FJ62 Radiator Removal (Full Write Up) (1 Viewer)

[thecadefire]

I dont have a ton of pictures but for everyone that doesn't have a FSM this should help you...

You DO NOT have to discharge the refrigerant or mess with the AC Condensor!!!!

Here are some things I would remove before you even start looking at the radiator:
Remove:
1) Lower Skid Plate in front of the Front Axle
2) Battery and Tray
3) Headlight Bezels and Front "TOYOTA" grille.
4) Grille Center Support
5) Once the Coolant is drained, remove the Coolant Reservoir
6) The 6 bolts that hold on the Fan Shroud. (it won't come out though because of the fan)

STEP 1) Locate the plastic drain plug for the radiator which is located on the bottom passenger side of the radiator. Just unscrew it very slowly with a bucket or drain pan underneath. I would leave on the radiator cap so the fluid doesn't come shooting out. Just be patient and let it drain.

STEP 2) Once the coolant is drained disconnect the large upper coolant hose from the top of the radiator, and then disconnect the large coolant hose from the bottom of the radiator...

STEP 3) You will then see 2 automatic transmission lines that connect to the base of the radiator, one on the driver side, and the other one is located in the middle. Remove ONLY the middle one right now. It was a bit tough to remove because my fittings were very corroded.

STEP 4) For the A/T line on the driver side, the fitting is very hard to access because you can't get a wrench up there due to the frame being in the way... So, we need to move the radiator up and to the left... BUT FIRST to do this we need to free up the radiator. We do this by un-bolting the AC Condensor (4 bolts on the 4 corners of the AC Condensor) and with the Center Grille Support already removed, you should be able to move the AC Condensor over just enough to access the two radiator mounting bolts, one is on the top left of the radiator, and the other on the top right. Then there are two bolts on the two bottom corners of the radiator that hold the radiator bracket assemblies down to the frame. Just unscrew these two bolts and the radiator should be free moving.
STEP 5) Move the radiator towards the passenger side of the vehicle just enough to access the A/T line fitting. Remove the fitting and bingo, the radiator is ready to be pulled out. Then once that's out, pull out the fan shroud too. And your done!!

Tip: I am going to cut my fan shroud like this to save me a lot of time: Timesaver mod to fan shroud

Hope this helps and is clear

 

[thecadefire]

Quick update: So I also went to change my coolant and do a complete flush. I used 4 gallons of distilled water and flushed it through the radiator and engine. I did this twice. Each time you should undo the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator, and also undo the metal coolant drain plug on the side of the engine block. This enables you to drain ALL the coolant from the system.
I went by like 3 radiator shops and they all said to stay away from red coolant saying it’s corrosive and bad. Well I decided to still use the red Toyota coolant anyways. It’s priced at 26$ a gallon (for the concentrate) which is crazy $$ but I would rather spend the money on the Toyota stuff that says it’s non corossive etc. The factory service manual calls for 4.63 gallons of coolant so I bought 3 gallons of concentrate and 3 gallons of distilled water (ONLY used Distilled Water). Well come to find out my system only took 4 gallons. And I confirmed that 4 gallons is the right amount with a local 62 owner. So I only needed 2 of the 3 Toyota coolant bottles but I kept the 3rd and diluted it and put it in the back of my rig just in case...

 

[wrc3]

Great write up Super helpful. Thanks!

 

[jessebee]

Which radiator did you go with? I ordered this one based on a customer review that said it was a direct replacement for my 89 with auto transmission. although the seller could not confirm that.... has not arrived yet so I am still worried that it will be correct.
Amazon product ASIN B016L6NWB0

 

[thecadefire]

Which radiator did you go with? I ordered this one based on a customer review that said it was a direct replacement for my 89 with auto transmission. although the seller could not confirm that.... has not arrived yet so I am still worried that it will be correct.
Amazon product ASIN B016L6NWB0

I ended up ordering mine through Performance Radiator in Tacoma, WA. I can’t remember what mine is called.
The one you ordered looks like it will fit! If I was smart I should have ordered an aluminum radiator. Mine was a brass and costed me 400$

 

[cheeese]

Champion has this short article about coolant compatibility for their radiators: What Coolant Color Should I Use In A Champion Radiator?

There’s also this Mud thread with some good info: Toyota Red Article

 

[wrc3]

I went with the CSF Radiator that all the Cruiser shops sell. It was a direct fit and seems like a well made piece of gear.

 

[thecadefire]

I went with the CSF Radiator that all the Cruiser shops sell. It was a direct fit and seems like a well made piece of gear.

That’s the one I have! I’ve had no issues at all with it and perfect fit!

 

[Elbert]

4 core brass (old school) works great.

 

[dbla]

I've got a question... When you disconnect the A/T coolant lines are you losing transmission fluid? Will that need to be topped up as well?

Also, are there any tools that you have, or didn't have that would make this easier in general?

Fittna do this in the next week or two!

Thanks!

 

[thecadefire]

I've got a question... When you disconnect the A/T coolant lines are you losing transmission fluid? Will that need to be topped up as well?

Also, are there any tools that you have, or didn't have that would make this easier in general?

Fittna do this in the next week or two!

Thanks!

You will lose probably an 1/8 or a 1/4 of a quart of atf so not much if I remember correctly. And I had a couple socket extensions to make the job easier for taking off the radiator mounting bolts, and a small adjustable crescent wrench. Other than that just a set of wrenches/ sockets and you’ll be good to go!

 

[dbla]

Hey all I am RIGHT in the middle of all of this but cannot find the engine coolant plug. Any help? Closest I can find searching here is "down low towards the back of the motor on the driver side," but I still cant see it. any help??

 

[thecadefire]

Hey all I am RIGHT in the middle of all of this but cannot find the engine coolant plug. Any help? Closest I can find searching here is "down low towards the back of the motor on the driver side," but I still cant see it. any help??

Here’s a pic, arrow pointing too it. It’s on the driver side above the back of the oil pan.

 

[dbla]

Gotcha and thank you,

Next question... called it for the night because I can't get the AT lines off the radiator? Any hints?

I have the fitting loose, but the hose doesn't want to let the fitting unscrew, I assume there's something painfully simple that I'm missing here.

-a

 

[thecadefire]

Which fitting is it? The "L" shaped one or the straight fitting. If its the L Shaped fitting you unscrew the hose attached to it so leave the "L" on the radiator...
The hoses should have a nut on the end and should just unscrew. I left the fittings on the radiator when I took it off. Then removed the fittings (the hoses attach too) once the radiator was off the car.
Just unscrew the hoses and the bolts that hold them on, not the fittings that screw into the radiator.
Hope this helps! Let me know.

 

[dbla]

Which fitting is it? The "L" shaped one or the straight fitting. If its the L Shaped fitting you unscrew the hose attached to it so leave the "L" on the radiator...
The hoses should have a nut on the end and should just unscrew. I left the fittings on the radiator when I took it off. Then removed the fittings (the hoses attach too) once the radiator was off the car.
Just unscrew the hoses and the bolts that hold them on, not the fittings that screw into the radiator.
Hope this helps! Let me know.

No it’s the straight fitting. Does the same apply? Do I need new fittings?

Sorry, total newb here.

 

[thecadefire]

No it’s the straight fitting. Does the same apply? Do I need new fittings?

Sorry, total newb here.

No problem at all, I knew nothing about this stuff until a couple of months ago when I bought my cruiser and dove into repairs. You just learn as you go

Yes, same applies, leave the fittings on in the radiator, just unscrew the hoses. Once the radiator is out of the car, then you can unscrew the fittings, and you can reuse them on the next radiator. Just to be safe I put on some pipe thread tape to seal the threads for an extra tight seal when you reuse the old fittings on the new radiator.

 

[dbla]

Alright, another question...

I wasn't going to replace the thermostat but decided it should come out so I can get a more complete flush.

This is what I found:

And it was missing the top gasket.

So I guess I will be replacing it... but I had a few questions:

First, what does this hose go to, and is there an easier way to get to it??

Second, do I need to disconnect this? Or can I just bolt this B back down and flush the system?

Overall view:

The final question is: The other part I was considering replacing is the water pump, how can I determine if it needs it or not??

Thanks all.

-A

 

[Madronesfj62]

I dont have a ton of pictures but for everyone that doesn't have a FSM this should help you...

You DO NOT have to discharge the refrigerant or mess with the AC Condensor!!!!

Here are some things I would remove before you even start looking at the radiator:
Remove:
1) Lower Skid Plate in front of the Front Axle
2) Battery and Tray
3) Headlight Bezels and Front "TOYOTA" grille.
4) Grille Center Support
5) Once the Coolant is drained, remove the Coolant Reservoir
6) The 6 bolts that hold on the Fan Shroud. (it won't come out though because of the fan)

STEP 1) Locate the plastic drain plug for the radiator which is located on the bottom passenger side of the radiator. Just unscrew it very slowly with a bucket or drain pan underneath. I would leave on the radiator cap so the fluid doesn't come shooting out. Just be patient and let it drain.

STEP 2) Once the coolant is drained disconnect the large upper coolant hose from the top of the radiator, and then disconnect the large coolant hose from the bottom of the radiator...

STEP 3) You will then see 2 automatic transmission lines that connect to the base of the radiator, one on the driver side, and the other one is located in the middle. Remove ONLY the middle one right now. It was a bit tough to remove because my fittings were very corroded.

STEP 4) For the A/T line on the driver side, the fitting is very hard to access because you can't get a wrench up there due to the frame being in the way... So, we need to move the radiator up and to the left... BUT FIRST to do this we need to free up the radiator. We do this by un-bolting the AC Condensor (4 bolts on the 4 corners of the AC Condensor) and with the Center Grille Support already removed, you should be able to move the AC Condensor over just enough to access the two radiator mounting bolts, one is on the top left of the radiator, and the other on the top right. Then there are two bolts on the two bottom corners of the radiator that hold the radiator bracket assemblies down to the frame. Just unscrew these two bolts and the radiator should be free moving.
STEP 5) Move the radiator towards the passenger side of the vehicle just enough to access the A/T line fitting. Remove the fitting and bingo, the radiator is ready to be pulled out. Then once that's out, pull out the fan shroud too. And your done!!

Tip: I am going to cut my fan shroud like this to save me a lot of time: Timesaver mod to fan shroud

Hope this helps and is clear

I just wanted to say thank you for this write up. It made swapping out my radiator so much easier. Put in a Mishimoto and so far, everything it awesome.

 

[Spock Dingledong]

Is there a trick to getting those darn ATF lines out? Do I unscrew 1 or 2? 2 barely moved, 1 moves easily but not enough to unscrew the whole line. I had to rotate the rad to get it off.