my 2002 3.4 radiator just went! but i have my 3.8 ss radiator from my wrecked car, just sitting there. are they interchangable?

 

ok, i see not many people responded so i took the plunge and attempted to do it. changed the thermostat, which was "broken" believe it or not. literally in two pieces in the housing unit!

well, as i was attempting to hook up the tranny lines, they did not fit. they are different sizes. now, i have access to the old lines. can i easily swap them? can u cut the old ones and clamp them onto the new lines without worry of them leaking?

 

Sorry, I have been a way. The radiators are interchangeable, but you just found the trap. Via the different years, GM made changes on the trans lines despite the same trans with the LA1/L36/L67.

I know in my '04 Monte, GM used "easy connect" fittings (you need to remove a retaining clip and the line slides out, re-install the clip and snap the line back in), but in 2000 they were still using standard fittings. It you are dealing with the easy connect fittings, I don't know if you can simply swap the nut part of the fitting from the radiators.

 

They are definitely no easy.connect fittings lol. I was wondering if I disconnected the entire tranny lines and swapped them? Or are both ends going to be different again, going to the tranny?

 

Success! After viewing several you tube videos, one showed me to simply remove the retaining clips on the nipples and perform an easy swap! I was up and running in minutes! The only hard part was the thermostat. Why the hell would chevy make.a.once easy job so frigging complicated???

 

Yeah, the t-stat on the 3100/3400 is in an annoying spot. I always pull the throttle body to get to it and others pull the cross over pipe. Takes me about 1 hour to get that job done.

I should have recommended, change the water pump while the coolant is out. They are pretty cheap on the 3400 (I got one new from the parts store for $15, no core and it had a better impeller).

 

wow....things took a turn for the worse! i noticed some dripping from my radiator, but it wasnt anti freeze. it was tranny fluid! i quickly popped the hood and saw my tranny coolant lines were leaking bigtime!! i noticed that the line had some "play" where it sits in the fitting. what can i do???

 

Is this the quick connect fittings? If so, there might be a seal that needs replaced.

Also, if you have the old lines, you may want to compare the ends with the ones you installed. There may be subtle differences.

 

i know they are definetly two different sizes. i swapped them and one would not screw on at all and the other practically slid into place and wasnt grabbing the thread. ill try to take pics