Remove the radiator in my '95 Lebaron,

[mm]

I need to change the radiator in my '95 Lebaron, 3.0L, and it seems to be bolted in a lot more tightly than in most cars.

No problem getting the fan out or the hoses for the engine and transmission, but there seem to be four screws attaching the radiator to the AC condenser. Two seem to be at the bottom on each end, pointing up, with no access to their heads. The other two are fairly high on each end, and I have visual access to the heads but it's hard to impossible to get a wrench in there.

I don't want to crack the AC lines.

Do I really have to remove all 4 bolts?

Is there a trick?

Thanks.

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[mm]

I need to change the radiator in my '95 Lebaron, 3.0L, and it seems to be bolted in a lot more tightly than in most cars.

No problem getting the fan out or the hoses for the engine and transmission, but there seem to be four screws attaching the radiator to the AC condenser. Two seem to be at the bottom on each end, pointing up, with no access to their heads.

OK, I realize now that the ones on the bottom are just legs, not bolts, but is there a trick to getting the other two out?

Also, the store near me and one online store have aluminum radiators! Is it going to be hard, or impossible, to find a copper radiator?

The other two are fairly
high on each end, and I have visual access to the heads but it's hard to impossible to get a wrench in there.

I don't want to crack the AC lines.

Do I really have to remove all 4 bolts?

Is there a trick?

Thanks.

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[Budd Cochran]

Have you removed the front spoiler? When I R&R'd the trans in my 95 GTC, I had to remove the spoiler to get under the car and, while I didn't look closely, I seem to remember some bolt heads covered by it.

On the other bolts, stack extensions or by 18" extensions, use flex sockets or universal joints to line the socket up.

Budd

 

[Knifeblade_03]

http://tinyurl.com/244lc5

Dunno if this might assist or not, but anyhoo.

 

[mm]

http://tinyurl.com/244lc5

Dunno if this might assist or not, but anyhoo.

This is a great webpage. Thanks a lot. It's right on point.

I see two things. 1) In Figure 12 it says to "Loosen..." and in Fig. 13 " ... and remove the radiator-to-vehicle body frame connecting bolts, then ..."

But though that is what is happening in Fig. 13, in figure 12 the bushing for the radiator to vehicle frame bushing is to the right and above the place where the wrench is. The wrench is coming from the front of the car on the right (near the rad. cap) and is unbolting the condensor from the radiator. Right?

To do that one would have to force the radiator/condensor assembly to move back towards the engine

(In the instructions before all the photos, unbolting the condensor is step 9. Step 8 is rmoving the radiator from the body frame.

It's dark out now, but I looked at my car again this afternoon, and I think it looks like this picture -- for one major thing, I too have these two bolt heads at the front and the tips of the bolts heads facing backwards. In the picture I think the radiator/condensor assembly is tipped backwards so that he can get his wrench on it. It's moved back an inch and half to two inches, while the condensor is connected to rest of the AC system. I'm scared to do that. DO YOU THINK THIS IS SAFE? (I cracked a copper water pipe when I was 21, and a friend cracked an iron water pipe when I was 19. I don't want to crack an AC pipe.) I tried moving it a bit on Saturday, and it didn't move easily. Maybe I can get by with 3/4 inch if I just use end wrenches, but I'm not sure that is safe either. ?? It really didnt' want to move, because of the metal hoses that connect the AC condensor to the rest of the AC.

2) There is no picture that is labeled "Unbolt the radiator from the condesnsor". I looked at my car today and the bolts on the left and right were put in from the front, with the heads facing forward and the shanks going towards the back of the car. I presume this was done when the car was buillt and they were connected before either was put in the engine compartment. Then the condensor was connected to the AC system and the system was charged.

Thanks again.

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[mm]

Have you removed the front spoiler? When I R&R'd the trans in my 95 GTC, I had to remove the spoiler to get under the car and, while I didn't look closely, I seem to remember some bolt heads covered by it.

On the other bolts, stack extensions or by 18" extensions, use flex sockets or universal joints to line the socket up.

I turns out, I can't see the heads at all. It was bad light on Saturday, and I've only recently started wearing stronger glasses, and I couldn't see well. I'm only seeing the ends of the bolts, barely peeking out through the clip on nuts. My bolts are only accessable from the front of the condensor. I'm afraid to tip the radiator/condensor back, so that I can put a wrench on the bolts.

Is there any chance my car was made with an aluminum radiator, back in 1995?

Thanks.

Budd

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[Hank (2)]

This is a great webpage. Thanks a lot. It's right on point.

I see two things. 1) In Figure 12 it says to "Loosen..." and in Fig. 13 " ... and remove the radiator-to-vehicle body frame connecting bolts, then ..."

But though that is what is happening in Fig. 13, in figure 12 the bushing for the radiator to vehicle frame bushing is to the right and above the place where the wrench is. The wrench is coming from the front of the car on the right (near the rad. cap) and is unbolting the condensor from the radiator. Right?

To do that one would have to force the radiator/condensor assembly to move back towards the engine

(In the instructions before all the photos, unbolting the condensor is step 9. Step 8 is rmoving the radiator from the body frame.

It's dark out now, but I looked at my car again this afternoon, and I think it looks like this picture -- for one major thing, I too have these two bolt heads at the front and the tips of the bolts heads facing backwards. In the picture I think the radiator/condensor assembly is tipped backwards so that he can get his wrench on it. It's moved back an inch and half to two inches, while the condensor is connected to rest of the AC system. I'm scared to do that. DO YOU THINK THIS IS SAFE? (I cracked a copper water pipe when I was 21, and a friend cracked an iron water pipe when I was 19. I don't want to crack an AC pipe.) I tried moving it a bit on Saturday, and it didn't move easily. Maybe I can get by with 3/4 inch if I just use end wrenches, but I'm not sure that is safe either. ?? It really didnt' want to move, because of the metal hoses that connect the AC condensor to the rest of the AC.

2) There is no picture that is labeled "Unbolt the radiator from the condesnsor". I looked at my car today and the bolts on the left and right were put in from the front, with the heads facing forward and the shanks going towards the back of the car. I presume this was done when the car was buillt and they were connected before either was put in the engine compartment. Then the condensor was connected to the AC system and the system was charged.

Thanks again.

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

I don't know if the Lebaron is the same but I recently replaced the radiator in my Grand Caravan and your description sounds like it may be the same. I ended up removing the grill and then it was easy to access these bolts. There were only a few screws holding the grill. Much easier to remove than I expected.

 

[mm]

I printed the picture where it seems they have tilted the condensor, and I'll compare them tomorrow.

More below.

I don't know if the Lebaron is the same but I recently replaced the radiator in my Grand Caravan and your description sounds like it may be the same. I ended up removing the grill and then it was easy to access these bolts. There were only a few screws holding the grill. Much easier to remove than I expected.

Thanks. You're just the person I wanted to hear from. That might be what it is. The webpage Knifeblade gave talks about that but for two models I don't have (The Premier and Monaco -- I've never even heard of them!). I don't think the Grand Caravan was in the list either, but I guess it is not a "car". Figures 15 and 16 seem to show bolt headed backwards.

I have the shop manual for my car, btw, and it didn't give nearly as good pictures -- It doesn't give any pictures, only sketches -- as does the autozone site, and it says nothing about the screws being backwards or removing the grill. Maybe because in the FSm everything is sorted by model, and the grill instructions would be found under other models.

Do you remember if the original radiator was copper or aluminum?

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[Budd Cochran]

My Haynes manual says there are just two bolts on both the radiator and the A/C condensor, all at the top, and the radiator should slip out from behind the condensor.

Budd

 

[Hank (2)]

I printed the picture where it seems they have tilted the condensor, and I'll compare them tomorrow.

More below.

Thanks. You're just the person I wanted to hear from. That might be what it is. The webpage Knifeblade gave talks about that but for two models I don't have (The Premier and Monaco -- I've never even heard of them!). I don't think the Grand Caravan was in the list either, but I guess it is not a "car". Figures 15 and 16 seem to show bolt headed backwards.

I have the shop manual for my car, btw, and it didn't give nearly as good pictures -- It doesn't give any pictures, only sketches -- as does the autozone site, and it says nothing about the screws being backwards or removing the grill. Maybe because in the FSm everything is sorted by model, and the grill instructions would be found under other models.

Do you remember if the original radiator was copper or aluminum?

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

I believe the original was aluminum with plastic tanks. There was a long crack in the front of the plastic tank on the passenger side. I got an exact replacement from Radiator Barn (radiatorbarn.com) at a great price and prompt shipping.

I should add that on the Caravan the grill and bumper cover came off as a unit and exposed the radiator area nicely. I was able to swing the radiator and condenser forward for access.

 

[mm]

I believe the original was aluminum with plastic tanks. There was a

If that's the case, I guess I should stop looking for a copper one!

long crack in the front of the plastic tank on the passenger side. I got an exact replacement from Radiator Barn (radiatorbarn.com) at a great price and prompt shipping.

I'll check them out. LOoks good at 98 dollars. I could have asked Pep Boys to open the box, but I wasnt' ready to ask that, so he looked in the computer and it didnt' say what it was made of. Another website didn't say, and when I live chatted with someone, she said it wasn't in her notes either, but most were plastic and aluminum. I give radiatorbarn credit that it says explicitly that it is aluminum, and plastic.

But I can't buy anything until I figure out how to get the old one out! I promise to try tommorrow and this weekned.

I should add that on the Caravan the grill and bumper cover came off as a unit and exposed the radiator area nicely. I was able to swing the radiator and condenser forward for access.

Again it was almost dark before I had time to look at it, and I couldn't see much, but the grill on the LeBaron is pretty narrow, and on the 95 doesn't even rock back on its spring like the 84 and 88 did. It was too dark to benefit from opening the hood. Tomorrow I will look earlier, or I will put batteries in the good flashlight. (A couple years ago I thought about buying a 12volt lightbulb for a spare trouble light. Tonight I wish I had it. Although it's pretty cold out.)

for some reason, remove NOPSAM

 

[mm]

My Haynes manual says there are just two bolts on both the radiator and the A/C condensor, all at the top, and the radiator should slip out from behind the condensor.

Yeah, what I thought were bolts at the bottom were just "legs". I should have remembered that. But I still face the problem of the "backwards" at the top. I'll let you guys know (no promises.)

Budd

for some reason, remove NOPSAM