So i have seen a smaal leak from the readiator on the garage floor , NOT Good !! i took it in they said i neeed a new one buy it is not covered under my warranty , WTF o well i lloked around and found a new aftermarket replacement for 105$ great deal the dealer wanted 600$ ,

anyone have this issue yet and have to replace there radiator ? im guessing the side cap has a crack , those darn plastic caps are no good , let me know if anyone has done this and how painstaking the job of taking out old and putting in new is !! thanks guys , One more thing , what kind of rad fluid to put in after i get the new one in ????

 

Well, a few guys have replaced their radiators but mainly the 4.7L guys.
Coolant changes are due every 36kmi-50kmi(or every 5yrs) for a reason as coolant begins to corrode the internals. Use the extended life coolant and flush out the old stuff. Go to the store and buy a couple gallons of distilled water as tap water has mineral deposits that cause premature corrosion.

 

I changed my rad out a year or so ago. Its not a bad job, just take your time and everything will go smooth. There was some fittings I had to take off of the old rad and put on the new one, fittings for where the shroud bolts into the radiator frame. My radiator was leaking where the plastic end cap connects to the aluminum, I think the gasket in there was leaking. Coolant should be Mopars extended life HOAT, if a Napa is closer then the dealership Zerex G05 is the same stuff just not pink. Just make sure to use distilled water to refill, and burp the air out of the system when done. My engine is a 4.7 liter but I cant imagine a hemi being all that different, after all a radiator swap is a pretty straightforward job in any vehicle. Good luck.

 

thanks guys , dirty dog ... how can i flush and get all the fluid out ?? i know when i undo the radiator it will come out of there but wont there be some trapped behind the thermostat ? how do i get it all out ? or is just the radiator good enough??

 

anybody ? if you know how i can get all the fluid out while im changing the radiator ? or is it imossible in my driveway ?

 

I'm sure the new anti-feezes have additives that stop the corrosion??
That said, I still use distilled water whenever I mix up a batch.

To the OP....I just stuck a garden hose into the rad hose and sealed it as best I could. I then ran it through for about 15 mins to flush it till it ran clear.
Seemed to work.
I don't know how to drain a 5.7 fully. I do believe there are two block taps to loosen and that will fully drain the system.
I didn't do that, prefering to do what I suggested with the hose and let it all run away. Then reconnected everything back up and used distilled wated and new anti-freeze. Trusting on the additives to stop corrosion etc.
I did do an anti-freeze check with a kit you can buy which is like a hydrometer to check for anti-freeze strength and all was good.
Hope this helps?
Al.

 

yeah it helps i have done that to a few cars also but then there still got to be water in the there somewhere ? i guess the antifreeze will take over and mix in , ill see still not sure what im going to do ?
another thing , how much antifreeze do i buy not sure how much it will hold

 

I don't remember the right amount, except I bought two 5 liter containers along with the same in distilled water. I had plenty left over.
Don't forget to use the HOAT approved anti-freeze suitable for Aluminium engines!
As for the "water in there somewhere". Yes.....it will be still there but, as in central heating systems, the oxygen content in the water left over is long gone and the system cannot oxidise without it. Any mineral deposits will also be done with, so adding fresh anti-freeze and distilled water will only mix with it and so all shold be good.
Al.

 

Here's some interesting stuff on HOAT type ant-freeze.

http://www.imcool.com/articles/antif...-Glysantin.php

Al.