C6 Corvette Radiator Replacement

[@c666-n5n]

Put it in today and it fit perfectly, thanks for the great video!

[@RobsHouse]

Glad I could help!

[@zemyew1550]

Thanks for the video.

[@blackbearddave]

Glad the crush washers worked

[@bobbybenn8275]

Great video, iwished it was done in slo mo

[@spencerfowler9191]

My earlier comment about fan fitment I still do not have an idea on what may fit I haven’t gotten to that yet. But what I can say is I have a 13 gs heads/cam 160 stat STOCK FANS, car has very big converter in my 6l80. Install was just completed on the rad. Only issue is the cooler lines do need the recessed washer with the o ring. 92 degrees out sun bearing on the hood of car. Coolant temps stayed no more than 176 cruising, trans cooler ran thru rad along with external in front of condenser trans temps no higher than 145. For $265, there is zero reason to purchase a Dewitt’s or Ron Davis. This rad is the real deal. Even after multiple passes of beating on it never saw more than 185. Save yourself the $1000 or so on big name use this one. Again fitment was great. Any questions feel free to reply to comment.

[@RobsHouse]

Thanks for the additional info! I had good luck with it as well.

[@ericchavez3158]

How is the Radiator holding up 4 years later ? I’m debating on getting the same one you got but Corvette forum says they could be a bust.. how’s it been?

[@RobsHouse]

I sold the car shortly after in order to buy my C7Z. So, I cannot comment on that. It was all-aluminum, so I don't see why it would fail.

[@puertoriqueno24]

Chevy dealership replaced mine the other day with the original OEM radiator which I still have my old part and don't see where they said that it's leaking. I'm starting to think it was just hoses and they just wanted to make money off of me for the whole radiator.😒🙄 Sometimes the message pops up saying "check coolant level" even though they put new coolant and replaced the radiator. can anybody tell me if I possibly have another problem such as if they did not replace the hoses or anything

[@RobsHouse]

What ended up being the problem with mine (which I updated in a later video) was that my water pump gaskets were leaking. After replacing the water pump, I had no issues. Easiest way to check on your own car is to put UV dye in the coolant and then use a UV light to see where it's leaking (the dye will glow under UV light). If it's localized to a particular spot, you'll find the leak. What was tricky for me is that the dye seemed to be everywhere. The reason is that the water pump sits right above the crank pulley. So, it was leaking onto the crank pulley, which was spinning rapidly and flinging the liquid all over the engine bay. It was confusing until a friend of mine suggested the water pump, and then it all made sense.

[@davidbowman4015]

You said you have the Z51 package on your car. What difference if any did you find when searching for a replacement radiator? Is there a difference between the six speed and automatic radiators? I may need to do this swap on my car if the leak I have is the radiator. Thanks in advance.

[@RobsHouse]

The main difference on the C6 is that the oil cooler and trans cooler for the Z51 are all run through the radiator. Unfortunately, this makes a replacement a lot more expensive because it's basically a 3-in-1 unit. On the base model, it's just your engine coolant running through. Make sure you get the right unit for whichever model you have.

[@8BitLavi]

What size crush washers?

[@RobsHouse]

I don't remember. It's been years. I bought a variety pack at O'Reilly's and just picked the ones that fit.

[@OhioPatriot308]

Oem radiator lasts 10-15 years. Paying under $300 for an aluminum radiator is a gamble. Better to go with the devil you know sometimes

[@RobsHouse]

Well mine was leaking and the aluminum one worked great and increased the coolant capacity 🤷‍♂️

[@panzerwaffen2873]

I couldn't agree more

[@spencerfowler9191]

Factory fan fitment was super tight? I just bought this radiator and looking to do a drop in fan upgrade at same time. Any ideas off hand on what may fit?

[@RobsHouse]

I have no idea man I’m sorry. I sold the car a few years ago when I got my C7. I never looked into aftermarket fans on the C6.

[@djnemesis82pluss1877]

About to tackle this... how them transmission lines come off ? Pop out the locking ring ?

[@RobsHouse]

Yup. Really easy.

[@locos.garage]

Good video boss 💪

[@RobsHouse]

Thank you!

[@litoariel]

Nice video man! What's the wrench size # for the transmission line to the radiator? Thanks!!

[@RobsHouse]

I honestly don't remember

[@litoariel]

@@RobsHouse np thanks anyways

[@wellhellothere6382]

is the engine oil cooler built into the radiator on a ls3 vette too? i ordered the aluminum radiator and didn’t even realize it doesn’t have the engine oil cooler on it just the trans cooler

[@RobsHouse]

I'm not sure about the LS3 cars. For the LS2 cars, it was the Z51 package that had the integrated oil and trans cooler. The base model isn't like that, and the Z06 has separate dedicated coolers.

[@TaylorMonnig]

@@RobsHouseis it running coolant to the oil cooler / trans cooler or do I need to buy trans fluid when I install the new radiator?

[@RobsHouse]

@@TaylorMonnig you could check the level and top it off. Might as well drain it and refill while you’re at it if you’re already doing it.

[@damongoulding1307]

Hi did you have to refill the transmission after disconnecting the lines to the cooler

[@RobsHouse]

Didn’t lose much in the lines. You can just top it off. But if you’re due for a fluid change, might as well!

[@nadirtlizarraga3069]

Is any oil loss? How do you check how many transmision oil do you loss when you remove the line?

[@RobsHouse]

Barely lost any

[@chadpymm3076]

Love it

[@MrAndhay]

How has the radiator held up so far?

[@RobsHouse]

Well I don’t have the car anymore but it held up great until I sold it haha. Not sure where it is now.

[@andrewlopez6195]

How does that radiator seem to be working now? Iv seen on ebay the ECP aluminum radiator and its the same price as oem. Thinking about pulling the trigger but just alil skeptical. I have the same corvette, LS2 manual. Awesome video btw!

[@RobsHouse]

It worked great. I actually just sold the car and got a C7. If you watch my "Coronavirus Quarantine Cruise" video, you'll see me driving the tail of the dragon in this car after I performed the installation in this video. I drive it pretty hard, and my temp never exceeded 200 degrees. That's really good considering I'm using a stock thermostat (which opens at 190 degrees). This radiator is from Monroe Racing if you're interested: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLYVF17/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@isaakpeters4795]

So I replaced my rad on my 2005 corvette got the all aluminum very nice but I can't seem fit fan back in there any advice the rad no wider on the ends then the old one

[@RobsHouse]

Not off the top of my head :/ sorry man. I didn’t have an issue getting mine back on.

[@isaakpeters4795]

@@RobsHouse ok thanks

[@khonevanhsomsanouk51]

What is the size of the crush washer? Please help

[@RobsHouse]

I honestly don’t remember. It was years ago. I just bought a variety pack and found the one that fit. It was the brute force approach lol

[@dragonsKeeper210]

Lol, replacing the transmission cooler line… nightmare… so now I have to replace more fluids… had to buy more transmission fluid AND coolant😞

[@RobsHouse]

Yeah unfortunately :( you shouldn’t have lost too much trans fluid tho. Mine didn’t dump out that much

[@dragonsKeeper210]

@@RobsHouse my line busted while running :/ so it’s down a lot of ATF😞

[@JuanyJuanes]

@@dragonsKeeper210 i just replaced a trans line and it was a bitch.. lemme know if you need any pointers. mine was the lower one.. had to remove the passenger motor mount to get it in

[@Rousemouse22]

What is the part number for the aluminum radiator? I'm having the same issue with me 05 Z51 but, it's a 4 speed i have the OEM but was wondering if this will also work for the auto also. If i could find a better part than the plastic OEM that was be awesome.

[@RobsHouse]

The link for the radiator I used is below. It's from Monroe Racing. It says that it is currently unavailable on Amazon, so I would just shoot them a message and see whatsup. I paid $245 for mine, which I felt was very reasonable. Mishimoto makes one that works with the Z51 as well (meaning it has an oil cooler built in), but it's in the $800-900 price range. The Monroe one was great in my car. I will just note that I did need to put those crush washers that I showed in the video for the oil cooler fittings because the recesses weren't deep enough on that side. Aside from that, it was a drop-in replacement. It is a bit thicker so reinstalling the fan is a little annoying. You also will have to either cut or bend the top tab on the upper radiator support so that it clears it. This radiator is much thicker than the OEM one. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLYVF17/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@DEANO2027]

Where did you get your radiator from ?

[@RobsHouse]

The link to the product is in the video description. You may have to click 'see more' to expand the full description to see it.

[@c666-n5n]

How did you get the oil cooler lines to fit?? Mine are too big for the fittings that came with the radiator, and the fittings on my oem one are too big for the holes on the new one

[@RobsHouse]

I didn’t have to make any modifications. The only issue I had with mine was there was no recess in the new radiator fittings for an O ring. So instead, I used an O-ring and a crush washer to seal it. Besides that, it bolted right up

[@c666-n5n]

@@RobsHouse so would you say the left side fittings are a big bigger than the right?

[@RobsHouse]

@@c666-n5n If i remember correctly, on a Z51 car, left side fittings are the oil cooler lines and right side are the trans cooler lines. They are different sizes.

[@c666-n5n]

@@RobsHouse beautiful, the other one I bought had them as the same size so I had to buy this one to replace it and was just making sure, thank you!

[@bigpoppa3.798]

are temps better than when you had your stock radiator?

[@RobsHouse]

Yes. Stock thermostat opens at 190. Car would barely go over 200 while driving hard.

[@bigpoppa3.798]

@@RobsHouse oh okay right now im running the stock fans with stock radiator with a 160° thermostat and when its hot the temps just rise hopefully if i get the aftermarket radiator the temps will lower

[@bigLOSdog]

I have the same coolant level message, Did cycling the system and adding coolant work? How many times did you cycle the system?

[@RobsHouse]

Yes. The reservoir is very small, so I had to cycle coolant probably 10 times before this radiator was full. Worth noting, this particular radiator has about a 40% increased capacity compared to an OEM one, so if yours is still OEM, it may take less time to fill it. All that said, if you have low coolant in the first place, you probably have a leak :/

[@travisreed3433]

What is name of manufacture of radiator used. Ty

[@RobsHouse]

Monroe Racing. Direct link to the product below: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLYVF17/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@dianebullock3150]

Didnt need to add trans fluid?

[@RobsHouse]

Can just top it off. It doesn’t lose much in that line

[@justsendit4829]

Will this be the process be the same on a zo6 model?

[@RobsHouse]

JustSendIt should be very similar. I’m not sure if the C6 Z06’s oil cooler is a separate unit or part of the radiator. If anything, you’ll just have less hoses to disconnect 😂

[@jeffmcmains1671]

It is very similar, I just did mine. Fan bolts are on bottom left and top right. Then disconnect top and bottom hoses and metal lines with clip.

[@lonniehamilton914]

About that transmission fluid did you need to add some?

[@RobsHouse]

Just top it off after. There wasn't much lost in the lines.

[@barrister1]

how many hours of labor would you estimate?

[@RobsHouse]

Including draining the original one and refilling, it took me approx. 3 hours. Probably 2 hours for someone with more experience. It's not hard.

[@wickedc6255]

I like the video...but my wife made fun of me the entire time because of the music..gotta change that.

[@RobsHouse]

The only way to change it is by reuploading the video…

[@gerardoarias7876]

😂😂😂

[@LegoMaaster]

What brand radiator

[@RobsHouse]

Monroe Racing www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLYVF17/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@Mechanic83]

Is this the same vet from hooked on vets KZbin ?

[@RobsHouse]

I’m not familiar with that channel. This is my only channel, and it was a personally owned vehicle until I traded it in on my C7. So unless they happened to buy it from a Toyota dealership in North Carolina, I’m going to say no it is not the same one haha.

[@Mechanic83]

Ah ok look up hookedonvets KZbin his looks exactly like your same fender emblem lol

[@RobsHouse]

Oh yeah same color. Different color wheels but same spec car more or less. His is an LS2 as well. I miss mine. I should have kept it and bought the C7 without a trade in 😂

[@TastyWheat68]

Dude fingernails on chalkboard

[@RobsHouse]

Cool story

[@loveuml]

what could have helped us corvette owners , you should have gave us part #'s and wrench sizes 🤔 🙄