Radiator DIY install

[we350z]

Plug and pray - I would imagine its pretty straight forward. Make sure to get all new hoses, of course. biggest bitch is doing the coolant flush if you dont have a pressurized rig (hose with custom adapter). If you want to do it right you need to do a couple cycles with distilled water (unless your coolant is less than 2 years old or you just don't care - remember coolant has lubricating properties to help your water pump work, it will lose these over time as well as it's anti-corrosive agents). It's best if you drive up on ramps or jack up the front when filling. My Z also has a little bleeder valve on the top left side of the radiatior (and ones on the bottom of the engine block that are impossible to get to), open these up if possible when filling to help release trapped air. Trick is to fill the rad up to the fins with water, start the car and keep pouring water in as you squeeze the upper rad hose to burp the air bubbles out of the system. When the thermostat opens the water will get sucked into the engine block and the level will fall in the radiator, keep filling with a constant flow of distilled water (idea is to not get any air bubbles in, especially on final fill - don't worry about overflowing). Fill the rad until it won't take any more water and the engine has reached operating temperature. Then wait about 10 minutes and jack up the rear of the car or drive it up on blocks, this will help force it out of the engine block via gravity when you pull the lower rad hose to empty the contents (wear dish gloves and be careful as the water will be hot to very hot). Repeat this until the final fill, in which you should use a 50/50 concentrated coolant/distilled water (65/35 with a bottle of watter wetter for warm climates). Inspect hoses for leaks, and watch your temp guage is at normal operating temp.

It's kind of a pain in the ass, but you will feel good about it in the end.