# radiator leaking help!



## axroh (Jun 6, 2005)

hi all,

my car started steaming today (94 gxe auto). it didn't overheat. when I popped the hood, I noticed that coolant was bubling through the top seam part of the radiator just left of the neck. I don't see any visible damage of any kind and the cap it tight. all hoses look good too. here's my diagnosis:

1. upper radiator hose is hot. tells me that thermostat is ok.
2. lower radiator host is warm. (is this ok?)
3. don't see any visible leaks around the water pump.

Is my radiator gone? It could still be the water pump though, right? last water pump change was 40k ago (including timing belt). The engine has 192k on it. 

any recommendations on a radiator?

Thanks!


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

if you can visibly see the water leaking from the radiator, then it's not your water pump.

you can get radiators for $150 or so from most parts stores with lifetime warranty.

if you want to go the cheap way out, you can usually get one from a junkyard for $50-75. I'm running a junkyard one in mine and haven't had an issue with it.


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## axroh (Jun 6, 2005)

thanks for the reply.

the thing is that I've had a similar problem on an old bmw in the past. the radiator was marginally leaking but it was time to change the water pump/thermostat anyway. So I did that first thinking that if the impellar is busted or the thermostat is shut closed (or partially closed), coolant could boil over and "seep" thru somewhere from the radiator. This fixed the problem on that car.

now, if in fact the water pump has gone south, and the radiator developed a leak because of it (I think this is possible), a new radiator may also develop that leak.

Hmm. Tells me I should replace the water pump first?


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## Alpha Male (Jun 6, 2005)

If you replaced your water pump with a Nissan unit and did it properly, it's likely not going to fail prematurely in these engines. I think your rad's gone bad, because 192K isn't chump change on an original unit. Just replace that and think cheap as opposed to thinking expensive (i.e. water pump replacement).



axroh said:


> thanks for the reply.
> 
> the thing is that I've had a similar problem on an old bmw in the past. the radiator was marginally leaking but it was time to change the water pump/thermostat anyway. So I did that first thinking that if the impellar is busted or the thermostat is shut closed (or partially closed), coolant could boil over and "seep" thru somewhere from the radiator. This fixed the problem on that car.
> 
> ...


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## axroh (Jun 6, 2005)

It was probably not an OE water pump. And an OEM replacement water pump is not more than $40 (cardone makes 'em for $32 from autozone). A replacement radiator on the other hand is about $120. Of course I'm doing the repair myself ... perhaps if I took it elsewhere, the water pump replacement may be more expensive.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

An OEM water pump is about $75 from a discount dealer, and up to $135 from the higher priced ones.

I doubt that's your problem, honestly.

it doesn't take but a 1/2 hour to remove the radiator and you can take it to a place to have it tested. if the radiator is leaking, then just replaec it. it's over 10 years old.


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## axroh (Jun 6, 2005)

ok. will purchase a radiator and let you all know. Thanks!


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