radiator, do i just push them through??

yeah but be carfull not to damage the pipes and vanes

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

all the new radiator came with was the radiator, no trans cooler (for the outside)

how ever im guessing your talking about the internal one, which it does have. are you saying i can run it on that fine, untill i get the new trans cooler??

if i cant find a new trans cooler would you suggest using that (old) one any way, just for the extra cooling??

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

yeah but be carfull not to damage the pipes and vanes

theres a few damaged ones directly arround one of the bolts on the trans cooler, is that anything to be worrid about??

[moff_man]

it can be, it can rub through the pipe and cause a leak, and being where it is mounted you possibly wont see it till it has leaked a far bit

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

will a bottle of radiator stop leak fix the problem?? in other words just to make sure that tere is no leaks??

[greenacc]

If it was my car i'd be trying to mount it exactly how it was. That extra cooler gives your trans fluid more surface area so helps it cool better... It looks like quite a big one too, bigger than the average one you see mounted in front of the radiator. Most important thing is do you do much towing , and do you tow anything big like a fibreglass boat or big caravan ? If not you can get away without that extra cooler, and just mount one in front like normal, which will save you poking holes in your new core. New cooler's don't cost much , I read another thread on here recently about this topic and someone said they got a new one for $60. Just make sure the fittings are the same size as yours.

[moff_man]

not in the trans cooler, and i wouldnt be using it in the radator unless it is nessesery to get you home....

if you are replacing the radator i would leave the trans cooler off because the new radator will have one anyways, and if you want a trans cooler again i would get a new one and not use the long bolts to hold it on. you can get trans coolers from anywere ranging from 100 bucks to 500 bucks depending on size and brand etc

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

If it was my car i'd be trying to mount it exactly how it was. That extra cooler gives your trans fluid more surface area so helps it cool better... It looks like quite a big one too, bigger than the average one you see mounted in front of the radiator. Most important thing is do you do much towing , and do you tow anything big like a fibreglass boat or big caravan ? If not you can get away without that extra cooler, and just mount one in front like normal, which will save you poking holes in your new core. New cooler's don't cost much , I read another thread on here recently about this topic and someone said they got a new one for $60. Just make sure the fittings are the same size as yours.

sounds good!

do you think repco or super cheap would sellthem?

i think ill try stay with my current one (cuz of its size)

any i work in radio so while im not expecting to have to tow, i could have to tow at short notice , bbq's stage equipment etc

[greenacc]

yeah they should definitely sell them. give holden a call too and compare the price ... and search for that other thread that will help you.

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

great success!!

ive got the trans cooler off, it dosent look like its badly damaged at all!!

im just trying to fina a mounting kit (those 4 plastic bolts) repco are looking for a set for me, any other places that would be able to sell me the bolts etc???

also im gunna upgrage the trans hoses whats the best kind to get??

[NeilB]

It is easy to make some brackets for the trans cooler. ormally you have 2 about 2" pieces of steel and you mount them so the trans cooler sits about 2" or so in the front of the radiator. will try and do some pics when I get home if you want.

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

It is easy to make some brackets for the trans cooler. ormally you have 2 about 2" pieces of steel and you mount them so the trans cooler sits about 2" or so in the front of the radiator. will try and do some pics when I get home if you want.

that would be wicked!!

so your saying i dont need to mount the trans cooler on the radiator??

[NeilB]

No, You just make the brackets so they go in front of the Radiator and bolt/screw them onto the radiator support bracket.

[NeilB]

they look a bit ordinary but these are my prototype. I did the same at the bottom of the radiator

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

all sorted, i just got a set of those conecter things from repco, and its all on the radiator

guestion is now, were do the hoses go, any help would be much apreciatedAttachment 57288

Attachment 57289

Attachment 57290

Attachment 57291

Attachment 57292

[greenacc]

fluid flows in the bottom hose and out the top hose so you dont have a waterfall in your cooler and get air in the fluid.
The top hose (out) from the trans goes to the bottom of the cooler , top hose from cooler goes to bottom of radiator cooler, and the top hose from the rad goes back to the bottom hose from the trans. Not sure if it matters if it goes through the cooler in your radiator, or the extra cooler first ... so just run it like it used to be.

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

fluid flows in the bottom hose and out the top hose so you dont have a waterfall in your cooler and get air in the fluid.
The top hose (out) from the trans goes to the bottom of the cooler , top hose from cooler goes to bottom of radiator cooler, and the top hose from the rad goes back to the bottom hose from the trans. Not sure if it matters if it goes through the cooler in your radiator, or the extra cooler first ... so just run it like it used to be.

so it goes from the trans to the cooler then through to the radiator then back to the trans?

[immortality]

good to see your well on your way. when plumbing in the external cooler plumb it in after the internal cooler before going back to the trans. the reason for this is that the trans normally runs at about 180 degrees F (thats what the temp gauge shows on the missus VS before the fluid goes into the cooler when cruising). the radiator temps can get hotter then that so it could actually heat the fluid worst case scenario if cold fluid was coming from the external cooler first which we don't want.

that cooler looks bigger then the factory external cooler fitted by holden. thats a good thing. even with the factory external cooler fitted i've seen temps in excess of 230-240degrees F when stuck in traffic for long peroids of time or under continues high load going up hill from piha beach stuck behind slow traffic (lack of air flow) on a 30 odd degree day. bigger is better

dude, get the trans serviced, the fluid looks crap, well past it's use-by date. old fluid looses it's ability to transfer heat properly as well as it's lubricating properties. old fluid will help kill the trans faster.....

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

good to see your well on your way. when plumbing in the external cooler plumb it in after the internal cooler before going back to the trans. the reason for this is that the trans normally runs at about 180 degrees F (thats what the temp gauge shows on the missus VS before the fluid goes into the cooler when cruising). the radiator temps can get hotter then that so it could actually heat the fluid worst case scenario if cold fluid was coming from the external cooler first which we don't want.

that cooler looks bigger then the factory external cooler fitted by holden. thats a good thing. even with the factory external cooler fitted i've seen temps in excess of 230-240degrees F when stuck in traffic for long peroids of time or under continues high load going up hill from piha beach stuck behind slow traffic (lack of air flow) on a 30 odd degree day. bigger is better

dude, get the trans serviced, the fluid looks crap, well past it's use-by date. old fluid looses it's ability to transfer heat properly as well as it's lubricating properties. old fluid will help kill the trans faster.....

sweet as bro, will do!!!! i know i guy who services them hopfully hel do it for cheap!!

as for the plumbing of the radiator and cooler it sounds like it should go like this (PLEASE TELL ME IF IM WRONG)

bottom line from trans (metal) to bottom conecter on radiator

top connecter on radiator to bottom conecter of cooler

top conecter of cooler back to top pipe to trans (metal)[/SIZE]


is this correct?

this is the part i need to varify before i go any further, once iv got this rightt it should only take 20 mins to do the rest (minus the radiator blead, ill make sure that its more than bled lol)

please let me know, im gettin differnt storys from all over the place and im just plain confuzed how there sposed to go

is the order above correct or not, if its wrong what is the correct way??

thank you all for your help and patient's (i hope i spelt that right)

im sure ive p!ssed some of you off with my ignorance and for that i am sorry

im still learning my way arround cars

thanks again

[PSYKO PHOENIX]

this is what im talking about

in a hurry, what goes were

can any one give me a difinative answer, the way the hoses should go (in a form like i just did in red) and what way the trans fluid should flow through the trans cooler (eg top to bottom or bottom to top)

as you can imagine, im very confused by this and wanna make sure its how it should be before putting it back in - i cant afford to do this again any time soon

thanks again guys, i dont mean to put anybody down i just need to confirm which is the correct order etc so that i dont damage the trans

cheers and thanks