A&Q about 350Z
Q:
1990 MKII 16 Valve
Found out my car needs a new radiator, is it a pretty straightforward job to remove the old and fit a new one?
Were is best to get a new one? I have priced up a couple at ECP a genuine one for £90 and I presume a pattern for £70
Also how do I bleed the system?
Pete
A:
Simple job - undo the four bolts holding the coweling in place, unplug the fan and remove. Then, unclamp the hoses, undo the top rad mounts, pull the rad toward the engine and up from the car. Refit everything, run the engine and fill with 50:50 water/coolant mix - i've never suffered from an airlock in my cars, but it's worth giving all the hoses a squeeze.
A:
Euro car parts do 'em for £45 + VAT
To change,
Disconnect fan wiring and fan switch wiring.
Remove top and bottom hoses and headertank hose.
Undo the 2 10mm bolts at the top.
If someone has changed it before and removed the side cowling then it should lift out.
If the side cowling pieces are still there, remove the front grill and unbolt the side cowlings.
Lift the rad out and swap the fan over by removing the 4 bolts around the metal cowling.
Using a large socket or big adjustable spanner remove and swap over the fan switch (you may need a new washer for this).
Refit is the reverse, put in at least 2L of antifreeze.
A:
Hi
Before you leave the shop check that the hole for the rad fan switch has some grooves cut in it.
A:
Thanks guys that’s great
Do the replacement radiators come with all the plastic gubbins attached on the sides?
A:
changing rad is piece of ****. Just get some mole grips to get the pipes off the old one unless you are lucky enough to have circlips on already.
A:
Euro car parts do 'em for £45 + VAT...
yeah, but they're pattern parts for a 1.6 carb golf and don't have the same number of tubes as a proper 16v rad, they simply have the same size fitment. They will work OK but don't have anything like the cooling capacity of a genuine 16v item.
I believe ECP do stock a 16v rad, but it's closer to the VAG price, nr 100 quid.
A:
I'm running a £45 special and not had any agro.
A:
I'm running a £20 Scrapyard. It came with a free fan, sensor and cowling