Have a leak in my radiator. Trying not to be lazy and try to stop leak it. any one out there can let me know the level of difficulty for DIY. Seems like lot to remove to get to it, engine mounts etc. also worried bout the oil cooler lines.
Can't find any good videos either. Ideas?
2003 ss with 103000 miles

 

Looks harder than it is. Remove the dog bones (top engine mounts), air box and throttle body duct, drain radiator and disconnect hoses, disconnect coolant overflow reservoir hose, remove battery and tray (as I recall), disconnect and remove coolant level sensor from the radiator, disconnect and remove cooling fan housing, disconnect trans cooler lines (sometimes leak if reused and need to be replaced) unfasten and remove radiator. Reverse procedure to install and refill with coolant. (This would be a good time to clean the AC condenser that sits in front of the radiator since you can clean with air or water from the back side. ZIPPY02 likes to use AC system foaming cleaner to soak the fins then flush with water. With radiator and coolant overflow reservoir full to cold level and radiator cap on tight, start the car and add coolant to the overflow reservoir as needed. Bleed the air from the system through the bleeder screw on top of the thermostat housing with the engine running and up to temperature (thermostat open) until no air comes out. Might have to bleed a few more times later. Might have missed a minor step or two here but you'll figure it out. Would be a good idea to replace the coolant level sensor, hoses and thermostat while you're at it. For another $25-40 and an hour or so labor you can also replace the water pump and plastic coolant (heater) elbows with Dorman aluminum ones ($10) as long as you already have the system drained. Hope this helps.

 

Guess you need to decide what your time is worth. If you struggle turning wrenches for basic things then you should budget in at least 6 hours for this, plus the cost of a radiator, hoses, coolant etc. I think a shop would hit you up for about $200 labor plus parts to do this. I would call around and get a few quotes.

If 6 hours or more of your time is worth saving $200 (possibly $33 hr) then I would attempt it. yet if you get a good quote and the shop will let you supply your own parts, you might save a few $ that way and not get all frustrated, end up with broken parts and having it towed somewhere to get the job finished. There are mobile mechanics to who are fair with prices, especially if you cash them out.

Best of luck with what ever way you go!

 

Pulling the radiator is pretty easy.

Quick over view, pull the upper engine mounts (no worries, the engine will stay put). Drain the radiator, pull the hoses, remove the wiring connections to the fans and a series of 10mm bolts holding the fans in, then pull the fans.

I did it to change the condenser for the A/C that sits in the front, which made it easy (I took the radiator out with the condenser, other wise I believe you have to lift the condenser off the tabs of the radiator and given the length of time the two sat together, they tend to stick).

As for cooling lines for the trans, there is one type where you just use wrenches and unscrew the fittings, the other type you need a small screw driver and a pick to pull a collar off and then pull out a retaining clip, after that, the line pulls out. You should not loose a ton of trans fluid, but do check and top-off when done. GM recommends replacing the clips. Get GM clips if you do. I have used the Dorman and they work, but that plastic collar no longer fits

After that, reverse the process, good to go. First time through, it might be like a 3 hour job pending all goes to plan. But it really is pretty simple.

 

going to go for it, like using napa for my parts, any thoughts?
I'll take pics and have a friend who can save me if I screw up

 

Perhaps if you have the little ramps to drive it up on, you will have better access underside disconnecting things. A couple step stools to stand on. Just mentally give yourself all the time you need, don't watch the clock. Show us your war wounds you just know your going to get a few good cuts... Super glue works going stopping them, I use it all the time, burns but the bleeding stops quickly.

NAPA Auto rocks! They have it all for sure!

Best of luck, just keep your mind open looking for solutions, like Jason says, razor knife to cut the old hose to get it off etc...

 

I had a leaky radiator last year,i debated on buying a new one and doing it myself but I took it to my local rad shop he said not to buy a aftermarket rad cause the metal quality was not as good as my 2003 original, so he rodded and replaced the upper and lower plastic neck parts. altogether it was 260$ and he removed, cleaned,rodded,leak tested replaced upper and lower necks, put the new hoses (I had already bought) put in a new thermostat and refilled with green antifreeze no the deathcool!!

 

The only reason I had to get the front of the car off the ground was to drain the radiator into a pan. Outside of that, you can do the entire job from above.

Deathcool was 90's. Dex was re-formulated and is no worse then good ol' green. Dex gets blamed a lot on LIM gasket failures, I can tell you first hand, I have wrenched on plenty of GM v6 (3100/3400/3800) cars that never had a drop of dex from the factory or at any part of their life and those LIMs still fail. My '94 Grand Am had LIM gaskets fail twice in my ownership of 86K-215K (never had dex, not even from the factory).
The root cause is plastic/nylon makes a crap gasket material. Any hot coolant over time will make it brittle and it falls apart (nature of the plastic). The is why companies like Fel-Pro now offer metal core gaskets.

Now, as a kicker and the odd-ball (as this guy is LUCKY), I know someone with a 3400 powered '00 Grand Am, never flushed the coolant, just topped off when ever doing things that drained coolant. Still on the FACTORY LIM gaskets, and the car today sits over 250K miles! I pressure tested it myself a couple months ago when he thought he had a coolant leak (turned out it was a leaky trans line). I'm honestly amazed it's been holding up!

 

The price I got from manny moe and jack was. $1150. Hell no! Just did the job yesterday. Took my time. Hardest parts. trans lines quick disconnect. very hard to remove clips. even with mini tool that came with new radiator. Then had trouble with the clips that held down the wires for the fans, hard to get a good angle,hard to see,hadn't seen one ,couldn't find one like it...aaaaaaargh.

 

Reinstall was easier. There were two clips to hold the upper radiator mounts that almost got lost inside the car. Thank you mr magnet on a stick. Also why are batteries so hard to get in. Had a friend button it up, but back dogbanes etc.
had a leak from the lower transmission line.
we had to redisconnect line, take out fitting,wrapped with Teflon tape,reinstalled quite tight
working leak free a day later. bled it, but still had air today so I did it again