Think my radtiator is shot

[kyzen]

Car started overheating today, smoking from under the hood and the exhaust pipe. Got to a gas station, popped the hood, discovered I was out of coolant. Dumped in 3 liters of coolant, which smoked a ton more, drove it home, it heated up, smoked a little, but not as much. However, once home I noticed the radiator was leaking.

It appeared that the mesh/grill part was very wet, and the right side (facing the car) of the radiator was also wet. I couldn't quite tell where exactly the leak was coming from, but all in all I think the fact that it's leaking is bad.

The car is a 89 Volvo wagon.

Any ideas how much it would approximately cost? I know nobody can give me a dead on idea, but a rough number would be great.

Also, on a side note, a few of the belts look like they havent been replaced since i got it - how much do belts that look like the run completely externally of the engine tend to cost to replace?

Many thanks to any advice

EDIT: Additionally, it looks as if I could buy a radiatior myself for $100-$150 - how difficult/tricky are these to install? I'm comfortable building computer, and filling the various fluids in my car, but I've never actually taken anything apart on my car.

 

[JasonE4]

It isn't that hard to do yourself, especially if you have some kind of manual for your car. I'd recommend buying a manual and the radiator and trying to do it yourself first. It'll probably cost somewhere around $300-400 if you don't do it yourself.

 

[CycloWizard]

I'd check if it's a hose leaking or a radiator before you spend any money. Usually the hoses go well before the radiator and it's sometimes hard to tell the difference. As was said above, it's easy to replace yourself if you have a decent set of pliars to detach the hoses.

 

[HannibalX]

Could be: a bad hose, bad thermostat, bad water pump or bad radiator.

If it does turn out to be a radiator you can buy a new one or head to a salvage yard and pick one up second hand.

I like to buy new parts and have used www.radiatorbarn.com multiple times. They usually have free shipping also.

 

[boomerang]

On a car that old I'm betting on the radiator.

You shouldn't need a manual to replace the radiator. If you find you do, take it somewhere and have it done.

While doing the radiator, replace all the hoses at the same time. They're far beyond their useful life. The time to do it is now. Don't forget the heater hoses and bypass hoses if it has them.

It's a great time to flush that cooling system too. But you don't have the equipment to do it properly.

If you do decide to do it yourself, buy pre-mixed coolant. Saves you the hassle of mixing it yourself.

 

[natto fire]

I am assuming this car is an automatic? That makes it a bit harder/messier changing the radiator, but as said above, it is a very striaghtforward process. It is definitely a good idea to get new radiator hoses and heater if you want to go the extra mile, but if that car is on the original radiator, you are definitely going to want to get the radiator hoses, as they will probably be damaged while removing them, as well as being way past their designed life expectancy. There is no reason to get one from a salvage yard or other used one on a car that old, unless you get lucky and find one at the salvage yard that has a new radiator. You might as well replace the thermostat too, as they usually only run $5-10 and you will be able to get to it very easily with the hoses removed.

 

[SuperSix]

There's something other than regular exhaust coming out of the tailpipe?

If there's watover vapor coming out of the tailpipe - you might be looking at a headgasket.

 

[kyzen]

Well the 3 liters of coolant I put into the radiator have leaked out all over my parents driveway where I left the car, which they were super excited to discover.

I suppose I'll give the replacement a shot myself, and the hoses too. Are hoses a generic size, or will I need to measure them and order a specific sized replacement for them?

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: kyzen
Well the 3 liters of coolant I put into the radiator have leaked out all over my parents driveway where I left the car, which they were super excited to discover.

I suppose I'll give the replacement a shot myself, and the hoses too. Are hoses a generic size, or will I need to measure them and order a specific sized replacement for them?

get a manual for your car; it will come in handy later on.

If you believe the rad leaks, use water not antifreeze since antifreeze is toxic.

Just ask the parts guy for the hoses for your car and let him know whether it has air and what engine. These factors can influence hose routing.

This is not a hard job, but the unexpected can happen. A manual will clue you in on any unforeseen issues. This is not a 10 min job, so get your parts first then set aside a good chunk of the day, esp if you have never done it before.

 

[PandaBear]

radiator is around $100 parts for generic on the internet, easy to install yourself, but if you want to do it in a shop it could be $400 or more.

 

[Squisher]

Be aware that prices for radiators will be all over the place.

Factory OEM will probably have metal tops and bottoms and be around $200.

Aftermarket will probably have a plastic top and bottom (which are held on with tabs and glue) and be anywhere from $85 - $150. You'll have to look around for one at $85.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: boomerang
On a car that old I'm betting on the radiator.

You shouldn't need a manual to replace the radiator. If you find you do, take it somewhere and have it done.

While doing the radiator, replace all the hoses at the same time. They're far beyond their useful life. The time to do it is now. Don't forget the heater hoses and bypass hoses if it has them.

It's a great time to flush that cooling system too. But you don't have the equipment to do it properly.

If you do decide to do it yourself, buy pre-mixed coolant. Saves you the hassle of mixing it yourself.

I would buy a manual for the radiator. Some cars have bolts in odd places, or pieces that have to be removed to service the radiator, even though it's unintuitive. It's only $20 or so for a cheapo manual, and it can help a lot in this and future maintenance/repair tasks.