328 radiator removal

Search the archives, we've coached a couple of people thru radiator removals, but in the current fchat, & the old fchat archives.

BTW, 328 is essentially same as the 308 in this area. Shapes are a little different is all.

 

I just took out the radiator on my 308.
Remove all the hoses and losen the 2 bolts on the top of the radiator and pull it up. Mine was stuck on the bottom passenger side corner so I had to wiggle as well. Don't pull the nozzles where the hoses get attached or at least only with a sensitive touch, try to grab under the radiator.
But it is basically very simple to get the radiator out, no hidden screws etc.

Helmut

 

I found a thread on 308 removal & pulled my QV last weekend for a pinhole on the top tank.

as the article says, remove the front grill
loosen & slide the fans forward away from the condenser/radiator
take the hood off, then follow the rest of the procedure.

I used blocks of wood to "slide" the radiator up as I was a one-man operation.

I'll let you know of any gotchas on getting it back in this weekend when I do it.

 

The big difference between the 328 & the 308s up front is that the A/C radiator is NOT in the way of removing the 328 radiator, & the angle the radiator is mounted at.

There may not be a 328 specific radiator removal thread tho, I've scanned most of the Fchat TechQ&A threads as they were posted since I joined in '01 & don't remember one.

If you haven't already, go to the Ferrari.uk web site & take a look at the parts diagram for how the radiator mounts.

 

Here are my notes from when I fixed my 328 radiator in 2003.
Total cost: $ 551.39 16,845 Miles on the car when it started to leak.

Had Radiator re-cored, replaced front radiator hoses.

Cost to have Radiator re-cored and hoses replaced.
Total Cost Item Description Part Number
$ 295.94 Re-core radiator with higher efficiency core Done by a local radiator shop here in Seattle
28.78 Radiator Cap 1.1 bar Ferrari p/n 137644
46.86 Foam under radiator Ferrari p/n 60773400
42.78 Foam on each side of radiator (need qty=2) Ferrari p/n 61980300
40.05 Foam on top of radiator Ferrari p/n 62369000
1.28 Washer for fan thermo switch Ferrari p/n 101508
5.37 Washer for radiator air bleed screw (qty=4) Ferrari p/n 11194071
5.36 Rubber shock absorbing washer (need qty=4) Ferrari p/n 107978
39.19 3 feet of Gates Green Stripe 1.5” ID hose to make Ferrari part numbers: 105385, 122817, 121258 NAPA 24224
3.31 Four hose clamps (NAPA p/n 705-1017) Ferrari p/n: 13000690
13.98 Two gallons Flag antifreeze Schucks PA 6082689
3.69 Three gallons distilled water (one spare) Wal Mart
6.51 Replacement U-Nuts for under-tray (pkg of 50) McMaster-Carr
94810 A200
7.44 Pan Head Phillips Sheet Metal Screw Black-Oxide 18-8 Stainless Steel #10 x 3/4” to attach under-tray (package of 50) McMaster-Carr
90356 A291
10.85 Filter material from Home Depot to fabricate new filters for the heater fan assembly Home Depot 721404322238
$ 551.39


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=303289&d=1143009946

The item numbers below refer to the diagram above showing each part.

Item Description Qty Ferrari Part # Comments
4 Rubber radiator corner cushions qty=2 117994 Mine were in good shape, did not replace.
5 Rubber shock absorbing washer qty=4 107978 Replaced.
14 Air bleed screw washer qty=1 11194071 Replaced
16 Radiator cap (1.1 bar) qty=1 137644 Not shown in diagram above
33 Middle hose that connects the lower long tube to the engine to the shorter tube that runs to the lower radiator connection qty=1 105385 Measured mine at 2.9”. Used Gates Green Stripe 1.5” ID, p/n 24224 available at NAPA.
35 Upper radiator hose qty=1 122817 Spec’d at 95mm = 3.74” long. Measured mine at 3.9”. Used Gates Green Stripe 1.5” ID, p/n 24224 available at NAPA.
36 Middle hose that connects the upper long tube from the engine to the shorter tube that runs to the upper radiator connection qty=1 102957 or 121258 Measured mine at 2.9”. Used Gates Green Stripe 1.5” ID, p/n 24224 available at NAPA.
48 Lower radiator hose qty=1 122817 Same as 35 above.
57 Fan thermo switch qty=1 168008 Mine was in good shape, did not replace.
58 Washer for fan thermo switch qty=1 101508 Replaced.
65 Foam under radiator qty=1 60773400 2.75” wide x 21.25” long x 1.25” thick
66 Foam on each side of radiator qty=2 61980300 2.4” wide x 15” long x 0.45” thick
67 Foam on top of radiator qty=1 62369000 2.5” wide x 26.5” long x 0.5” thick

Note: I ordered the foam from Ferrari. If I had to do the job again I might just go get some foam from Home Depot now that I know the sizes that I need.

Removing the radiator:
• Obtain needed parts.
• Tip: obtain zip-lock sandwich bags and an indelible marker. Use the zip-lock bags to hold each set of parts and indicate on each bag where the parts go.
• Turn both the heaters to fully hot on in preparation for coolant draining and refilling.
• Raise the car and place on jack stands. It is best if the rear of the car is slightly higher than the front so all coolant can be drained via removal of the front hoses.
• Remove the front bonnet. This can be easily done by one person by:
o Raising the bonnet and removing the center slotted grill by removing the six screws.
o Removing the two nuts closest to the front of the car holding the bonnet to the hinge. These nuts are not accessible when the bonnet is lowered.
o Detach the strut arm from the bonnet (no need to remove whole strut). Leave the screw and nut loosely attached to the strut so it will be there when you need it during reassembly.
o Lower the bonnet back onto the car and then remove the remaining two nuts holding the bonnet to the hinge by reaching in through the removed center grill.
o Remove the bonnet and place it in a safe place.
• Remove the aluminum front grill (3 screws).
• Remove the lower black oxide grill (5 screws).
• Remove the lower valence and undertray panels to gain access to the bottom of the radiator (two nuts on each side of the valence plus sheet metal screws).
• Remove the panel just behind the battery to gain access to the two hoses connecting the radiator to the tubes that run underneath the passenger compartment to the engine (forgot how many bolts).
• Place a bucket under the hoses and remove the lower center radiator hose connecting the lower tube from the engine to the lower radiator return tube. This will drain all the coolant.
• While the coolant is draining remove the two fan assemblies (four nuts each). Clip the tie-wraps connecting the wires to the fan housing and disconnect the wires from the fan motor (gently pull off). There is no need to mark which wire goes where as they can only reattach to the correct place. Tuck the wires to the far left and right to get them out of the way.
• Disconnect the wires going to the radiator fan thermo switch. These wires can go either way so again there is no need to mark where each wire goes. Tuck this wire assembly out of the way also.
• Remove the upper center radiator hose connecting the upper tube from the engine from the upper radiator tube to the radiator. Remove the lower radiator hose. Remove the upper radiator hose.
• Remove the lower radiator hold downs located at the corner at the bottom of the radiator by removing two bolts on each side.
• Remove the upper radiator brackets holding the radiator to the upper bodywork by first removing the center bolt with the metal and rubber washers and then removing the radiator hold-down brackets (two bolts each side).
• Remove the radiator by sliding the bottom of the radiator towards the back of the car and then rotating the top of the radiator to a more vertical position. Lift the radiator up and away from the car.
• Remove the radiator fan thermo switch so it isn’t damaged when the radiator is repaired.
• Plug the tubes running to the engine and each end of the tubes running to the radiator with clean cloths to keep everything out while the radiator is being repaired.

Cleaning and preparation for reassembly:
• Clean the undertray with soap and water. It is a lot nicer to bolt these panels back on if little bits of grit aren’t falling in your face. This is also a good time to reapply undercoating to the bottom of the panels.
• Clean the area of the car surrounding the radiator. Remove and discard the four pieces of foam surrounding the radiator. Parts of it will probably be attached to the radiator and other parts may be attached to the car’s bodywork. This foam is used to force air through the radiator and not around it. After 13 years the foam on my car (as expected) wasn’t in good shape. I ordered foam from Ferrari as I couldn’t find self-stick foam of the exact width and thickness as the original. If I had to do it again I might use foam tape from Home Depot as the original equipment foam doesn’t seem all that special and the foam tape would do the job fine and look very similar.
• I found the u-nuts on the front valence and undertray to be rusted and generally not in great shape. McMaster-Carr 94810 A200 Wide Panel Range U-Nut #10 screw size, 0.563” center of hole to panel edge ($ 5.89 for a pack of 50) seems to be an exact match for the Ferrari part. McMaster-Carr 94808 A190 Standard U-Nut #10 screw size, 0.102”-0.125” panel thickness, 0.406 hole to center of edge ($ 9.18 for a package of 25) was a better fit for the application. I recommend that you buy both and replace the rusty ones with new ones.
• I replaced the screws holding the undertray to the car. McMaster-Carr 90356 A291 pan head Phillips sheet metal screw black-oxide 18-8 stainless steel, No. 10 size, ¾” length ($ 6.76 for a package of 50) was a very close fit.
• I couldn’t find an exact replacement for the washers and had to refinish the ones that I had.
• Obtain or make replacement hoses.
• Tip: Now is a good time to clean or replace the heater air filters. Mine hadn’t been cleaned or replaced in 13 years. The heater filters are found just ahead of the driver’s wheel on each side of the squirrel cage fans and access is pretty easy once the front valence and lower panels have been removed. Each filter assembly detaches from the fan motors by removing two screws near the center of the domed plastic assembly. The filter is housed between two plastic housings that come apart by gently unspringing the outer plastic element from the inner plastic element. Instead of cleaning the filters I made replacements from filter material from Home Depot. Unfortunately Home Depot didn’t have an exact match, but they had some stuff that would work.

Installing the fixed the radiator:
• Install the foam to the sides of the radiator.
• Install the foam that contacts the top of the radiator to the inner bodywork of the car.
• Place the two lower rubber cushions into position on the car so the radiator will sit into them when the radiator is dropped into position.
• Drop the radiator into the car. Slide the bottom of the radiator towards the rear of the car to allow the top of the radiator to rotate into place. Slide the top of the radiator up to meet the foam on the bodywork and slide the bottom of the radiator into position. Sliding the radiator into final position is best done from underneath the car.
• Attach the upper radiator support brackets to the radiator and the bodywork.
• Attach the lower radiator hold down assemblies.
• Now comes the hard part. Installing the hoses.
o First loosen the strap holding the two center tubes together by rotating the cotter pin looking thing. This will provide a little more room for the hoses to go into position.
o Install the upper radiator hose to the radiator.
o Install the hose onto the tube that connects the tube running from the upper radiator connection to the center tube.
o Connect the hose on the upper tube to the upper tube running to the engine.
o Connect the tube to the upper radiator hose.
o Tighten all hose clamps.
o Install the lower radiator hose to the radiator.
o Install the hose onto the tube that connects the tube running from the lower radiator connection to the lower center tube.
o Connect the hose to the lower center tube.
o Connect the tube to the hose on the lower radiator tube.
o Tighten all hose clamps.
o Tighten the strap that holds the two center tubes together.
o Tip: to install the hoses to the center tubes running to the engine you’ll have to slide the hoses further up onto the tubes that connect to the radiator than their final position will be. You’ll then have to slide the hoses off the tube to get them fully onto the center tubes. This will be difficult but can be done a little easier if you first get the hose onto the center tube as far as possible (the center tube will hit the tube running to the radiator and block further installation of the hose), then tighten a hose clamp on the hose and center tube and then work the tube to the radiator back a little ways. Then loosen the hose clamp and push the hose further onto the center tube. Repeat until the hose is fully seated.
• Reinstall the radiator fan thermo switch using a new washer and attach the wires (no particular place for each wire).
• Install the radiator fans and attach the wires. Tie-wrap the wires to the fan strut as it was before removal.
• Fill the radiator with a 50:50 solution of approved coolant and distilled water. I won’t use any coolant with phosphorus as I’ve had trouble with phosphorous coolant on aluminum. Your mileage may vary.
• Tip: Ferrari specifies that the coolant level in the reservoir in the engine compartment should not get lower than 2.3” below the base of the filler opening. The easiest way to keep track of this is to make a measuring tool out of a tongue depressor. Insert the tongue depressor down the opening until it bottoms out on the tank. Mark the position of the base of the filler opening on the tongue depressor. Remove the tongue depressor, dry it out, then measure and mark inches from the filler neck down using an indelible marker. Measuring coolant level is now as easy as inserting the “tool” and seeing the coolant level. I try to keep my coolant level at about 1.5 inches below the filler neck. Coolant level should only be checked on completely cold engines. Never remove the radiator cap when the engine is warm or hot.
• Bleed the radiator by loosening the bleed screw on the radiator.
• Start the car and check for leaks while the engine comes up to temperature and the thermostat opens allowing coolant to flow to and from the radiator. Bleed the radiator again after the thermostat has opened to eliminate any additional air. Confirm that the radiator fans come on at the appropriate temperature. Confirm again that there are no leaks at each hose connection.
• Let the car and radiator cool down.
• Attach the foam to the bottom of the radiator.
• Reattach the panel behind the battery covering the hoses to center tube.
• Reinstall the front lower valence (two nuts on each side and the sheet metal screws). I used new screws.
• Reinstall the black-oxide lower grill.
• Reinstall the aluminum grill.
• Carefully place the front bonnet onto the car in the proper position. Reach in through the removed center grill section to install the two nuts closest to the windshield (the nuts that can be easily reached through the center grill section). Align the bonnet and tighten the nuts. Raise the bonnet and reattach the strut arm to hold the bonnet up. Install the remaining two nuts and tighten.
• Remove the center grill section of the hood by installing it and then installing the six screws.
• Lower the car, go for a drive, return and bleed any remaining air. Go for some more drives just for the enjoyment.

 

My 308 QV rad is not leaking but the car runs hot and was toying with a lum rad but now think I will stay "stock" and have the rad recorred with higher efficiency core using my ferrari top/bottom tanks (although everyone cautioned me that I better go to a very good shop for this otherwise the thing will forever be plauged by pinhole leaks and the radiator will come in/out of the car more than me!)

What shop in NJ did you use ? I was reccomended St Georges Radiator in Linden. I used a place in Jersey City on Tonnele Ave for my overflow tank (lots of pinhole leaks) but they did a cosmetically crappy job and overcharged me .

 

Ramsey Citgo Service & Radiator Shop 201-327-2159 was recommended by a shop that occationally does Ferrari repairs for me.

If you do go with them, remind them Ferrari Radiators don't get painted with Gloss black.