Hey Guys, This is an upgrade everyone should do to there Grand Prixs. Its fairly cheap and very benifical for you car. Lets start... I went to my local O'Reillys Auto Parts store and got me a new aluminum Proliance Radiator PN: 432387. If for some reason they cannot access this PN (they should have no problems) the radiator is for a 1998 Chevy Monte Carlo, 3.8 Liter V6 N/A, and there will be 3 choices for the radiators... a 5/8", 1", and a 1-3/8" HD listed on the computer. If its not in stock it'll most likely be at the local HUB, you should get it the same day most likely. Before buying the radiator, take you tape measure and double check the core size! The first one they got for me was 1", but the sticker had the correct PN on it. They got another one and it was correct, double check this before purchasing! The radiator cost me $186.99 and w/ tax that came out to $202.65. It comes with a LIFETIME Warranty which is worth its weight in gold IMO. If something fails on it, a replacement is a few hours from me at all times. This is important to some people, especailly those with daily drivers. The install is fairly simple, modification very minimal, i'll give you a quick run down... Removal: (on a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP)
Note: I wanted as much room as possible to perform this job, so i removed everything possibly in the way. -Drain the coolant
-Remove both braces
-Disconnect + remove the battery
-Removed battery tray (Por-15 it while it was out, optional of course)
-Remove your CAI or whatever is applicable
-Remove the dog bones
-Dog bone mounts on radiator support
-Remove coolant level sensor off radiator, clean + save
-Unplug the fans on top of the radiator between the dog bone mounts
-Unclip harness clips on radiator support, pulled over toward front valve cover/snout area, zip tied in place
-Unbolt the fans, one bolt on both sides of the radiator midway down and one bolt behind the fan harness between the dog bone mounts, total of 3 bolts. Unclip harness on PCM side + unclip tranny lines under the fans and pull up and out.
-Undo both upper and lower radiator hoses
-Undo catch can hose
-Undo both tranny lines, pull back plastic piece and there a metal clip, pull out with a tiny screw driver and pull out lines. Note: Other year GPs may very, 00+ are suppose to be a little different. There are adapters avaible through GM, don't have any details beyond that though.
-Remove the upper hold down brackets on top of the radiator, there are 2, one on each side on the top.
-That should be everything, double check everything and pull the radiator up and out.
-Before reinstalling anything, blow out the AC condensor toward to front of the car with air. Clean up the core support, check for rust and clean accordingly/coat (alot of bare areas the factory didn't paint), coat w/ POR15 if availble to you. Let it dry thoroughly. Modifications:
Note: The fan support equipment on the stock GTP radiator won't work on the new radiator due to core size differences, however it can still be mounted down solid with a few simple modifications. Test fit this stuff on the ground before installing in the car for a perfect fit. What i did... -Where the fans mount on the sides of the radiator, use 3 washers to space the fans away from the radiator on both sides. I also had to use slightly longer bolts (which i had handy) to fit the washers and properly bolt up to the c-clip nut things. You want the fans as close to the radaitor as you can without the fans ever hitting it. I compared how the fans fit on the stock GTP radiator, you should do the same as well.
-For the top long bolt I robbed a c-clip nut thing off the stock GTP radiator side tank, modified it by smashing it a little and used the existing hole in the new radiator core, insert 2 washers this time, run the bolt through the fan shroud, through the washers, to the c-clip nut deal and tighten down.
-With everything bolted up as described earlier, check clearances all the way around the radiator, make sure fans spin and are clear of the core. Everything should be good, now rip all that **** off and start with a bare radiator again. NOTE: Other year Grand Prix Fans my very, your application maybe different than mine!
-Remove the trans line fittings off the old GTP radiator, clean up, make sure o-rings are good, antiseeze the threads (no sealant needed, there taper seal) and install on the new radiator. NOTE: This maybe different on other year Grand Prixs, your application maybe different than mine!
-Make sure the rubber lower mounts are not on the old GTP radiator and are in place on the radiator support. Installation:
-Drop the radiator, make sure the pegs go into the lower mounts
-Replace the upper hold down brackets on top of the radiator
-Replace the tranny lines, lube up before install, carefully insert clip, do not loose! Replace plastic retainer. NOTE: This maybe different on other year Grand Prixs, your application maybe different than mine!
-Replace Upper radiator hose, it should fit the same
-The lower radiator hose will need to be modified slightly. Since the lower neck points to the AC compressor, installing the hose in the stock position will force the hose on to the pulley chewing up the hose. I believe I cut off about 1/2" to 3/4", check and see what work best for you. After properly trimmed and test fitted, reinstall on radiator.
-Replace the fans on the radiator, sure to install the c-clip thing on the top hole on the radiator, insert your bolt through the fan shroud, install the 2 washers and start the bolt though the radiator clip. Now for the 2 side mounts on each side place your new bolt through the fan shroud, install the 3 washers, and thread the bolt in the c-clip nut thing, do the same on the other side. Tighten everything down. Re-clip the tranny lines below
-Replace Harness and clips in the stock postion
-Plug back in the fans
-Replace coolant level sensor, lube up and reinstall and plug in
-Replace dog bone mounts
-Replace dog bones
-Replace CAI or whatever you have.
-Replace battery tray
-Replace battery + reconnect
-Replace catch can hose. Since the nipple is in a different location, a little trimming is need, not much though, maybe a 1/2". Check to see what works best for you
-Replace braces
-Replace whatever else you uninstalled I recommend running a coolant flush through the system to clean things up in the system. I use 2 bottles of the Prestone stuff personally. Run it for about an hour or however long you want to, flush till water comes out clean and run water coolant you want. I personally run 50/50 Premixed Peak Global w/ 1 bottle of RedLine Water Wetter. I noticed a big difference right away, the engine runs noticeble cooler and it seems to run overall better. Definatly a worth while upgrade, especailly for the southern folks. Hope this write up helps, I couldn't find any good write ups on ClubGP or anywhere so i decided to make my own! Hope this helps out somewhat. Enjoy! |
