Espace III : radiator replacement?

[José V. Gavilá]

Hello!

Well, my recently acquired Espace (a 1999 3.0 V6 24V) has a problem with the radiator; it leaks badly at one side, in the plastic-aluminum joint. Well ...

So I wonder if somebody could let me know if it is hard to replace. I have a good supplier of OEM radiators, so cost should be moderate. But labour is very expensive and, based on my previous experiences with other cars cooler circuit (Citroën XM, Opel Astra and Citroën ZX) I think I can do the work by myself.

Could somebody let me know how difficult is it in the Espace III?

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

JOSE

[Will Falconer]

Hi Jose

It looks to me as if the bonnet closer rail over the radiator can be unbolted quite easily, which would give you good access to the radiator.

All that concerns me is that I think the air conditioning heat exchanger is bolted to the radiator and may have to come out too, which I suspect may mean having the gas removed from the aircon first.

Will

[Anders Dinsen]

The german Espace repair manual from Bucheli Verlag is somewhat depressing in their recommedation (my translation):

The removal and replacement of the radiator is a big job, since the entire front of the car must be removed before the mountings of the radiator can be accessed. And on vehicles with air conditioning, the system must be opened and refilled, which requires special equipment [blah blah they really don't care to describe the procedure afterall].

On the other hand, the french manual from ETAI gives a specific procedure about how to refill the air conditioning.

Anyway, it seems that the radiator is taken out from underneath the car! Not from above...

[José V. Gavilá]

The german Espace repair manual from Bucheli Verlag is somewhat depressing in their recommedation (my translation):

The removal and replacement of the radiator is a big job, since the entire front of the car must be removed before the mountings of the radiator can be accessed. And on vehicles with air conditioning, the system must be opened and refilled, which requires special equipment [blah blah they really don't care to describe the procedure afterall].

On the other hand, the french manual from ETAI gives a specific procedure about how to refill the air conditioning.

Anyway, it seems that the radiator is taken out from underneath the car! Not from above...

Oops!. It seems like a hard job... it is a pity, as I have replaced several radiators in other cars, including my Citroën XM 2.0 TCT, which has also intercooler and aircon (so there are three radiators side by side!), and I did not need to remove front nor regas aircon

I have been checking regularly coolant level and it seems to stabilize at about minimum level... My wild guess is that with more coolant, pressure is higher and coolant get lost by the joint between plastic and metal radiator parts but with less pressure it does not happen... just a guess but it seems to be doing just that.

So, if coolant keeps at that level, I think will left it as is for some time. Of course, I will regularly check it!

Thanks and best regards,

JOSE

[Anders Dinsen]

Sounds like you have chosen a good strategy there... Maybe someone else with experience can confirm if this is really as complex as it's documented to be??

BTW, I can reccommend the french ETAI manual - I guess you have an easier time reading it than I have, though it's only available in french.

Look at http://www.etai.fr/ and search for Espace. There are two manuals, the newest one covers the 2.0 8V petrol and 2.2 turbo diesel. Your engine isn't covered, but the cooling system is the same.