Mr. Blue Sky - 1, Radiator - 0

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So, today I finally got around to replacing the radiator in my 1994 Escort. I had all the parts, the Haynes manual, and a helper. Being the anal type that I am, I followed the instructions to the letter:

  1. Disconnect the battery (real easy)
  2. Remove the splash shields from the bottom of the chassis (real easy, too)
  3. Disconnect and remove the fan (pretty easy, the harness connector was a bit stiff)
  4. Drain the radiator (real easy)
  5. Remove upper hose (pretty easy despite the hose sticking and having to remove that big plastic pipe that connects the air filter housing to the throttle body)
  6. Remove the lower hose (pretty effing hard. The part connected to the radiator was easy, the part that connected to the engine was a Class One Bitch. In order to remove it, you must either a) remove the air conditioner compressor (NOT an option) or b) have one of those Close Encounters Alien Hands that are both skinny AND powerful. I had to modify the end of the hose (bevel the inside edge) and spray a copious amount of lithium grease lubricant and spend the next hour(!) attempting to force the hose end onto the pipe end. I finally got the freakin’ thing in place and got the hose clamp on.
  7. Reverse the above steps (pretty easy once the lower hose was on)
  8. Test for leaks (I am still too tired to do a proper test drive, but I did let the engine run for about 15 minutes AND took it for a 15 road test - NO LEAKS :smiley: - and the temperature gauge reads dead center like it has always done)

Total amount of money spent: $150± ($100 for the radiator + $50± for hoses, etc)
Amount I would have had to pay a shop for same work: $350-450
Amount of time spent: 4 hours (I still have to replace the splash shields which’ll take about 5 minutes)
Number of injuries endured: 2 (minor bloodless-cut and cracked fingernail)

All-in-all not really a bad experience. I wish the Haynes manual would clue you in about such things like the hose mounting points.

Would I do this again? Probably.
Why did I try this knowing how mechanically inept I am? I saved $200-300 that I just didn’t have and I couldn’t risk NOT replacing the radiator as soon as possible since the potential for a blown engine ($2000+) was too great (considering my general luck with cars)

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

2

Congrats. Most of my similiar repairs are done the exact same way. Parts, tools, and Hayes manuals. I usually don’t have a helper though. There’s something to be said for being able to fix your vehicle yourself, we’re a dying breed.

3

Next you will be ready to tackle muffler bearings and valve reducers. :smiley:

4

My 1988 T-bird radiator also has the added duty of cooling the tranny fluid. Copper tubes with big bolts that require the skinny/powerful hands to undo and redo. I scored my hands up good trying to get those bolts to grip the thread.

If you continue to have any overheating problems, consider replacing the thermostat. $10 in parts. I had to do that too.