spurlocktool
Bronze Member
Maybe this has been covered before but I could not find it in searches. Anyway my BX1500 radiator developed a leak in the core. I could see that access was tight so decided to just replace rather than attempt repair to avoid possibly having to do the job twice if a repair failed. The shop manual says to disconnect everything from the engine and hoist out the engine and radiator as one. I found an easier way so thought I'd share it here.
I expected to be able to just unbolt the fan shroud from the radiator, then remove both radiator hoses and lift the radiator out the top and slide the new one in. But the lower radiator tank is wider than the shroud which prevents simply lifting the radiator out. I didn't take any "before" pictures but here is a shot of the new radiator with shroud and overflow tank-
And this shot shows the interference between lower tank and shroud-
So being stubborn by nature I decided to try just spreading the lower sides of the shroud to let the radiator squeeze past. Using a hook I pulled one side of the shroud outward at a time while pulling up on the radiator. Again a shot of the new radiator showing how the shroud will spread apart enought to clear the radiator-
Once both sides were clear the radiator lifted right out. I then lifted out the shroud and replaced the fan belt while I was at it. The radiator comes complete with new shroud and overflow tank. So reassembly was just the reverse: First slide the shroud over the fan-
then pry the top of the shroud apart enough to slide the radiator down into place.
The shroud did not get permanently bent by the spreading, and the job was a whole lot easier than pulling the engine! Hope this might help someone who has to replace either the radiator or water pump. Both of these jobs requires pulling the radiator.
-Bill
I expected to be able to just unbolt the fan shroud from the radiator, then remove both radiator hoses and lift the radiator out the top and slide the new one in. But the lower radiator tank is wider than the shroud which prevents simply lifting the radiator out. I didn't take any "before" pictures but here is a shot of the new radiator with shroud and overflow tank-
And this shot shows the interference between lower tank and shroud-
So being stubborn by nature I decided to try just spreading the lower sides of the shroud to let the radiator squeeze past. Using a hook I pulled one side of the shroud outward at a time while pulling up on the radiator. Again a shot of the new radiator showing how the shroud will spread apart enought to clear the radiator-
Once both sides were clear the radiator lifted right out. I then lifted out the shroud and replaced the fan belt while I was at it. The radiator comes complete with new shroud and overflow tank. So reassembly was just the reverse: First slide the shroud over the fan-
then pry the top of the shroud apart enough to slide the radiator down into place.
The shroud did not get permanently bent by the spreading, and the job was a whole lot easier than pulling the engine! Hope this might help someone who has to replace either the radiator or water pump. Both of these jobs requires pulling the radiator.
-Bill
Attachments
Last edited:
