Hello,
Last week I noticed a bit of coolant on the front of my engine. It was splattered around pretty randomly... all over the hoses, fan shroud, valve cover, etc. So, I cleaned up the mess and started watching it like a hawk for the next few days. I'm pretty sure that the coolant is leaking from the top seam of the radiator, where the plastic meets the metal, running down the fan shroud, and hitting the fan. (A moment of silence for the late great Warren Zevon, please) I've also checked the cap for signs of leakage by wrapping it with a paper towel held on by a rubber band, but the cap appears to stay dry as coolant continues to pool at the top seam. It doesn't appear to be leaking down from the top hose either, though I haven't tried the paper towel test there (yet). Would it be better to just replace the radiator and hoses rather than attempt to get it repaired? From what the search turned up, it sounds like people are paying $75-150 to have their leaky radiators fixed, but because of the plastic/aluminum construction, the repairs don't always last. I can get a new Behr radiator with all the fixin's (2 hoses, mount kit, cap and drain plug) for about $200. Am I better off just replacing it? The procedure to remove and replace the radiator, 20-420 in the shop manual, looks pretty simple, although disconnecting the oil cooler sounds messy. Is it possible to do the job without disconnecting the oil cooler?

Thanks in advance,
Nate

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1985 300DT, Classic White, California, 159K
1982 240D, Metallic Silver-Blue, Manual Everything, 376K
1981 240D, Orient Red, Parts Car/Engine Donor, 145K

"When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?" - Yoda