justjosh Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Hey everyone, My wife and I bought a 2009 SXT and love it. I had a fan relay burn out on my radiator, and while I was working on it with the hood up, a walnut fell into the radiator fan. Once the relay was replaced and the fan turned on, the walnut was hit by the fan and caused about 7 holes in my radiator. I removed the front grill in order to see what I needed to to to replace the radiator, and I learned that what I suppose is the air condenser and/or the trans cooler is in front of the radiator. It seems that I will have to remove the coolant from the air conditioner and break the line, along with the trans cooler line on the passenger side. My worry is that the transmission seems to be a sealed unit and I don't know how I will be able to add any trans fluid if I lose some. Am I overlooking or over thinking this procedure or has anyone replaced their radiator? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik09sxt Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 I just had our radiator replaced at a dealer last friday due to a core failure from a rock or something hitting the slightly exposed portion under the condenser. Total was 560.00 with a coupon I got from dodge for 50 off service over 500. The radiator is 267 retail but about 180-190 from online dealers. I dropped it off at 730 without an appointment and had it back by noon, but I also told them we were leaving for chicago and had to have it back ASAP. I was expecting 1000 for it done at a dealer but was pleasantly surprised with the $600 bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tstone Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) I've replaced a few radiators before, never on a Journey, but on each one the radiator was closer to the engine than the condensor coils. So in order from front to back, is grille, condensor coil, radiator and somewhere in there might be a trans cooler. Typically you would just work from the engine bay, no need to remove the grille or mess with the AC system. Remove radiator fan, loosen the radiator drain plug & drain, remove upper and lower radiator hoses, remove transmission lines, remove supports/brackets, remove radiator and replace/refill. Sometimes the radiator and condensor coils are bracketed together. From a mechanical standpoint it should be a pretty basic job you could do on a Saturday. As far as the transmission goes, there should be a fill hole covered by a black plug on the driver side where the dipstick should be. Just catch whatever comes out in a mason jar, then put it back in. Regarding coolant, only use whatever dealership fluid the manual recommends. Edited May 9, 2012 by tstone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justjosh Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 The reason I planned coming from the front is because it seemed to me like the entire front end it held together by a plastic structure-from one fender to the other. The radiator is mounted to the outside of this piece. It seemed like it would be an impossibility to remove the radiator through the engine bay because of this. I will be sure to look for the black plug tomorrow when my wife gets home, I really appreciate the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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