Radiator Replacement 940 2l Petrol - thermoswitch?

[Laird Scooby]

Yours being a 1996 car Mark is on the changeover point, you might be lucky and find it's pre-wired.

[griston64]

Something to investigate later

[kiloran]

The radiator has arrived - fast delivery considering only ordered on Sunday evening. Just checking - there's a hole in the driver's side tank, a rubber bung, and plastic insert. Hole is at the top of the tank just below the small outlet for the expansion tank. I'm guessing it's there for inserting the thermoswitch for the electric fan if you have one, and I just blank it off with the supplied bung and insert? It's a Nissens radiator?

[kiloran]

Originally Posted by kiloran

The radiator has arrived - fast delivery considering only ordered on Sunday evening. Just checking - there's a hole in the driver's side tank, a rubber bung, and plastic insert. Hole is at the top of the tank just below the small outlet for the expansion tank. I'm guessing it's there for inserting the thermoswitch for the electric fan if you have one, and I just blank it off with the supplied bung and insert? It's a Nissens radiator?

Looking for help with fitting this bung and insert. There's a rubber O-ring which fits snugly in the hole in the side tank and a tapered hard plastic plug. I get can the O-ring in the radiator no problem but the bung is a very tight fit - any tips for which way it should fit and how to get it in? I'm conscious I need to be careful of applying too much force.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by kiloran

Looking for help with fitting this bung and insert. There's a rubber O-ring which fits snugly in the hole in the side tank and a tapered hard plastic plug. I get can the O-ring in the radiator no problem but the bung is a very tight fit - any tips for which way it should fit and how to get it in? I'm conscious I need to be careful of applying too much force.

Have you got any photos? It might not be the right plug and also have you got a retaining clip?

Usually some Vaseline (at a push) or silicone grease will help things slip in easier.

[kiloran]

Here you go, thanks for helping.

O-ring slips into the hole on the rad no problem, and I'm guessing that the fatter part of the bung snugs up against the o-ring? Just a very tight fit and don't want to force it too much.

Rest of the job has been super easy - all the jubilee clips came off, thermostat housing bolts didn't round off. Scary amount of rust in the coolant though so it's had a really good flush.

[kiloran]

Just to add, the rad is Nissens part number 65520A - 2l manual, non-ac, without thermoswitch because my car has the viscous fan.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by kiloran

Here you go, thanks for helping.

O-ring slips into the hole on the rad no problem, and I'm guessing that the fatter part of the bung snugs up against the o-ring? Just a very tight fit and don't want to force it too much.

Rest of the job has been super easy - all the jubilee clips came off, thermostat housing bolts didn't round off. Scary amount of rust in the coolant though so it's had a really good flush.

Have a close look at the bung, i've come across a few (not many though!) that if you turn the X shaped thing in the middle, it expands the end that fits inside the rad so it can't come out. Trying to fit it with the X expanded is nigh on impossible, usually it's only a 1/4 turn, usually with a pair of long nose pliers.

If that isn't the answer, give the supplier/seller/Nissens a call, there must be an easy way of doing it and/or a clip to retain the bung in the rad.

[kiloran]

Thanks - it turned out to be a brute force thing. Or as my son says, push and wiggle, push and wiggle

For anyone who gets a Nissens rad with a separate O-ring and bung for where the thermoswitch would sit the best approach is as follows

Fit o-ring to rad
Smear o-ring with silicone grease
Apply a small amount of silicone grease to the hard plastic bung.
Line it up and push and rotate to ease it in. Very tight fit which is A Good Thing
Make sure you don't crush the radiator fins or put too much pressure on the plastic side tanks (for that reason, don't try and persuade it in with a rubber mallet or G-clamp.
The sort of pressure needed is like when you're pushing brake pistons back.
Now on to the rest of the job!

[Laird Scooby]

Excellent news! Given it's got to withstand 16.5psi (1.1bar) or 23psi (1.5bar) pressure from the cooling system, it was bound to take 3 Weetabix to get it in.