How many hours to take apart cooling system?

[Ghost-Flame]

I am replacing the water pump, thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses, the serpentine belt and the 2 idler pulleys.

The Radiator and all it plastic parts and doo dads have to be removed and reinstalled.

I'm trying to get a sense of how long all this will take, by myself. I'm planning on taking it apart this Saturday and putting it back together on Sunday... is this realistic. all the parts are around $325.

I read through the TIS computer manual I have on my computer, it seems like it is fairly straight forward.
How much fluid to replace? Any Pit falls to be weary of?

Thanks in advance.
Tom

[generx]

I6 or V8?

[Ghost-Flame]

sorry, I6

[generx]

You could probably bang it out in a day, not sure how quickly you work but for an average DIY guy like myself, including a couple of breaks and some goofing off it's taken me about 6+ hours, just be patient refilling the coolant to make sure all the bubbles are out. Mine took less than the manual stated even though I thought I drained it all including from the block. Use distilled water of course.

If you have the "fan tool" or fabricate one yourself, this makes it quick and painless (removing the fan without it can consume precious time) T-stat and pump are super easy to remove since they're right on top, there are 2 threaded holes on each side of the pump which makes it simple to press out with the right sized bolts (13mm if I recall) don't try to hammer or muscle it off.

The old thermostat will likely get destroyed in the process of hose removal depending on miles --those can be a biyatch to take off.

You may also want to replace your AC belt too while you're in there since you'll need to take it off to get the serpentine belt off anyway.

[Ghost-Flame]

Originally Posted by generx

You could probably bang it out in a day, not sure how quickly you work but for an average DIY guy like myself, including a couple of breaks and some goofing off it's taken me about 6+ hours, just be patient refilling the coolant to make sure all the bubbles are out. Mine took less than the manual stated even though I thought I drained it all including from the block. Use distilled water of course.

If you have the "fan tool" or fabricate one yourself, this makes it quick and painless (removing the fan without it can consume precious time) T-stat and pump are super easy to remove since they're right on top, there are 2 threaded holes on each side of the pump which makes it simple to press out with the right sized bolts (13mm if I recall) don't try to hammer or muscle it off.

The old thermostat will likely get destroyed in the process of hose removal depending on miles --those can be a biyatch to take off.

You may also want to replace your AC belt too while you're in there since you'll need to take it off to get the serpentine belt off anyway.

Thanks good advice. I don't think the 3.0 has a fan that needs to be removed. I only see the auxillary electric fan in front of the radiator.

[generx]

If you have a manual tranny then yes, no clutch fan, half your battle is done.

[Ghost-Flame]

Originally Posted by generx

If you have a manual tranny then yes, no clutch fan, half your battle is done.

MY BAD!!! it pays to look under the shrowd.

My 3.0! does have a fan clutch,,, I feel so sheepish.

So, where do I get this tool?

[generx]

Search around, eBay has both the fan tool and a long (32mm?) wrench as a set. If you’re handy with power tools, you can seriously make your own since it’s really just a piece of metal with 2 holes and a notch. I bought a flat piece of metal from Home Depot, used a friend’s drill press and bench grinder and made one in about 20 minutes. It’ll save a you a lot of grief, trust me.

Here are fan removal instructions from a previous alternator DIY I did HERE:

This also will help you out with belt removal, etc., the water pump and T-stat are somewhat visible in the pics so it’ll give you a better idea of what you’re tackling. Once the shroud and fan are off, there is a lot of room to work down there and it’s actually pretty simple. That fan removal can be a serious b*tch though without the tool.

Remember that the large nut attached to the fan is right hand thread so turn CLOCKWISE to loosen. It’s also a good time to loosen the little bolts on the water pump pulley that it is attached to (10mm?) while the serpentine belt is on and it’s not free-wheeling. You’ll have to remove this pulley to access the bolts for water pump removal.