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Need New Radiator, Need some help/advice please!!!
Hi All,
I just did a pressure test because I started leaking coolant right after I changed out my Thermostat to a new 185 Degree unit from the stock piece that from what I could tell, was original OE and never touched by any previous owners.
(Car is a 1998 Pontiac Trans Am 6 Speed Manual Trans WS-6 T Top........ {A REAL WS-6 not a fake one})
The plastic tank on the passenger side just under the Radiator pressure cap is cracked about 2 to 2 1/2 inches straight up and down right under the cap I will post a photo in a few minutes
I have been going to NAPA and AUTO ZONE and PEP BOYS lately to get parts and noticed between Rock Auto and Pep Boys, Auto Zone and especially NAPA the cost difference on things is alarming to say the least. A coolant temp sensor, MAP sensor, Intake, Throttle body gaskets, knock sensors, Knock sensor wiring harness are among some of the items I have replaced over the last few weeks and I see Rock Auto has a few different radiators
I do NOT wish to put any of that Barr's Stop Leak stuff in the car because I know that can gunk up the inside of the engine and thermostats, cover over some sensors and potentially cause some issues and problems so I will just order a new Radiator and wait for it and install it when it arrives.
My ? is
How have the replacement parts been that you have received and ordered from Rock Auto? I realize, you get what you pay for, I totally and completely understand that. I have no problem paying more $ for a noticeably higher quality product if it calls for it. (I do not know if there will be any difference with radiators here in this particular situation simply for the fact that it seems the afternarket and OEM seems to have the exact same specs, thicknesses of materials, and if I could get an all aluminum radiator vs one with plastic side tanks, I would be all over it without thinking twice. I do NOT want to get some universal piece and start hacking away at mounts and such to get it to fit, so a direct replacement is the direction I am going.
But
1. Has ANYONE purchased a radiator from Rock Auto for a Camaro / Firebird? If so, has the quality been very good or was it cheap garbage?
2. Has ANYONE ordered a direct replacement radiator from say Summit Racing from companies like HOWE RACING or BE COOL or FLEX-A-LITE or GRIFFIN perhaps? If so......Were they vastly improved in design and performance over the OEM radiator you removed? All Aluminum core and side tanks?
3. If ANYONE has replaced a radiator in their Camaro / Firebird with a non OEM part, does anyone recommend a replacement brand and if so, why are your recommending it?
Thank you all for your help and any recommendations and information you may be able to provide. I deeply and sincerely appreciate it..............
Here are photos of the crack in the radiator tank just under the radiator pressure cap on the passenger side on a 1998 Pontiac Trans Am WS-6 with a manual Transmission. So no Auto Trans Cooler inside the tank
For good measure temporarily, I am going to zip down to NAPA and pickup a JB WELD PLASTIC RADIATOR TANK REPAIR "KIT"
Should be about $10 to $12 dollars or so. I can see if that keeps the coolant in the car while I wait for the new radiator to be shipped and get here.
Pic #1 shows crack outlined in Red......
Pic #2 shows crack without any outline, perhaps you can notice the crack without the red outline???
A few You Tube Video's show that others have used the J.B. WELD Plastic Radiator Tank Fix it Kit and some have had 100% success some its failed. I just need it to keep the fluid in the radiator until the new radiator shows up. I will NOT take the chance and rely on a cracked tank and a cheapie fix it kit I will fix it the right way but hopefully this stuff will work if I need to zip to the food store or 1-2 miles into town and such. I also have 2 gallons of Dex Cool coolant and 2 gallons of water in the trunk with me at all times, so for any quick trips I take I will make sure I am full before I leave and I will not go more than 5 miles or be more than 20 minutes. round trip to ensure I don't hurt the car, but hopefully I wont have to drive anywhere and the new radiator shows up in a few days and I can just replace the radiator and I wont have to rely on the J.B. WELD fix at all. Fingers crossed.
Still, if anyone has any recommendations or information that would be fantastic.
Thank you all so very very much......Appreciate any and all advice, information and help you can all provide if possible.
Being a 6 speed car it's pretty straight forward to replace. Remove the radiator cover on top, un plug the fans, slide them out of the way. Drain the cooling system, remove the hoses lean the radiator slightly so you can get to the condenser and slide it up and out of the way carefully to remove it from the clips on the radiator, remove radiator and reverse procedure in install. I put a stock LT1 replacement in my car from NAPA, even with the 427 SBC in it, cools it just fine. The LT1 radiator has a slightly larger core vs the LS1, but bolts up and works the same.
Just an FYI, it actually doesn't make any difference if the car is an original WS6 or not for the purposes of this thread. The entire drivetrain is exactly identical between a base Trans Am and a WS6 version, the differences are mostly cosmetic and don't in any way effect the cooling system or replacement engine components. So you don't need to worry about looking for any "WS6 specific" parts when doing any sort of drivetrain repair, as there is no such thing.
As to your question regarding the radiator, there are a ton of threads on this topic over the years. Cracking of the plastic tanks is a very common failure mode for these radiators, especially on examples that have a decent amount of mileage. Many folks opt for the LT1 version as a replacement since it has a thicker core but still fits perfectly into the stock location (however, there is one additional hose connection that needs to be blocked off in this application).
If you do some site searching on this you'll find a bunch of information to read through, lots of data from many years of folks replacing their original radiators with typical parts store OE-style replacements. Assuming you're buying a brand name item here, then the source (vendor) doesn't really make any difference in terms of product quality - they are just the retailer.
I don't know if there is any true direct bolt-in all-aluminum upgrade radiator (meaning, there are certainly ones which will fit, but I don't think they contain all OEM connections - specifically the TB coolant line and coolant level sensor provision).
Just an FYI, it actually doesn't make any difference if the car is an original WS6 or not for the purposes of this thread. The entire drivetrain is exactly identical between a base Trans Am and a WS6 version, the differences are mostly cosmetic and don't in any way effect the cooling system or replacement engine components. So you don't need to worry about looking for any "WS6 specific" parts when doing any sort of drivetrain repair, as there is no such thing.
As to your question regarding the radiator, there are a ton of threads on this topic over the years. Cracking of the plastic tanks is a very common failure mode for these radiators, especially on examples that have a decent amount of mileage. Many folks opt for the LT1 version as a replacement since it has a thicker core but still fits perfectly into the stock location (however, there is one additional hose connection that needs to be blocked off in this application).
If you do some site searching on this you'll find a bunch of information to read through, lots of data from many years of folks replacing their original radiators with typical parts store OE-style replacements. Assuming you're buying a brand name item here, then the source (vendor) doesn't really make any difference in terms of product quality - they are just the retailer.
I don't know if there is any true direct bolt-in all-aluminum upgrade radiator (meaning, there are certainly ones which will fit, but I don't think they contain all OEM connections - specifically the TB coolant line and coolant level sensor provision).
I was not 100% sure if there was any difference but I do know the upper radiator bracket is different because the real WS-6 cars have that increased air gap / measurement for the hood to allow more air into the upper radiator support/air box for the air filter.
I did not know if that affected any part of the radiator or not so thank you for clearing that up for me.
I also did not know that an LT1 radiator could even fit in the cars with the LS1's in them and has a better and larger core measurement.. Blocking off an additional small steam hose or something like that should not really be any issue at all. Just bizarre this crack appeared about a week after replacing my thermostat and thermostat housing and subsequently I installed the 185 degree Thermostat vs the 210 or 220 or whatever the stock OEM one is. I was unsure if the lower temperature would cause excessive pressure and blow a crack in the tank or what.
Just seems odd that each time I go into fix 1 thing, 2 more things break and or pop up on the computer and im back to square 1 getting parts and tearing the car apart to fix the next busted thing. I never had these problems with my old 98 but that car had about 90 thousand miles less on it and that was also in December 2002 I traded it in for a truck.
I am waiting for the Epoxy JB weld stuff to fully cure before I add any fluid to the radiator to see if its going to hold or not as a temporary repair. I am a little nervous to use the pressure tester on it with the epoxy "fix" done to it cause excessive pressure will of course blow out the epoxy repair so I was just going to leave her alone until tomorrow and then fill her up and take her for a quick 2-3-4 mile test run and bring her home to see if there are any leaks in the system and get it up to its correct operating temperature of 190-200-210 whatever it is or if the lower temp thermostat will keep it a tad cooler then that will tell me if this temporary fix will last until I get the new radiator shipped and delivered.
Side note, Might as well sand and airbrush the upper radiator support/air box for the WS-6 hood while I have it all apart just like I did with the intake manifold so I also get to "pretty" her up a bit while she is being totally redone 1 part at a time 1 day at a time hehehehehehe
Okay thank you all for your help and suggestions and information.
Greatly appreciate it....
Like the others have said, the LT1 radiator is a good replacement. With it being a 98 car, you should have the coolant level sensor on the top passenger side that needs to be swapped over. If your car has a power steering "cooler" you can replace that with just a standard 1 piece upper radiator hose. The PS coolers tend to leak over time and get into the coolant, so it's preference if you want to remove it.
Like the others have said, the LT1 radiator is a good replacement. With it being a 98 car, you should have the coolant level sensor on the top passenger side that needs to be swapped over. If your car has a power steering "cooler" you can replace that with just a standard 1 piece upper radiator hose. The PS coolers tend to leak over time and get into the coolant, so it's preference if you want to remove it.
What year "Trans Am" Radiator should I look up on Rock Auto as a replacement? 1997? or were there differences from the 1993-94-95-96-97 cars radiators?
It does have the power steering cooler in the upper radiator hose. I was unaware that was a cooler, I just thought it was a hard metal aluminum line in the hose not thinking what it could be. I do not remember my old 98 having that. Is that a manual transmission thing or did it come on cars that picked it when the car was being ordered or a standard WS-6 option and optional for the other firebirds with V6 - V8-Forumulas, Trans Am's etc?
THe hoses are a little bit spongy and I just found a teeny pin hole in the overflow line that goes under the battery to the over flow tank, So I just cut the end off and re-clamped it on and the epoxy seems to have fully cured. The JB Weld says its good to some crazy high pressure but since its just swabbed into and around a crack with a small artists paint brush I do not want to put a lot of pressure in the tester to see if it will crack and fail and open up again. So i am not goinig anywhere tonight, so Ill leave it over night to cure more if it even can cure more and fill the radiator up tomorrow and take it around the block a few times and see if its going to hold or fail.
Thank you all again for your help....
I was not 100% sure if there was any difference but I do know the upper radiator bracket is different because the real WS-6 cars have that increased air gap / measurement for the hood to allow more air into the upper radiator support/air box for the air filter.
I did not know if that affected any part of the radiator or not so thank you for clearing that up for me.
Yes, the lower air box is WS6 specific but this doesn't impact the actual radiator at all. In terms of the radiator, the only differences among the various LS1 cars relate to A4 vs. M6 (no trans cooler built into the passenger side tank on the M6 models), and the later (2002) models not having a coolant level sensor (regardless of trans type). For any 1998 V8 M6 car (such as yours), there would be a coolant level sensor but no trans cooler.
Originally Posted by Jennifur
...I installed the 185 degree Thermostat vs the 210 or 220 or whatever the stock OEM one is. I was unsure if the lower temperature would cause excessive pressure and blow a crack in the tank or what.
The factory original t-stat is actually 86°C (187°F) for all LS1 F-bodies. So the new one you installed is basically the same as stock.
The factory fan settings are quite high (low speed isn't activated until 227 or 228°F) so, without custom fan tuning, even if you went with a much cooler t-stat (such as a 160°F) you wouldn't notice any change in running temps while in stop and go traffic, although they would get cooler at steady cruise.
Originally Posted by Jennifur
Just seems odd that each time I go into fix 1 thing, 2 more things break and or pop up on the computer and im back to square 1 getting parts and tearing the car apart to fix the next busted thing. I never had these problems with my old 98 but that car had about 90 thousand miles less on it and that was also in December 2002 I traded it in for a truck.
Jenni
These sort of repairs are pretty common for a 21 year old car with typical mileage, especially if it was neglected by a previous owner.
Originally Posted by Jennifur
It does have the power steering cooler in the upper radiator hose. I was unaware that was a cooler, I just thought it was a hard metal aluminum line in the hose not thinking what it could be. I do not remember my old 98 having that. Is that a manual transmission thing or did it come on cars that picked it when the car was being ordered or a standard WS-6 option and optional for the other firebirds with V6 - V8-Forumulas, Trans Am's etc?
In the early LS1 years, the power steering cooler was standard equipment on WS6 and SS cars, and also available (but not standard) as a separate option on any V8 trim level under RPO "V12" (additionally, it was also included in certain option groups other than WS6, such as "1SH"). Transmission type had no impact on whether or not a specific car would/could be fitted with this feature. By 2002, this feature became standard equipment on all V8 models regardless of trim level (including base Z28 and Formula/Trans Am).
I agree with the recommendation above to remove the power steering cooler from the system. This is a very common area of failure, and the cross-contamination which occurs is very time consuming to clean up (and can result in failure of the PS pump if you don't catch it right away). The cooler design was poor, and does very little to actually cool the PS fluid with factory fan settings (in some cases it actually tends to heat the PS fluid). It's debatable whether or not any cooler is actually needed, but if you desire a cooler for the PS system it's much better to go with a dedicated air-to-fluid cooler that cannot cross-contaminate and won't be impacted by coolant temps. Here's a great, extensive thread on the topic. It contains replacement recommendations as well as discussion and factual testing regarding the factory piece and how ineffective it actually is:
If you do choose to delete the cooler, as mentioned above you'd simply want to order a one-piece radiator hose for a '98 V8 model without the cooler (such as a Z28 or Formula). This will be a direct replacement and fit perfectly once you've removed the cooler. You can then trim and re-route the power steering hose to eliminate/bypass the cooler, or run that line to an aftermarket cooler if you choose to install one.
This is likely part of your problem. ^ (Sorry to hear about the crack.)
You should use the stock type of radiator cap:
As the coolant in the radiator cools, it contracts and creates a vacuum which will cause the radiator to collapse and crack. The cap not only regulates pressure, but relieves vacuum through the vent hose to the overflow tank. Having the right cap on this particular style of radiator is critical because the plastic side wings are unforgiving. The stock cap not only provides assurance that we have the right part, but it has indicators on it, which ensure proper alignment with the vent hose involved in the vacuum siphon.
As said above, this is a common problem. We've had a number of members over the years have issues with aftermarket caps. (Resulting in cracking and other gremlins, as well.)
All Aluminum polished radiator for 3rd and 4th gen F bodies All Aluminum polished radiator for 3rd and 4th gen F bodies All Aluminum polished radiator for 3rd and 4th gen F bodies All Aluminum polished radiator for 3rd and 4th gen F bodies
To be clear, I put that cap on because I thought the radiator was leaking at the cap itself. I still have the stock cap, which I can put back on. I used the JB Weld Plastic Epoxy and first used Acetone and scrubbed the whole front side of the tank and then took 120 grit sand paper and sanded the tank to roughen up the surface so the epoxy would have a rough surface to bite on to and hold. I then went back with acetone and scrubbed it down again with a clean new rag to ensure no oily substances were in the plastic or on the surface and then took a small artist paint brush and painted the epoxy all over the front of the radiator tank pretty thick to ensure no part of the crack could leak. The Epoxy said it took 30 minutes to cure but I decided to leave it alone overnight and the antifreeze level was low enough that its under where the crack is so no fluid would come through the crack while I was waiting for the Epoxy to dry. I will put the stock cap back on I have no issue with that.
I did find an all aluminum radiator on EBay
Link here: https://www.ebay.com/i/142904494691?...FaMfrQYd8pYLXw
its a little more $ but it should last way longer than any plastic tank unit you would get to replace the original one.
I just want the Epoxy to work for a few weeks and when I replace the radiator I would fell much more comfortable with an all aluminum unit personally.
Instead of just under 1 inch thick core or some list the core as 1 inch, this one is 2 1/8th of an inch thick. Says its a direct replacement so it should fit and any extra space should probably be on the fan side since the AC Condenser is in place on the front side with about 1/8th of an inch space between the 2 from what I can see.
So I will probably order an all aluminum radiator from Summit, since the seller on EBay has a terrible review and feed back that's the last bit of garbage I need, I know I can trust Summit and Jeg's screwed me a long time ago and I am still harboring that grudge but if Summit does not sell an all aluminum radiator, I will have to call Jeg's but not thrilled about it........
I still have my old Hyper Tech hand held tuner thingy computer which I think could alter the fans on and off temps and things of that nature so perhaps I will pull that out and plug it in and do a custom tune to get the cooling fans working optimally and I will get a remote oil cooler for the PS and remove the coolant tube in the upper radiator hose and see about ordering a replacement tube for it with no cooler in it (and of course airbrush it or polish it to a mirror finish) and since I have to take the whole upper radiator support/air-box off, I might as well airbrush that and make it match the intake manifold. I think I am going to remove the clear MTI lid I have on the car now and toss it and go back to the SLP lidi since it fits much better and the MTI lid fits like crap and the 2 retainer clips keep un-hooking themselves because the fit is so terrible and I will airbrush the SLP lid as well.
Then comes the AC system the drive shaft loop and cross brace to hold the exhaust up and raise the exhaust and stop it from squeaking constantly, and the stereo I need to purchase and install and I should then be done and good to go and have a nice car to drive around in until I get my 69 corvettes all done and ready to drive then I will most likely sell this 98 WS6 and just drive my corvettes at that point but that could be a whole year more? Who knows. But that's the plan at the moment.
Thank you all for taking the time and helping me with my issues with this car. Its sincerely appreciated
...and I will get a remote oil cooler for the PS and remove the coolant tube in the upper radiator hose and see about ordering a replacement tube for it with no cooler in it (and of course airbrush it or polish it to a mirror finish)
Just to clear up any confusion here, there will be nothing to polish. The replacement hose (without the cooler) is one piece and all rubber. It looks just like a normal radiator hose, and is what came stock on examples without the PS cooler. That entire aluminum center piece (which is, itself, the cooler), and the current two-piece rubber hose will all get replaced.
I have never had a problem with my LT1 rad replacement ..10yrs goin strong.....the additional cooling from the thicker core was all the difference needed over the stock size
I do recommend a 160 or 180 stat ...I use a 160 and no problems.....a turner can change the fan settings ....another well worth it mod
the spectra CU 1485 is the model without the LT1 coolant level sensor port......80$ on RA
you have to watch those alum rads for fitment problems ......that for me is a deal breaker ....besides the extra cost ....not worth it
sorry your late in getting the .....remove than dammm stock PS cooler NOW.....memo ....but a inexpensive rail cooler will do a better job at keeping the PS fluid cooler and pump lasting longer
To be clear, I put that cap on because I thought the radiator was leaking at the cap itself. I still have the stock cap, which I can put back on.
Was the stock cap on when the tank cracked? The cracks typically don't just happen, so I'm curious to find the thing that caused it as to not stress out a future repair or tank.
Usually, when people do other jobs, (thermostat change, coolant flush) they may change the radiator cap. If not here, then I'd wonder if the stock cap is bad (itself) or if there is a bad siphon to the overflow tank. A thermostat change should be benign to the radiator - odd that one of these things might come up at the same time. (Or that the radiator would randomly crack.)
Was the stock cap on when the tank cracked? The cracks typically don't just happen, so I'm curious to find the thing that caused it as to not stress out a future repair or tank.
Usually, when people do other jobs, (thermostat change, coolant flush) they may change the radiator cap. If not here, then I'd wonder if the stock cap is bad (itself) or if there is a bad siphon to the overflow tank. A thermostat change should be benign to the radiator - odd that one of these things might come up at the same time. (Or that the radiator would randomly crack.)
FWIW, the passenger side tank on my '02 car developed a crack in nearly the same spot as the OP's when it got to around 100k miles. It still had the OEM cap, and I assume it was functioning properly as the siphon feature worked just fine and I never had any issues with coolant loss or cooling system troubles. The crack was just superficial though, it was visible for the last ~10k miles that I owned the car, but it never began to actually leak.
I had always kept up on coolant changes with that car (doing the first one at 5 years old just like I was supposed to, then every 2-3 year after that), and deleted the PS cooler before it ever had a chance to leak. So it was a pretty healthy, well maintained cooling system. Not sure what caused the crack to develop as the car was only about 10 years old at the time, I just assumed it was related to the wear and tear of 6-digit mileage.
On the other hand, my '98 still has the original radiator with no cracks at all after 21 years. But, with only 18k miles this is no surprise. I did change the radiator cap on this one last year, but that was purely for cosmetic reasons - and I went with another stock cap exactly as you've pictured above.
Was the stock cap on when the tank cracked? The cracks typically don't just happen, so I'm curious to find the thing that caused it as to not stress out a future repair or tank.
Usually, when people do other jobs, (thermostat change, coolant flush) they may change the radiator cap. If not here, then I'd wonder if the stock cap is bad (itself) or if there is a bad siphon to the overflow tank. A thermostat change should be benign to the radiator - odd that one of these things might come up at the same time. (Or that the radiator would randomly crack.)
I've had two radiators crack on the same side tank in the same area as OP (the one in my T/A and the one in my truck). The T/A has an aftermarket cap that I had tested right after the crack, and it opened at 16 psi. My truck does not have a traditional radiator cap in the factory system. From what I've seen, cracks normally develop right where hot coolant is pumped into the radiator, probably due to continuous expansion and contraction over the years.
A decent radiator shop should be able to replace the side tank for much less than a quality replacement radiator costs, and you get to keep your OEM core.
It is a pressurized system, so it would make sense that some could fail under repeated use like any other pressure vessel.
Odd that this one would crack right after some work on the system. I'd just be extra cautious because of that and test/replace the stock cap and check the siphon.
What year "Trans Am" Radiator should I look up on Rock Auto as a replacement? 1997? or were there differences from the 1993-94-95-96-97 cars radiators?
It does have the power steering cooler in the upper radiator hose. I was unaware that was a cooler, I just thought it was a hard metal aluminum line in the hose not thinking what it could be. I do not remember my old 98 having that. Is that a manual transmission thing or did it come on cars that picked it when the car was being ordered or a standard WS-6 option and optional for the other firebirds with V6 - V8-Forumulas, Trans Am's etc?
THe hoses are a little bit spongy and I just found a teeny pin hole in the overflow line that goes under the battery to the over flow tank, So I just cut the end off and re-clamped it on and the epoxy seems to have fully cured. The JB Weld says its good to some crazy high pressure but since its just swabbed into and around a crack with a small artists paint brush I do not want to put a lot of pressure in the tester to see if it will crack and fail and open up again. So i am not goinig anywhere tonight, so Ill leave it over night to cure more if it even can cure more and fill the radiator up tomorrow and take it around the block a few times and see if its going to hold or fail.
Thank you all again for your help....
Jenni
You won't have a problem with the JB Weld, that stuff is amazing! What you should have done was to ''V'' the crack with a die grinder and rough up the areas about a 1/2'' around the crack. Also should have built up the repair area with the JB Weld!
It is a pressurized system, so it would make sense that some could fail under repeated use like any other pressure vessel.
Odd that this one would crack right after some work on the system. I'd just be extra cautious because of that and test/replace the stock cap and check the siphon.
Perhaps the crack was present but just superficial for quite some time prior to it actually leaking. I imagine that mine would have eventually ended up leaking at that same crack given enough time. And perhaps during the t-stat swap some sort of physical stress was put on the radiator (such as excess force/twisting applied to the tank during removing/re-installing the radiator cap, etc.), which was just enough to push this weakened spot into the territory of actually leaking.
But I agree, this is probably a good time to replace the radiator cap with a fresh stock one, just in case.
New All Aluminum Replacement Radiator installed!!!
Update!!!
I ordered an all aluminum radiator through Amazon and it took a few days but finally got delivered. When I pulled it out of the box I was very impressed with the very clean TIG Welds, finish was very clean and it is a larger core than the single core stock unit, this is a dual core unit so can handle much more heat and be more efficient cooling the coolant down so if in the future I go Blower or what not, I wont have to worry about this because its able to handle the additional heat a blower will add to the engine.
That being said, When I ordered it, The unit said it was a "DIRECT REPLACEMENT" for 1996 to 2002 F Bodies
Well ummmm XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX WRONG! (See attached picture with the 2 "?" marks below) Left Side (Drivers side facing driver) ? is a 3/4" water inlet/outlet for ? reason, not used in an F body............ The ? on the right side upper, is a screw in O ring aluminum cap that is where the coolant level sensor is supposed to go but does NOT fit, not even remotely close to being able to fit. So the cap had to go in and get tightened down and no coolant level sensor in the system at the moment.
This new radiator had a completely different bung or port for the coolant level sensor, so it came with an O Ring cap which is now there to keep the unit from leaking........and coolant level sensor is sadly just hanging down zip tied to a set of wires down under the battery. New Radiator also had a water outlet drivers side bottom about 3/4 of an inch that the stock one did not have so I had to get a big body mount bolt and hose, clamp that water inlet/outlet off.
Now I took the upper radiator hose and the P/S Cooler setup apart, and bought an external cooler with those string zip ties that push gently through radiators or A/C Condensers and ran hoses to it and sure as the sun is shining, the coolant was in the P/S System and I will assume all the little sand looking goober particles in the radiator coolant was the P/S fluid that was all churned up in the coolant system. So I ended up flushing the coolant system out prior to swapping the radiator (Did not want to get any contaminants in the new Radiator so I drained and filled the coolant system about 8 times with just tap water and would put my air compressor gun into the hose to try to blow out the water in the engine itself with about 15 PSI of air. Did not want to rupture any sort of gaskets or anything with 120 plus PSI so I kept it low just to push out the fluids best I could then attached the hoses, filled it up, ran it again, shut it off, pulled the hoses and drained it all, blew it out. and about 8 or 9 times later I basically had clear water throughout the whole system. Then I pulled the old radiator out, put the new one in and realized the problems and seeing I guess that this is a more "Universal" radiator vs an actual exact fit. Now it did fit perfectly, there was 0 issues with it fitting, just the Coolant level sensor has no home, and the lower water either inlet or outlet not sure what it is for but probably a different car or truck that needs another inlet/outlet for something is why its there.
Also there are these little welded brackets that the A/C Condenser slides down into and when you install the setup all as one piece, A/C Condenser, Radiator and Electric Fans all connected together and drop it down in there with the external cooler installed as well in the A/C Condenser, It slipped right in BUT...........Someone put one of those metal air snorkel feed thing in there in front of the A/C Condenser that funnels air up into the bottom of the plastic upper radiator mount / air filter box I guess to get more air into the engine and not have it just blow past the air inlet that is facing downwards or relies on the WS-6 Hood Snorkel scoops to pass air into the front of it that sticks up about 2 inches or so.
There was about 93 years worth of leaves, tree bud seeds, tiny twigs, bird feathers, and all sorts of other BS Trash and garbage shoved directly behind it and up against the back of this metal snorkel thing and the A/C Condenser so When I put it all back together, I did NOT install that thing again. (I thought that thing was more for Camaro's than Birds???
Anyway, I had to manipulate the 4 slot mounts for the A/C Condenser because if you measure the stock radiator vs this new one, you will see that the A/C Condenser now stuck out an additional 1/2 inch from the back edge which in turn made the whole fan/rad/A/C Condenser assembly 1 inch too thick and therefore would not fit. SO I had to alter those slot mounts to allow the A/C Condenser to sit exactly the same distance away from the Front Radiator surface and once I did that, Boom it slid right into place without any issues.
I did put these specifics on the reviews of the Radiator on Amazon so others that were asking about this radiator would totally understand if they went with it, what they had to do to get it inserted and working properly. I think perhaps it might be more for a V-6 Bird or Camaro VS the LS1 or perhaps the LT1 versions of the car??? (by measuring a full 1 inch with everything installed, fans, rad and A/C Condenser vs the stock one but part of that additional thickness is the dual core itself vs the single core stock unit. So it fits and works well just needs a good amount of tweaking to make it work but it does fit right in without any issues with width or height
When I go to install a Tick Polluter Stage 2 or perhaps 3 camshaft in this car in a few weeks, I will see if I can make an aluminum screw in or maybe TIG weld a lip onto the existing bung so the level sensor can work properly again and while I am at it, Ill cut the water inlet/outlet pipe off on the bottom left side or drivers side, and weld a flat piece of aluminum over it and seal it permanently with filler rod so I don;t have to have that small 3 inch long hose with a bolt clamped inside it hanging there for no reason.
So I thank you all that provided the information and technical advice i needed especially the P/S Cooler "TIP" because that ended up being a total friggin disaster with orange DexCool & water in my PS pump reservoir (pulled the lines off the rack and when I changed the cooler I drained the reservoir and filled it up with P/S fluid, and fired up the car, turned it lock to lock about a dozen times, then shut it off, drained all the P/S Fluid back out again by pulling the lines off the rack and undoing the lines to the new cooler, and flushed it all out and then filled it back up with P/S Fluid again and I do not see any trace of water contamination or any foreign particles and I used an old syringe and pulled the fluid out of the reservoir from the top and bottom by sucking out of the top and shoving the needle all the way to the bottom of the reservoir and about a week after and looked again it still looks like P/S fluid and no foreign water or what not in there. So thank you for that information, that saved my P/S System completely from what could have been an absolute NIGHTMARE
Now I have to figure out why my A/C wont blow cold and A/C Compressor wont engage the clutch on the pulley. Bench test the clutch, recharge the system again and replace the Schrader valves.
Yeah, as mentioned above, I don't think there is any true "direct fit" all-aluminum radiator for these cars. As you've discovered, the coolant level sensor provision is an issue. And that lower water port on the driver's side is, I believe, used on the earlier LT1 4th gens.
FWIW, the coolant level sensor was omitted by GM on the later (2002) cars. You can just unplug it from the harness to get rid of the low coolant light if you don't want to customize the radiator.
Glad you were able to get that PS/coolant cross-contamination corrected before it damaged anything. That's a real problem for these cars, all of those factory PS coolers should be deleted from every example IMO.
06-05-2019, 11:00 AM
Need New Radiator, Need some help/advice please!!! 
