Remove the radiator in my '95 Lebaron,

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mm - 28 Jan 2007 01:38 GMT

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.

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mm - 28 Jan 2007 03:15 GMT

>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.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>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
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>If you are inclined to email me
>for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

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Budd Cochran - 28 Jan 2007 15:00 GMT

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

>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.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> If you are inclined to email me
> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

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mm - 30 Jan 2007 01:28 GMT

>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
>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>> If you are inclined to email me
>> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

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Budd Cochran - 30 Jan 2007 12:44 GMT

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

>>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
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
> If you are inclined to email me
> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

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mm - 31 Jan 2007 03:09 GMT

>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
>
[quoted text clipped - 43 lines]
>> If you are inclined to email me
>> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

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Knifeblade_03 - 29 Jan 2007 03:11 GMT

http://tinyurl.com/244lc5

Dunno if this might assist or not, but anyhoo.

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mm - 30 Jan 2007 01:24 GMT

>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.

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Hank - 30 Jan 2007 03:18 GMT

>> http://tinyurl.com/244lc5
>>
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
> If you are inclined to email me
> 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.

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mm - 30 Jan 2007 05:49 GMT

>>> http://tinyurl.com/244lc5
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>> 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'

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

More below.

>> want to move, because of the metal hoses that connect the AC condensor
>> to the rest of the AC.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>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?

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Hank - 30 Jan 2007 12:46 GMT

>>>> http://tinyurl.com/244lc5
>>>>
[quoted text clipped - 71 lines]
> If you are inclined to email me
> 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.

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mm - 31 Jan 2007 03:07 GMT

>>>> 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
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>
>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.)

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