YotaJunky

Just replaced my rad with an aftermarket one. I've got a 1988 Toyota 4WD pickup, manual tranny and a 3VZE.

The whole project took about 2 hours from start to finsh. This was a very satisfying repair for me and it was much easier than I had anticipated.


1. Start by disconnecting the negative lead from the battery - you never know when the fan will kick in on its own, even after the engine has been turned off.

Make sure your engine has cooled down before you remove the radiator cap otherwise you risk having hot steam and fluid gushing out (VERY DANGEROUS - EXERCISE CAUTION). I waited about 3 hours before removing the cap. Removal of the cap will help with draining the old fluid out:

YotaJunky

2. Remove the skid plate to access the bottom of the rad. SLOWLY, drain out the rad fluid by loosening the plastic screw on the bottom of the rad, otherwise it'll come gushing out and you've got yourself a bigger mess to clean up. You don't have to wait for all the fluid to flow out before disassembling other parts. Just move on to the next step... I used a small hose to direct the flow:



3. remove the coolant overflow tank while the fluid is still draining out of the rad:



4. remove the fan shroud. There are 4 bolts attaching it to the rad:

YotaJunky

5. remove the top hose:



6. after the coolant in the rad has drained, remove the bottom hose:



7. take out your rad by unbolting the 4 bolts holding it to the body. Here's a shot of the rad removed from the truck. The fan shroud is still in place:

YotaJunky

8. here's a shot of the old rad where it was leaking:



9. here's the new rad, ready for installation. It's an aftermarket part and the hoses will need to be modified to fit the new rad:



10. check the hoses below to make sure they are not damaged or on their way out. If they need to be replaced, this is a good time to do it. Here's a shot of the left side looking down from above (driver's side):

YotaJunky

11. check the right side looking down from above (passenger's side):



12. slide the fan shroud in first, then the new rad. Bolt on the fan shroud to the rad and then the rad to the body. Attach the hoses and trim the hoses if necessary. Install the coolant overflow tank and reconnect the hose from the overflow tank to the rad. Here's the completed installation:

YotaJunky

13. Pour in new fluid with about 50/50 rad fluid and clean water (some say distilled) or whatever your recommended mixture is supposed to be. Check with your owner's manual to find out exactly how much fluid the cooling system will take. This way, you have a much better idea about how much water and coolant you will need.

14. After you've filled up the rad, idle the engine for a couple of minutes with the interior heater control turned all the way to the highest temperature. This will ensure that coolant gets to your heater core and speed up the elimination of air pockets. Slowly pour in more coolant to offset the draw from the air pockets that are getting squeezed out.

15. Check your coolant level for the next few days of driving to make sure that it's topped off. And again, do not remove the rad cap until your engine has cooled down. Don't forget to top off your overflow tank also.

16. Dispose of your coolant responsibly and hose down any that may have been left on the truck during the job. Coolant is highly toxic and it can kill animals which seem to be attracted to the sweet smelling stuff.

17. Also, I wore rubber gloves because that stuff just isn't too good for your skin. Eye protection should also be used to prevent injury to your eyes from spraying/gushing/dripping coolant.

18. That's it. If I've missed anything, let me know.


IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT MIXING COOLANT: check with the coolant manufacturer about mixing different types of coolant. It is my understanding that if you mix the green and red Toyota coolants together, they will gel. This may clog up your radiator or worse.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a mechanic and I am not dispensing any professional advise. I have posted this procedure to document my own experience, which was my first. If you attempt this repair, you do so at your own risk. If you are not sure about doing this repair on your own, please seek advise from a professional mechanic. I assume no responsibility for any injury or harm which may arise from carrying out this repair. Proceed at your own risk.

ChaseHeadrick

I noticed your coolant is green. Mine was red when i took my radiatior out. What did the factory put in. Just curious cause i heard the two if mixed will turn to gel.

YotaJunky

Yup, I've heard the same. I've been told by a Toyota parts rep that if you are using Toyota coolant, they should never be mixed because a chemical reaction takes place that gels the coolants if mixed. If you start off with red, stay with red. If you start off with green stay with green. I'm not sure which type of factory coolant it used. I don't think they had red coolant in 1988 and the previous owner used green, so I'm sticking with green.

Troy

ChaseHeadrick

sounds good to me. im sticking with what was in there previously, also. I was just curious about it.

YotaJunky

ChaseHeadrick - thanks for the heads up on the potential gel problem mixing the 2 different Toyota coolants together. If you hadn't mentioned it, I probably would not have thought about including it in the writeup. Also, your rebuild looks great. One of these days, I'm sure I'll have to do it. Hopefully not too soon as I got my rig only 3 months ago.