My next plan for my car is to replace the leaking radiator it has right now. I'm planning on just going with an OEM replacement one, as I can get a brand new one for $100 locally. I'm wondering what's involved in changing it out? I've never done it before, and I can't afford to pay someone else to do it. I'm guessing the cooling system would need to be flushed and refilled, so I need to know how to do that. Are there any links to a good write-up for this job? Also, any tips or tricks I should know to make the job go as smoothly as possible (even though that never happens 
)? One last question - on average how long does a radiator replacement take to do?
Radiator questions
- Thread starter 302GTS
- Start date
This article is really generic but the process is the same.
How to Replace a Radiator in a Ford Mustang | eHow.com
The job should go smoothly, there aren't any special tricks. An experienced mechanic should only need a couple of hours for the job, but since this is your first one plan on taking an entire day. That way you will have plenty of time to figure out where everything is and how to do it.
Make sure you buy coolant first, unless you have another car to drive down to the store. You should also consider inspecting all the hoses on the engine and replacing any that have cracks. Even if they're not leaking, a hose with cracks will leak soon. Also, think about replacing the thermostat and the radiator cap too.
Make sure the hose clamps are nice and tight, or your Stang may get hot fast. If you have the screw clamps (as opposed to the stock squeeze clamps), tighten them down until it gets noticeably hard to tighten. The hose will be squeezed a bit by the clamps, but the end of the hose shouldn't be squeezed outward.
If the hose clamps are too loose, the coolant system won't hold 16psi and the coolant temp will rise faster than it should. A basic principle of thermodynamics: a liquid under pressure holds more heat per degree of temperature. So a coolant system under the right pressure can absorb (and reject through the radiator) more heat, yet doesn't heat up too much. Think of it as the difference between running normally and running without the radiator cap on.
I found this little fact out when I bought a coolant pressure tester. Most of my hose clamps were too loose so I kept finding leaks under each hose clamp. Once they were all tightened down, the temp gauge stayed nice and low.
How to Replace a Radiator in a Ford Mustang | eHow.com
The job should go smoothly, there aren't any special tricks. An experienced mechanic should only need a couple of hours for the job, but since this is your first one plan on taking an entire day. That way you will have plenty of time to figure out where everything is and how to do it.
Make sure you buy coolant first, unless you have another car to drive down to the store. You should also consider inspecting all the hoses on the engine and replacing any that have cracks. Even if they're not leaking, a hose with cracks will leak soon. Also, think about replacing the thermostat and the radiator cap too.
Make sure the hose clamps are nice and tight, or your Stang may get hot fast. If you have the screw clamps (as opposed to the stock squeeze clamps), tighten them down until it gets noticeably hard to tighten. The hose will be squeezed a bit by the clamps, but the end of the hose shouldn't be squeezed outward.
If the hose clamps are too loose, the coolant system won't hold 16psi and the coolant temp will rise faster than it should. A basic principle of thermodynamics: a liquid under pressure holds more heat per degree of temperature. So a coolant system under the right pressure can absorb (and reject through the radiator) more heat, yet doesn't heat up too much. Think of it as the difference between running normally and running without the radiator cap on.
I found this little fact out when I bought a coolant pressure tester. Most of my hose clamps were too loose so I kept finding leaks under each hose clamp. Once they were all tightened down, the temp gauge stayed nice and low.
Thanks a lot, Chythar. 
Appreciate the help, and I'll spend some time tomorrow reading through that write-up a couple times. Unfortunately, finances probably won't be allowing new hoses and a new thermostat, but those should be perfectly fine. Even in the Florida heat driving all day, my temp guage mostly stays around 1/4-1/3 the way up, so my car's never gotten that hot before.
Appreciate the help, and I'll spend some time tomorrow reading through that write-up a couple times. Unfortunately, finances probably won't be allowing new hoses and a new thermostat, but those should be perfectly fine. Even in the Florida heat driving all day, my temp guage mostly stays around 1/4-1/3 the way up, so my car's never gotten that hot before.Similar threads
