bgbevan
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Joined: 08/28/2009
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My trusty 1990 28' Southwind is still runs great and I have kept it going for the last 20+ years. Over the last 5 years or so, it has been running hotter and hotter during hill climbing or when pulling a load. I have read numerous blogs and forums about now to fix this problem but now the radiator has a fairly significant leak and will need to be repaired/replaced.
I am going to try the replacement myself and just need a few tips on how to get started and any things to watch out for. Don't need the obvious step-by-step stuff. It looks like the front will have to be jacked up to drop the radiator out the bottom The transmission cooler will have to be detached along with the other obvious stuff like the electric fans, hoses, shroud, etc. It looks like the transmission cooler has enough flex in the hoses to just hinge forward to clear the radiator.
Now that I have it out, should I get a new one? Get it rodded out and repaired? Or, buy an expensive replacement with more cores, etc. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
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vladen
Louisiana
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Joined: 09/11/2010
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Id have a good radiator shop give you an opinion on ce they open it up.
Vlad's busy workings
All hope is gone
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gbopp
The Keystone State
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Joined: 08/03/2008
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vladen wrote:Id have a good radiator shop give you an opinion on ce they open it up.
x2. I would get prices for all your options.
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cdking1
el paso, texas usa
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Joined: 03/05/2001
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Hi, I am not sure of the size you have, but I bought one for an acura and one for a ford f150 for about 120 dollars each, new, they also sell rebuilt ones. If a local shop rebuilds it they will put it through a pressure test to make sure it will hold pressure before they repaint it, but if they want to rob you on labor, then check out auto parts/ radiators on the net, they found me two locally and I picked them up. charlie in texas
1999 Southwind ford V10
Gibson hedders and exhaust
Tacoma, 4x4 toad
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sbishop
Eagle Rock, CA
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Joined: 08/09/2001
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We have a Bounder 27D which is basically the same vehical and when my radiator started leaking I had it pulled and recored. I don't have the space here in the hills surrounding Los Angeles to do it myself. It cost me a little over $2200 dollars and took forever but it was the rainy season and I didn't care. I do not remember how many rows of tubes it has but the shop used a core that had one more row. I think it was a 3 row and new was 4 row. I have a Chevy p32 with an aspirated 454 engine. It has been a great deal, the engine is really running cool even in the Rockies and up over the Sierra. We had the shop put in all new hoses , clamps and water pump (OEM not after market) one of the expensicw things was recharging the AC. The shop didn't have the freon collected as the law requires so I had to pay full boat for the recharge. I would look into a new OEM style coolant resevoir, they do get hard and it's a good preventive move.
Good luck and cool running.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson
David Bishop
1990 Bounder 27D
1995 Suzuki Sidekick 4X4
Stowmaster 5000
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