1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Sienna Repair and Radiator Replacement...

polifrog





One of my fears during our family's Grizzwald like great western trip "out west" was that of over heating. In no place was this more true than when we climbed out of Death Valley. At the time the Sienna had around 210,000 miles on the odo, we had our 1200lb camper in tow, it was 120 degrees and the climb out of the valley required an assent of over a mile. We were forced to stop four or five times to let the engine cool. Fortunately the high coolant temperatures and resultant high pressures did not cause any failures.

But now, a little over a year latter, my radiator has failed. It is of the newer plastic / aluminum variety and it developed a crack along the upper plastic portion near the radiator hose. The convenient location, the wait required for shipping the new radiator, and curiosity prompted me to try a patch type of fix. The most familiar is JB Weld, but there are other products that are formulated for plastic radiators. It worked! .... for about 3 weeks. The stuff is, after all, just a patch, but as a patch it proved itself and has become a valuable addition to the travel emergency tool box.

On to the fix...

With the expected failure of the patch it was time to install the new radiator.

Tools required:

• 10mm ratchet
• 12mm ratchet
• channel lock pliers

Yea, that was all! Not even a screw driver or the common fall back - a hammer - was required.

I began by draining the coolant into a pan I normally use for oil changes. I used the petcock located at the bottom corner (pass. side) of the radiator.





While the coolant was draining I removed the wires that powered the cooling fans; there was one connector on each side of the radiator corresponding to each fan.





I then turned to the transmission oil lines. They are much smaller than the big radiator hoses. For those of you who don't know, the radiator often performs double duty in that it not only cools the coolant, but the transmission fluid as well. Rather than remove the hoses where they connected to the radiator, I opted to remove them from the other end so as to eliminate transmission fluid from leaking from the radiator. I used the pliers to remove the spring clamps that held them on. Once loose I bent the rubber hoses around and tucked the open ends into the fan blades so that they were above the level of the oil in the radiator thereby keeping the transmission fluid from dripping.

By this time the coolant had been reduced to a slow drip so I closed the petcock and turned to removing the two large radiator hoses. One was easily seen at the top of the radiator and the other was at the bottom (driver's side) of the radiator. Both were easy to reach. The channel locks easily allowed me to slide the hose clamps away from the radiator and down the hose. With a slight tug both the hoses easily slipped off the radiator.

Finally, with the 12mm ratchet, I removed the clamps that held the radiator in place. It offered no resistance as it lifted up and out with the two cooling fans attached. There are two rubber grommets that the radiator sits in at the bottom. They can either stick to the radiator as they did in mine, stick to the hole they sit in on the van or they can fall free and roll away. Keep an eye out.

I laid the two radiators side by side on the driveway and began transferring a few items from the old one to the new one. The two fans unbolted from the old radiator with the 10mm socket. I also transferred the hoses.

Instillation of the new radiator was the reverse of the above. Do not use the traditional green antifreeze as it will cause the new plastic radiators to fail.

A couple of related bits of info:

• The radiator was bought through ebay for $75 (shipping included) I had my doubts, but everything matched and it was a drop in replacement. You might prefer a Toyota part as the quality will be higher, but the cost will be higher as well.
• When you choose your antifreeze get the type that is formulated for plastic radiators. There is also a one size fits all formulation as well. Avoid the traditional green stuff as it will degrade the plastic that the radiator is constructed of.
  
• I did the final bit if filling of the cooling system with the car running. I first filled it as much as I could, then I started the car. As the car warmed the coolant began to flow allowing bubbles to escape from the cooling system. I added coolant as needed.
• The whole job took less than 45 minutes and I recommend it for anyone with a pare of channel lock pliers, a 10mm socket, a 12mm socket, and a ratchet.
  
• Easy Peasy.

Good luck.



out.