Radiator Replacement - Lexus RX350 V6 2GR-FE

[@darrylt-ct5du]

This is one of the best videos that I've seen from start to finish. Well done 5 stars!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks!

[@TB-lv2rh]

This video proves why I have a really good mechanic to work on my car!!!! Great instructional video, but this is just a bit beyond what I'm willing to do.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks and I hear ya!

[@lewburdette1765]

Exactly great video however

[@ratfink65]

the DEVIL's in the details, huh? lol

[@TechGorilla1987]

Your tip about the auto-shutdown feature of the Lexus really made me feel a lot better about what damage we may have done. I caught it right before it hit the red and shut is down immediately. I actually was able to use the Lexus tool kit and jam the hose on what was left of the nipple and have actually put 200+ miles on it since then. The rad is still full. I change it tomorrow with your video playing in the background of course.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Glad it worked out for you.

[@andrewp7928]

Video and still photos are the best. Thank you very much for your time film this radiator DIY. There are quite a lot of stuff to remove before get into remove the radiator. It's saved me time to figure out . I am much appreciated 👍. You are the man !!!.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks! Glad the video helped you out!

[@user-qp2lh3mc3l]

I have a 2007 RX350 and the same hose broke off nipple broke off. After removing the radiator, I check the filler neck and I was able to remove just the filler neck. After some checking in the computer, I find out the filler neck can be replaced with Dorman part #902-408.

[@hardlymovingpro]

You're right. The filler neck can be replaced. I choose to replace the radiator since it had over 200k miles.

[@vallejokid1968]

Thank you very much for this video. Took out a lot of the mystery. I really appreciate you making this and posting it. Just swapped the radiator on my 1998 RX350

[@hardlymovingpro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@slabside45]

Great video couldn't have done the job without your help. Only caveat I can add taking the A/C condenser off I didn't have a impact rated Philips tip in my impact driver and holding presser so it wouldn't strip the tip shattered and I drove the broken tip straight thru the working A/C condenser ( cheap tools will let you down when you need them the most) lesson learned . Thank You

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks for sharing! Have to be careful removing those ac condenser brackets attached to the radiator.

[@twenyalopez8030]

This learning video should have more than 20000 likes!!! Than man.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Glad you liked it!

[@titanicsauce2152]

Very well made video. I learn a lot from your channel. Thanks!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks and glad you liked the video.

[@bobbyscalchi4013]

Outstanding demonstration! I just noticed a few drops of coolant towards the driver's side splash shield last week when changing the oil. Today at my shop I noticed a few ounces of coolant on the ground in the same spot. I gave the engine compartment a quick look before I went to pickup my kid. I think the lower radiator hose is starting to go but I have to investigate further to determine. No temp creep ups yet though. I bought the car in June of 2020 at 167k mi. From a dealer and I'm sure that they replenished all the fluids fresh. I now have 276, 000 miles on it in 2 and a 1/2 years. I should have flushed it last year. I need to take another gander to see if that pressure spring on the cap fell into the radiator as well. I might as well just replace the radiator and everything with it as general maintenance. I read a couple of TSB's on the RX 350 and another thing that has been known to go as well is the water pump impeller vane around 120k mi. I'm hoping my water pump is in shape but I'll have the time of the convenience right now to work on something that deep and I obviously travel a little with work and all.

[@hardlymovingpro]

With the milage you have on the car you're lucky the radiator hasn't failed. I'd replace it as preventative maintenance along with the water pump.

[@mr.nobody4900]

The video is on point. Two Thumbs Way Up.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks!

[@miriamvivo4279]

Great detail. I just replaced cracked radiator on my 2006 subaru sti with a koyorad aluminum radiator perfect fit. Wished they made radiator hoses like mishimoto

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks for your post! Never heard of Mishimoto (Japanese sounding company) based out of Delaware. Looks like they push heavy duty racing related products. Products come with a hefty price premium.

[@allabychiro4202]

Thanks! Great video I will be doing this change this weekend, hope it goes as smooth as yours did!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Best of luck!

[@krystalalexander5624]

Such a great video. I have a RX350, and the hot/cold needle on the gage is starting move towards the red..I talked to a mechanic he says it could be the radiator, we will know for sure when he looks at it, but this video is very insightful! Thank you!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Get the overheating problem fixed ASAP or don't drive the car. I'm replacing an engine on a RX due to blown headgaskets caused by continued driving with no coolant (leak in radiator).

[@krystalalexander5624]

@@hardlymovingpro Thank you!..I got radiator replaced. There was a hole on top of the radiator. When the mechanic saw it..he said the same thing, do not drive it at all!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Good for you!

[@MLOPEZ-qf7ny]

thanks so much , this video really helped me!! I love you tube!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Glad it helped!

[@dsimp765]

Great work, as always.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Appreciate your post and thanks for watching!

[@Bhris-]

Great video Having a really hard time fitting the condenser back in the bracket

[@hardlymovingpro]

Sometimes things aren't so easy putting it back together.

[@dexinhuang447]

Very good video, I have a question, after everything is installed, do I need to add transmission oil?

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks! I'd say add around 1/3 quart to compensate from lost oil in the old radiator as well as disconnecting the supply and return ATF lines.

[@bobbyscalchi4013]

Wow your startups are nice and quiet. I have a issue with either piston slap or rod knock below 40 degrees or colder regardless of what premium synthetic oil I use. But it usually subsides after 30 seconds or so once operating Temps are reached she purs like a kitten. But I hear a little clack a lacking sometimes when she's at operating temps I'm starting to suspect the bearings are gonna go on the water pump. Have you had this issue on cold starts with yours?

[@hardlymovingpro]

Not my car but customer's car. No complaints or issues reported.

[@HubertChen-ot7kl]

A good piece of video except at 7'47" when you remove the radiator, the condenser was not there and then it came back. I just wondering how did you remove the condenser?

[@hardlymovingpro]

It was always there and never removed.

[@argentiskyblau159]

Hi my 08 leaked all of its coolant after driving it 5 miles to the shop. It would not drive after i turned it off. It would turn on but when put in drive it wouldnt move or even rev. Hopefully there was no engine damage

[@hardlymovingpro]

The auto shut off feature occurs when the engine temperature has been exceeded. This happened to a customer of mine which eventually resulted in head gasket leakage. Tell tale signs are no heat coming from your cabin air vents and/or air bubbles coming from the rubber tube in the coolant reservoir tank. I wound up replacing the engine with a low mileage JDM engine.

[@argentiskyblau159]

@@hardlymovingpro yup. You are correct. Just got a new radiator installed and engine flushed and it rides like new. No engine damage

[@4144758]

The bottom two bolts were incredibly hard to remove on the fan shroud...i actually haven't gotten them off yet tbh. Any hints? MN Weather 😢

[@hardlymovingpro]

Use a 1/4 ratchet wrench with different length extensions for the 10mm socket.

[@toanlam8603]

My 05 Avalon is a 2GFRE setup. Could I use this video as a general guide for my Avalon?

[@hardlymovingpro]

Yes you could.

[@BillKraft]

I don't think that fitting blew off because of overpressure. Mine snapped off just like that when removing the fans in order to replace the alternator. I just barely put any force on it. I was being extremely careful. I think the plastic just jets brittle with age. If someone made an all-aluminum version of this radiator I would have been willing to pay twice as much for a replacement. Oh well. If this radiator lasts me another 12 years I think I'm good. Thanks for making this video. Very helpful

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks for sharing. Your circumstance may be right. Aged plastic components can break unexpectedly at any time.

[@condor5635]

EXACTLY what happened to me yesterday. Replacing my friends alternator and the one bolt for the fan shroud while taking it off broke the lower nipple! I told my friend well we’re gonna be replacing your radiator as well!!

[@John3_16Q]

You can replace just the nipple piece itself. It’s called the coolant filler neck $20-30 bucks and comes off with a c clip. No need to replace the entire radiator

[@hardlymovingpro]

You are correct. But considering the car is a 2007 with over 200k miles, you never know if the rest of the radiator might spring a leak in a weak point in the radiator.

[@seanestavon6409]

​@@John3_16Qthanks so much for this advice I just replaced mine because of you I was about to replace the whole radiator before that

[@lukekapala1020]

Can you please make a video on how to bleed to coolant please

[@hardlymovingpro]

Check out this video I published: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jISUdq2JhJp4ZpI

[@davidfrankel9267]

Love the video. Will be doing this job soon. Need those wonder pliers.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks! They're called hose pliers

[@cactusrider7686]

Appreciate your video my man

[@hardlymovingpro]

You’re welcome!

[@TechGorilla1987]

@0:24 - the two offshoots on the left of the cap is where I developed an issue. The upper of the two (in shot) hoses was the issue. The nipple deteriorated and broke. I managed to work the hose on the remaining part of the nipple, refilled and made it 200 miles. I'm watching this video because I am about to replace the radiator now.

[@hardlymovingpro]

I know your problem. Old plastic with many heat and cold cycles eventually loose their strength and either crack or break.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@hardlymovingpro I commented before I even watched. I feel like an ass now. I got the Denso and I'm installing it tomorrow along with a brake bleed. Thanks for taking the time to document this.

[@bb5op585]

Great video, I am about to do mine. What is the secondary white plastic tank underneath the battery??

[@hardlymovingpro]

Believe that's an air baffle or container to hold water preventing it from entering the throttle body.

[@dirtomega]

What damage could that radiator cap spring do if left broken off in the radiator?

[@hardlymovingpro]

It's not the spring but the cap. Without the spring, excess pressure will build up inside the cooling system. Replace the cap whenever the spring detaches from the cap.

[@dirtomega]

@@hardlymovingpro That part, I understand. My question is about the spring becoming detached, and falling into the radiator. What damage can it cause if the spring can’t be fished out, due to it being deep inside the radiator?

[@hardlymovingpro]

I don't think there's much travel room for the spring.

[@dirtomega]

@@hardlymovingpro Oh okay, so it probably won’t do much damage? Also, do you think that doing a coolant flush might be way to get the spring out of the system?

[@hardlymovingpro]

Spring is too big to circulate.

[@mannyjameson7329]

what are the dry white spots in the engine? i just bought a car and it has all over in the engine is that bad sign??

[@hardlymovingpro]

That's dried coolant

[@Tom-gr9ii]

You are the best.👍

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks!

[@johnalexanderreyesalonso2770]

Me sirvió mucho mucho tu video mil gracias 😊😊

[@hardlymovingpro]

De nada

[@malikkaddoura8429]

I ss under the impression from Lexus the bleeding process on these. Yea does have purge top cold purge screw on radiador. But another bronze nipple between bank one and two to preform a bit of unique method strictly on these Lexus. Or the bleeding process won’t be done correctly.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Anyway you cut it you have to port out the air in the cooling system when adding coolant and there's a big air pocket in this vertical fin radiator design.

[@CAFEX24]

Hi...Im looking to change the fluid on my 2009 camry with the v6 3.5L motor...can you please give me a link or email me the directions on the procedure. i dont have fancy equipment, just a tube and funnel lol. thanks very much! love your videos!

[@hardlymovingpro]

Thanks for your support! Take off the bottom splash guard under the radiator and unscrew the winged drain plug. Screw back in the plug after all fluid has drained out. Remove the dust cover (if present over the radiator cap) and replenish the new coolant.

[@CAFEX24]

@@hardlymovingpro sorry bro i meant the tranny fluid drain n fill on my 09 camry 3.5

[@hardlymovingpro]

There's a drain plug in the bottom of the pan with center dip tube that needs to be removed with a hex socket tool. Since there's no ATF dip stick, the fill port bolt (located on the side of the transmission), must be removed to allow pumping in of the new ATF.

[@CAFEX24]

@@hardlymovingpro so basically after removing both drain plugs i should let it drain, tighten up both plugs ad just replace that same amount of fluid?

[@hardlymovingpro]

@@CAFEX24 yes.

[@ratfink65]

Thanx for the FYI vid! but...I woulda disconnected the ATF lines @ the radiator, not below...much easier to deal with later!🙃

[@hardlymovingpro]

Great point and thanks for sharing!

[@davidf5609]

What about the ATF?

[@hardlymovingpro]

You mean adding a couple of oz of ATF?

[@davidf5609]

@@hardlymovingpro Yeah. Does it have to be measured and at 40C temp?

[@hardlymovingpro]

This vehicle has a dip stick ... not that fill through the side setup at the right temperature. Just need to add maybe 4 oz via the dip stick port hole.

[@davidf5609]

@@hardlymovingpro Thanks. Awesome video, excellent channel.

[@hardlymovingpro]

@@davidf5609 You bet!

[@MLOPEZ-qf7ny]

help! by mistake I un bolted the left upper connection to the condenser, all this pressure came out and some oil, So I assume I will need to take it in later to recharge the ac system? what is the oil that came out? thanks Manny

[@hardlymovingpro]

No biggy. You lost around 1 oz of compressor oil by the release. Go to the end of this Civic ac condenser replacement video which will show you how to vacuum and recharge your system: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWrPgoN9pNF_b7s

[@tylermician690]

7:58, I’m like why did that look soo easy for you then realised I gotta massive ac line in the front of the bottom hose fitting. farrrrrrrrr off

[@hardlymovingpro]

Not easy working on modern cars. Lots of things jammed together.

[@unebonnevie]

I did this myself, unfortunately, before finding your video. The 2007 RX350 also has the engine bleeder valve, a 10mm socket fit, that you can open up to release the air while filling up coolant and flushing out air and out. Close it immediately and gently once the bleed has a steady stream of coolant coming, no longer bubbling. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3vIYpeYe7uip9k and you'll know what I mean.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Yes ... The 07 RX has a weird vertical row radiator and air must be bleed via the 10mm bleed valve.

[@jasonbugger9296]

Ad says rx350 he stars it off saying es350

[@hardlymovingpro]

My verbal mistake. It is a RX350.

[@Brettisgg]

it's not a hardly moving vid if we don't bust out the dielectric grease! BTW I am loving my mountain 12x14 and 8x10 long double flex... lot less cussing these days.

[@hardlymovingpro]

Yup ... those are great box wrenches! Learned my lesson with other cheaper brands ... like non reversible, not indexed and the swivel heads get loose.

[@hardlymovingpro]

BTW - You've got to start having Milwaukee power tools to get to the next level.

[@Brettisgg]

@@hardlymovingpro I started out with Ryobi and wish I spent the extra for Milwaukee from the get go, but Ryobi FINALLY released a 1/4 impact (P344) that works pretty good. It's not as compact as the Milwaukee though!

[@hardlymovingpro]

I've got around a dozen Milwaukee's now