Longmire

I replaced my hoses with Napa hoses, which, if I remember correctly, said by Gates on them in small print. I did not have to trim anything off of the lower hose. When I had it flipped the other way, it would have hit though. I'm not sure which way it was supposed to go, but I got it to fit fine the way I have it.

LesserEvil

i was careful to orient it the same way as the old hose. it didn't occur to me to flip it, but it should have... oh well. i trimmed it and it's fine. i also filled the overflow tank this morning. anyone have any opinions on how needed the foam is in between the ac radiator and the engine radiator?

Willauflex

Radiator Replacement Tips from a Novice

On 9/15/19 I completed the radiator replacement on my 2001 LS430 with 135,000 miles and everything worked out. During the radiator changing process I encountered several delays and am providing tips that may help other novices. I replaced the hoses with Lexus hoses bought on Ebay for around $65 for both and used the $68 towing radiator from RockAuto. I purchased Toyota red T-IV coolant from the Toyota dealer for $26 per gallon and diluted 50/50 with distilled water. I did not replace the bottom or top mounts. Both seemed ok, although I would replace bottom mounts next time. Below are my tips:

1. Start in the morning when you have a full day. I began around 3:30 PM and took an hour or so break for dinner, and finished up after midnight, due to several delays. Give yourself plenty of time and start early.

2. Removing electrical cord from fan. I removed the main clip using a straight screwdriver quickly, but had difficulty removing the three clips that held the cord to the fan. I eventually used an s-shaped screwdriver blade, which enabled me to release those clips easily. I would practice on these clips using an s-shaped screwdriver or small bent poking tools before taking on the radiator. With the right tool & technique, it was easy. Any tips on clips for the inexperienced?

3. Removing Hose Clamps. For large radiator hose clamps, Channel Locks, small-sized worked ok, but a medium sized Channel Lock or a hose clamp specific tool would have worked better. I had difficulty with small clamps on the transmission fluid cooler hoses, until I used my 90-degree needle nosed pliers, which worked beautifully. Before starting, make sure you have tools that will work well on both sizes of hose clamps.

4. Disconnecting Teenage Hoses. The 18-year old hoses did not want to part from their connections. I ended up cutting one of my radiator hoses on the surface to get it off. Since then I watched a couple You Tube videos on how to remove hoses. Below is a link recommending a hose pick tool, which can be found at this website or at automotive stores. Make sure you have a pick tool to loosen radiator and transmission hoses beforehand. https://mercedessource.com/problems/...-coolant-hoses

5. Clamping Off Transmission Fluid Cooler Hoses. I tried the orange earplugs, but they kept popping out. I ended up sticking two plugs in each hose, and taping them with electrical tape and tying them up to stop the fluid from dripping. This was definitely not ideal and messy. Instead have some type of clamp to close hoes off. Perhaps two of the small ratcheting clamps, or specific small clamps for automotive, would have made the job much easier. (I also topped off transmission fluid a couple days later, since I was around 4 ounces low after the radiator change due to leakage.) Have clamps figured out and practice before starting. The orange earplugs may not work.

Otherwise, the instructions above worked well. I would do it again, but (being a novice) would have practiced and made sure I had the above issues covered ahead of time.

Khalusta

Hi guys,




Once again kudus for the forum as it is a great resource.




I have a 2003 Japanese spec non UL, my upper radiotor hose (return hose) randomly slipped off at the radiator side. Suffice to say I have lost all my coolant. Is this a common problem? I reattached the hose after compressing the clamp and went and purchased 2 gallons of replacement OEM coolant and figured I should change the clamp as well - the spare shop did not have the OEM clamp and sold me the universal worm clamp. Being skeptical I popped by my mechanic to confirm my remedy. He compelled me to replace the hose with a brand new one and ensured me it has nothing to do with clamp. I have ordered a new hose ($20 with OEM clamps) and will undertake the replacement tomorrow DIY. Upon inspection of the old hose it looks quite worn out on the inside where it attaches to the radiator. Any other recommendations will be helpful.

Longmire

Khalusta, smart move to replace that hose. My upper hose would slip back a little and then, one day the hose burst at the bend while I was driving. The new hose sits perfectly fine with the old clamp and does not slip back at all. I have no doubt that this is an indicator of a worn out hose. I would highly recommend changing the lower hose at the same time!

lsdude

Great write-up! I'm about to tackle this job and noticed this hose is missing in my car. It connects to a plastic box to the right of the upper radiator hose. Does anyone know what it's for and the part number? The last mechanic that touched it was JM Lexus when they replaced the timing belt and water pump. Not sure if it's important but it must serve a purpose.

caverman

Looking at swapping my radiator an my biggest concern is with the transmission fluid especially since mine has the sealed transmission. What did you do to cap off the trans lines. Those that have the sealed transmission, what did you do to get fluid back into your trans other than putting fluid back into the radiator reservoir?

I'm also a little hesitant to replace the t-stat since mine isn't leaking nor did the car ever overheat. I'm more leaning towards the theory of messing with it could make it worse. Once to the Lexus only repair shops I called said they don't even replace the hoses every time. He said it just depends on how they look and if they are hard and brittle. For me, replacing the hose is something I would since it's half way off anyway especially if you end up going with aftermarket hoses which are only about $15.

Striker223

I would keep a factory thermostat as long as possible since they are by far the best unless you have a USDM car since those have access to upgrades.

You should drop the trans pan, change the filter, reseal and refill it since it will only help it.

caverman

Not that easy on a sealed transmission. I'm not sure there is ever a filter that can be changed on them and even if you can it's filling them up and topping them off at the right level that's the PITA for a DIYer.

Johnhav430

I buy into the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" for this one.

I know people often don't like to compare the LS430 to other cars....but two things. One of my cars has well over 300k and original water pump, clutch, thermostat, etc. On this car, I did replace the original radiator with a $75 amazon job, 5 years ago.

When an indie did my timing belt/water pump job I said how about doing the serpentine (I've since replaced it myself since I replaced those two idlers/pulleys) and the thermostat? He said we can do the serpentine, but we would not recommend the thermostat. We will replace anything you want, it's your money, just that it's been our experience that doesn't need to be replaced. If it did, we'd tell you.

My fear is if the temp changed as a result, and also, that so many parts that came with the car, are better than the parts made today. Country of origin has changed, as maybe the cos who make them too at times.

Since I did my wife's water pump in 2019, I bought the thermostat housing "just in case." It's a long pipe with the thermostat integrated. I did end up replacing the radiator cap as it was doing the FULL when hot, FULL when cold. Coolant was not able to return to the reservoir due to the cap, and as mentioned, it was interesting nobody on any forum was able to identify that! I happened to notice that the upper rad hose had this collapsed appearance and said oh **** what does that mean....

caverman

I'm gathering up parts to tackle mine in the next week or two. Pulled my air intake off to check on the radiator fluid and sure enough my radiator top was covered it dried red antifreeze as well as a bone dry reservoir tank.

One question I had for those that have done this, I thought I saw where someone had posted that they should have replaced the lower radiator mounts but can't find that post now. Did anyone have any issues with this?

Based on the posts from the OP the trans line clips for the radiator could be very brittle and I'm assuming could easily break. Anyone have a problem with theirs and did you have to replace them before completing the job?

Another question, anyone know what the air intake screws are called or happen to have a part number. I've done some searching but I'm only finding the push in style clips and not the screw in style like on the air intake that goes on top of the radiator. One of mine is broken and the other looks like it's close to completely breaking.

caverman

Anyone have suggestions on what you did to plug the trans cooler hoses so they don't leak out all the trans fluid? I'm trying to minimize the amount of spillage as much as possible and want to be prepared to plug the hoses when I disconnect them.

911LE

I used foam earplugs to plug the hoses. A proper size bolt would work as well. Have a small drain pan handy anyway as the remaining fluid will drain from the radiator/cooler. I didn't plug the radiator side, I just kept the radiator tipped forward so it wouldn't spill when I removed it.

caverman

In case someone else ends up looking for the clips that hold down the air intake on top of the radiator, here is the part number. I'm planning to do my radiator swap this weekend and ordered these clips when I bought my radiator cap off eBay.


Part #90467-08155

bradland

Just a thought as you plan the job this weekend-
Toyota is very specific about only using fresh WS ATF. They actually discourage using New WS from a previously opened bottle! Apparently, the fluid is rather hygroscopic so don't re use any fluid that happens to escape during the job. Have a quart of new fresh WS on hand before you start