944S2 tight radiator fit??

[ChrisRL]

Hi all -
Took the radiator out of my 1990 944S2 and found it a *very* tight fit, top to bottom, to get it out - I had to pry it up and away from the lower mounts, even though I had the upper mount bolts backed way up to the extent of being able to pry the upper mounts loose. And it was still a very tight fit.

v2Rocket has told me this should be very loose.
Anybody had any prior experience with this being tight? Any fixes/caveats?
Thanks!

[944 Ecology]

What is the part number that is on the radiator?

[ChrisRL]

George, hello!
It's the correct one, I believe: 951.106.031.03

[944 Ecology]

Yep, that's a tight fit. Make sure you don't crack the plastic tanks when removing and reinstalling.

[ChrisRL]

George, thanks.

Guess I'll put the bottom mounts into the frame, then gently squeeze the radiator in without the top mounts, then lever the top mounts in, then finally bring the two top retainer bolts back down on top of them?

[ChrisRL]

Well that was the theory anyway.

I still have a massive lack of clearance here. It's minus around half an inch when judging from what everybody's saying here, the bottom of the rad should, when lifted up, just clear the bottom rad mounts.

So I've been trying to fit the radiator back into its mount. Remember that I had to use a pair of thick screwdrivers (not on the plastic side parts, of course) to lever the bottom of the radiator up and out from its bracket. I took the bottom mounts with me, of course, since they had to roll out of their mounts to clear.

Now I'm trying to put everything back and it's supremely frustrating.

Firstly, I think that the PO had a garage check this rad out, and they took it out of the car and might have put it back wrongly.

Check this out:








The reason I think this is there is a flap up there that is covering the two hooks, well not really hooks but rubber covered metal brackets that look as if they might hook onto either side of the leading edge of the radiator to stop it from falling out, like so:





Even so, and once I got the rad back up and this time hooked under those rubber brackets (if they're meant to hook there) I still have a heck of a clearance issue here:






As you can see, I don't have a hope in heck of getting the rad in there, and up and over those bottom mounts without mechanical leverage of a fairly serious nature (and I don't want to warp or otherwise damage the rad).

And this is without the two top mounts even being in the picture.

It HAS to be easier than this.

Is something wrong?

Or do I just have to wrassle it in there more?

[Dimi 944]

It has to be way easier than what you are experiencing. I will be replacing my radiator in the next two weeks and will take a look and compare to the pictures you posted.

[ChrisRL]

Well I took a measure to everything and in theory it all seems to be correct - the frame allows for around a 15" tall space, including bottom mount, and the rad is around 14.5" tall.

So maybe I'm just not shoving upwards hard enough? Or setting the top far enough in? But I checked that too - at the top, the brackets were gripping the leading ledge of the rad perfectly, the rad looked happy, just not fit in the bottom properly. And I don't want to force anything...

But there's no top mounts in there yet, I'm just pushing against the rubber seal in the back of the condenser and the rubber of the top hook brackets...

Hmm...
still a conundrum.

[ChrisRL]

Solved.
Using these tools:



A pair of pry bars was used judiciously, upside down (i.e. sharp point down, flat curvy part pushing up against the radiator) and actually only with just enough force to get the two plastic paint stirrers (the black plastic strips) up and under the radiator tabs but over the lower mounts and pushing them down, making twin 'ramps' to slide the radiator tabs over them.

The pry bars were put away.

After that it was just my teenage son and I pushing gently and sometimes not too gently, by hand to get the radiator up along the mini ramps (we'd double sided taped the top mounts in place beforehand) and there was barely enough space to get the radiator properly seated, which it did with a definitive 'thunk'. the ramps popping vertical and obviously under the tabs.





Then very gently (we had also lubed the tips of the plastic stirrers with a touch of white lithium grease either side) we wiggled the stirrers out...

et voila. Problem solved.

Thanks, all!

Onwards!

[ChrisRL]

Well ain't this the *****.

Turns out that I tightened the top rad mounts a little too tightly (i.e. to where I could feel a little resistance from the mount) and they pushed the rad down and off the two top brackets that hold it in at the top. Now the only thing that's holding the top of the rad to the rad frame are the two top mounts and the fan.

The clearance of those two brackets is less than 1/4".

So I guess I'm going to have to take the entire thing down again and remount it?

Anybody here know what is the correct way to do this? There is zero documentation, just put it in, apparently, reverse of dis-assembly, apparently.

Talk about annoying.


[edit] Nevermind

I redid the entire process, took the rad out and back in again and those two brackets up there? One nudge and they disengage. So I guess the entire shebang, including the fans, is held up there in place by the upper rad mounts. Once they're properly in place (i.e. the mount jam bolt is firmly seated inside the washer part of the top rad mount) then they really do hold the top from coming out, since the side tabs of the radiator are trapped in place by the mounts.

However, it seems like a pretty poor piece of design, that, since really it's only plastic tabs that seem to be holding the entire shebang (i.e. the radiator, and the fans, which are bolted to the radiator) inside its frame.

I much preferred the rubber covered angle bracket idea, above, that firmly trapped the leading edge of the radiator to the front of the frame.

Can someone who does this a lot tell me which is correct?

Thanks!

[Dimi 944]

I completely undid the top mounts and the radiator was easy to remove and install at that point.

[ChrisRL]

Yeah, I'm probably overthinking it, but it was a tight fit, and still is.

Every time I take the top mounts out I still have to lever the rad up and pry the bottom out. And it still takes the bottom mounts out sideways with the tabs every time.

Of course now that everything down there has silicon grease on it, it goes in and out rather more easily, but I still need those two plastic ramp things to get the rad back onto its bottom mounts.

Dimi, apart from the top mounts, was there anything holding the top of the radiator into its frame at the top?

i.e. once those two mount jam bolts were withdrawn, was it possible to move the top of the rad away from the condensor/front of the car, back towards the engine? Or did you have to lift the bottom of the rad up and back and kinda sorta unhook the top of the rad from its frame?

And is yours a S2 ?

[ChrisRL]

Just heard from V2 over on the other side. The two brackets up top aren't in the equation, so the entire radiator and fans are held just by the four mounts and the plastic tabs on the radiator.

Which means that the two bottom mounts had better be located into their mounting holes properly, and more than that, the two top mounts had better have the pinch bolt go exactly to and properly seat into the metal washer part of each upper mount, because otherwise... :-)

So yes, I was overthinking it, but better safe than new radiators every time!

Hope there is something in here that someone can use, who comes after me.... :-)

And many thanks to those who have gone before!

[Dimi 944]

I agree with V2's statement. If the radiator is not properly aligned and seated on the bottom mounts it will be really hard to install it in place. It will seat too high to fit under the top cross frame piece. Mine is a '86 NA but with all parts from '89 S2.

[ChrisRL]

Post script - 30 minutes on a Stant pressure tester at a very steady 12lbs means I think this part is done!
I know, I know, burp often anyway!
Thanks again, all!