Remove the radiator in my '95 Lebaron,

Discussion in 'LeBaron' started by mm, Jan 28, 2007.

  1. mm

    mm Guest

    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.

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 28, 2007
    #1
  2. mm

    mm Guest

    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?

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 28, 2007
    #2
  3. mm

    Budd Cochran Guest

    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
     
    Budd Cochran, Jan 28, 2007
    #3
  4. Knifeblade_03, Jan 29, 2007
    #4
  5. mm

    mm Guest

    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.

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 30, 2007
    #5
  6. mm

    mm Guest

    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.

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 30, 2007
    #6
  7. mm

    Hank Guest

    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.
     
    Hank, Jan 30, 2007
    #7
  8. mm

    mm Guest

    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?

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 30, 2007
    #8
  9. mm

    Budd Cochran Guest

    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
     
    Budd Cochran, Jan 30, 2007
    #9
  10. mm

    Hank Guest

    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.
     
    Hank, Jan 30, 2007
    #10
  11. mm

    mm Guest

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

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 31, 2007
    #11
  12. mm

    mm Guest

    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.)

    If you are inclined to email me
    for some reason, remove NOPSAM :)
     
    mm, Jan 31, 2007
    #12
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