How to change a 2001 Toyota Camry Radiator. The new radiator was a Spectra brand and worked great. Thanks for watching!
This was one of the first videos I attempted to make on YouTube, so I know it’s not the best editing or filming, but hopefully you can still get a good idea of the steps taken to replace this radiator. This is on a 2001 toyota camry, but many years of camry and other toyota models are very similar. These Toyota OEM Radiators are notorious for leaking at the top plastic seam.
You will need:
Needle nose pliers, or other suitable pliers to remove the hose clamps
10mm socket and/or wrench
12mm socket and/or wrench
19mm wrench for the coolant temp sensor
new coolant
The first step is to drain the coolant by removing the plastic drain plug. This one was broken off, but I was still able to remove it with some pliers. The next step is to remove the upper radiator hose. These are held in place by constant tension hose clamps. It is easy to remove them with pliers. I prefer the needle nose style because of the long flat surface. Next you can disconnect the fans and fan shroud by removing the 10mm bolts at the top. There are no bolts at the bottom of the fans, so you can just unplug the electrical connector and lift them out. You will need to remove the overflow tube from the radiator before lifting out the second fan. If you have an automatic transmission, you will need to disconnect the transmission cooling lines from the radiator as well. These are also held in place with smaller constant tension spring clamps. I recommend plugging the transmission lines with a small bolt, or clamping them off with locking pliers so you don’t lose much transmission fluid. You will also need to disconnect the coolant temperature sensor wiring connector. And since the new radiator doesn’t come with a new coolant temp sensor, you will need to take it out and install it into the new radiator. The lower radiator hose can be disconnected as well. Finally, you can remove the two 12mm bolts that hold the top suspension caps or clamps in place and take out the radiator. Putting the new one in is just the reverse of removal. This radiator has nuts that need to be inserted into the radiator for the bolts that hold the fans in place. Also, sometimes the rubber bushing or bumper that the radiator sits on sometimes sticks to the radiator and they will need to be put back in the vehicle or on the bottom of the radiator before installing it.
Below is a link to the Radiator used in the video:
