There's way too many variations to list, even among just one manufacturer. Your best bet is to get a copy of the manufacturer's service manual and read through the pages of instructions and drawings. If you can't wait that long, you can also go to the top of this page and point to "Repair and Service", then click on "Manuals". You'll get everything from Mitchel that is in the Kia manual but you'll just be renting it for a while. The advantage is it costs less than buying a new manual. New ones through dealers are usually well over a hundred dollars.
Some radiators are fairly easy to replace, but on some vehicles you have to almost take the bumper, grille, and fenders off. You didn't bother to list engine size or type of transmission, so I can only suggest that if you have an automatic transmission, you may have cooler lines going to the radiator. Some manufacturers have gotten away from that and are using small, separate coolers. That makes the job a little easier. If yours is still in the radiator, you'll want to consider using "flare-nut" wrenches, also called "line" wrenches to loosen the soft metal line nuts. Regular open end wrenches can round off the nuts. Use one wrench to hold the fitting that's screwed into the radiator's tank, and another wrench to turn the nut. During installation, always start those nuts by hand. They should go on two or three revolutions with your fingers. If one gets tight right away, it's cross-threaded. Try it again after bending the tube slightly if necessary.
You will likely have a radiator fan assembly with two fans. It's usually easiest to pull that out still attached to the radiator, then transfer it to the new radiator when it's on a bench.
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Monday, October 13th, 2014 AT 8:25 PM
