Radiator Replacement DIY

[m3fan]

Interesting. Was going to attempt changing the radiator myself. All the videos I saw recommended keeping the mounting bracket on for the passenger side as the lower bolt is not accessible by a long extension. I tried to look through the front grill/vents and it does look like the lower one is covered by the trans cooler. Am I missing something?

Or do you mean just unscrew the radiator from the mounting bracket and don’t bother taking the mounting bracket off? It would be pretty difficult to shimmy off the radiator with the mounting brackets in place.

IIRC you can get to all 4 bolts easily, no need to separate the brackets from the radiator.

 

[bloc]

Interesting. Was going to attempt changing the radiator myself. All the videos I saw recommended keeping the mounting bracket on for the passenger side as the lower bolt is not accessible by a long extension. I tried to look through the front grill/vents and it does look like the lower one is covered by the trans cooler. Am I missing something?

Or do you mean just unscrew the radiator from the mounting bracket and don’t bother taking the mounting bracket off? It would be pretty difficult to shimmy off the radiator with the mounting brackets in place.

IIRC you can get to all 4 bolts easily, no need to separate the brackets from the radiator.

Whether the lower passenger side bolt is visible depends on the individual vehicle model, and more specifically how the front grille openings are arranged. On my 13 cruiser it is plainly accessible through the front with long extensions, but I know for a fact with other 200s (can't remember which variants specifically) it is not.

I've put two radiators into my 13 cruiser and taking the whole bracket out with the core was definitely the easier option.

 

[Jbuckley21]

For what it’s worth the 2011 has the lower passenger side blocked. I removed the bumper, there are a few videos on that, and had it sitting on buckets not completely detached due to the lines for the headlight washers. From there you can unbolt the bracket that directs wind up to the other cooler and slide it to the right and gain access to the bolt. Also for what it is worth I had to get under the car from different angles and get vice grips on the lower square bolts on the inside of the radiator bolts to lock in place to remove the lower radiator bolts. The Driver side I was able to go at an angle and get locked on, from the passenger side I had to pull the plastic rock shields and went at it from inside the wheel well.

Couple pics as reference. I wanted to note the 2011 is still a PITA because the lower passenger bolt is blocked.

 

[bloc]

A 12mm open-end wrench will fit over the square washer nuts too. But yes they can be tough to get to.