Well today after coming home I went to leave again and noticed a huge puddle of coolant on the garage floor. Occassionally the mav leaks coolant from the plate behind the water pump but it's usually on a few drops and this was in a different spot. I guess I shoudl mention that the weather here in Sunny So. Cal. drastically changed and I think that this might be the culprit. So I got out the trusty flash light and noticed that in the top left corner underneath the upper rad. hose on the actual grill part of the radiator there was all kinds of green coolant. I cleaned this off and there doesn't seem to be a hole but there might be. I filled the rad up with fluid and will test it again. If it leaks then I guess it's time to get a new rad. The question is does it involve all kinds of hassle to install one myself? Can I do it without removing the fan? Can mav's use other kinds of radiators from Mustangs, or other fords? To my best guess there are only three points of connection to other hoses right? The upper and lower rad hoses and then the steel line at the bottom. Please say this is an easy fix. Ahhh the mav I believe is just trying to test my patience!
Its an easy fix. Basic hand tools. I would remove the fan just to be safe. Why not upgrade to an aluminum rad as well.
What does removing the fan entail? While I have a basic knowledge I don't want to get myself into a bad situation quick and I don't want to pay someone to do this for me when I think I am capable. I am going to look into an aluminum, the summers out here are wicked and aluminum seems like a logical choice, although price may be an issue. Do you know of any good brands besides Billet? Also what are the dimensions for the mav's radiator (height and width), Summit was asking for the "tank measurements". I want to go as inexpensive without sacrificing quality and Summit has one that is 22" wide and some odd inches tall. What are the dimensions that I need, btw, my mav originally came with a six but now has a v-8, wasn't sure if this matters. Thanks so much
Taking the fan loose is a matter of loosening your fan belts, and removing four bolts from the wp pulley. I used a griffin aluminum cost 189.99.*(6 years ago) The catch had to have somebody tig weld some brackets on it to fit. Matched 2 original holes and had to make 2 new holes and a couple spacers. I beleive they make a direct fit aluminum but it is $$$$. The V8 deserves a better Rad.
where can I go to get the brackets made, spacers made, and welded to the rad? I don't know anyone who has the tools to do this. Damn this car. Anyway thanks for the info.
Any welding/metal place. The spacers are not welded in. Just there to take up space. I think my spacers were 3/4 inch or so. Tommorow i will take some pics and post if time.
i got a stock replacement rad. from "advance auto parts" for $125. a suggestion...on the trans. lines at the bottom..use two (2) wrenches to loosen the connections. that way there will be less chance to twist the copper lines... use line wrenches if you have them...they have special heads on them to fit the line nuts...also when replacing the lines make sure you screw the fittings back on with your fingers first...they cross thread real easy. if they are straight you should be able to screw them almost all the way on. .. you will loose some trans. fluid, so you might want to put something under the rad.to catch it.. take the rad. to a shop and have it tested..it might be repairable...frank...
I'm not clear on all the fabrication you are talking about to mount a rad. Factory fit rads are available for the Mavs and yes, they can be gotten easily around $125 or so depending on quality level. With easy availability of these rads, why would you worry about installing a different one, unless you want a custom racing type of rad?
When I replaced my leaky radiator. I purchased a 3 core. Sure does keep it a lot cooler than a stock 2 core. I also installed a trans cooler while I was at it. It's not hard to do at all. I also repaired my cracked radiator fan shroud (used gorilla glue). Painted the shroud & you can't even tell where it was cracked. Only 4 bolts hold the fan & 4 bolts hold the radiator. It is a quick change, & easy fix.
Everyone keeps saying that I should go aluminum but that seems to be like such a hassle. Stock replacements are sounding like the way to go. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Thanks Jeri
I think if your engine is pretty much stock, a stock radiator should work fine assuming that all of the parts of the cooling system are working right. My car was overheating and it turned out that the heater core was clogged and leaking. You should also replace the thermostat and maybe the radiator hoses (both are easy to replace). Flush the whole system and it should work great. Also, if you go with a stock radiator, it should be real easy to replace.
To remove the fan remove the bolts from the shroud. Once the shroud is loose, lay it back over the fan so that you can access the bolts on the fan easier. When removing the fan leave the belts tight. This will hold the pulley so you can loosen the bolts easier and will keep the pulley in place during the whole process.
Just did the '70. 4 bolts to remove the shroud, hung it on the fan. 4 bolts to remove the rad, upper hose, lower hose, 2 tranny lines and lifted it straight up. Didn't touch the fan bolts. Took it to a rad shop and they pressure tested, fixed leaks, flushed it clean, and painted it a real nice new lookin' jet black. All for a hunnert bones. New one here (PDX) was spec order and $269.00. Figger I gotta good deal. Runs cool as a cuke, and blows hot on the shield. It's a beautiful thing. J
Well the mav has stumped me again. Last night we cleaned everything off, filled her up and today I drove her around and not one drop! This car does things just to test my patience. However I am going to remove it, take it to a rad. shop and have it tested. After hearing all the problems with mods I think that if this one can be fixed I will reinstall. Thanks for all the advice. These cars can cerainly be a test. jeri
