99 T&C radiator charge reasonable?

I agree. Go for second estimate.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

tim bur wrote:

Find a shop in town that just does radiator repair. Give them a gal of G5 antifreeze and a gal of distilled water. They should be able to do the job for about $$350 to 400.00. A radiator made in China will cost about $130.00 a USA radiator about $200.00, and OEM radiator, closer to $300.00.

Richard.

This is not a terribly difficult job and most home mechanics could do it themselves for about $200 -$250 and a few hours of your time. You can scope out the cost of different quality levels of radiator and hoses using the web from various auto parts supply houses. You could also call around to NAPA, etc. and compare parts prices.

By the way, make absolutely certain that the diagnosis was correct and that it is indeed the radiator leaking. The reason I say this is because the

Bob

Harry you may want to take a look see for yourself at where the drip is coming from, if it is the plastic pet c*ck leaking those are serviceable for about 10 bucks.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Strangely, one of the few accessories that have not failed in our 96 T&C

Ken

You are indeed very lucky and living on borrowed time in my opinion.

Bob

And a wrecker can probably supply the OEM one for about $50, that's what it cost me when I replaced the radiator about 3 months ago in one of my vans.

Ted

Bob,

Wanna buy a 96 T&C in really great shape?

Ken

No thanks. My wife still loves her '99 which is also in pretty good shape and has just 70K miles.

Bob

You are absolutely correct, Bob. I was changing the oil today and noticed a drop of coolant on the lower radiator hose. The source of this was clearly the water pump. Bought a new one and will put it in tomorrow.

Anything else you would like to tell me?

Ken

Ken,

It's a pretty easy job. Should take no more than two hours even the first time around using basic metric socket, ratchet, and a torque wrench. Just make sure you get the O-ring is in the channel on the pump and that it does not move around when you mount the pump and tighten it down. I use a little Permatex Blue RTV to set the ring in the channel since it helps keep it in one place.

To get at the pump, remove the passenger side front tire and the plastic inner fender shield. Everything is pretty easy to access from there. You may also want to replace the serpentine belt and maybe the tensioner too if it is still original equipment.

Good luck.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. I actually finished the job before I read your posting. I did exactly what you recommended and it was pretty easy. The worst part was changing the lower radiator hose and bypass hose (which had previously not been changed).

It's also easier putting the serp belt back on when the wheel and shield are removed. Those parts were relatively new, so I didn't bother changing them.

Regards,

Ken