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-   -   Leaking Radiator (https://www.buickforum.com/forum/lesabre-24/leaking-radiator-5071/)

eloc501 Feb 19, 2011 12:08 AM

Leaking Radiator
 
My '87 lesabre has a radiator leak on it and needs to be replaced. Does anyone have any good suggestions for a radiator that isn't too pricy, but gets the job done?
My radio also doesn't work. It turns on, but It doesn't display any time clock or any radio stations and just gives you fuzz. My thoughts are that it's a circut problem since I'm told that the break lights are half working, and the interior lights (dome and dashboard) don't work or are incredibly weak.
Any Suggestions on these problems would be very much appreciated.

hanky Feb 19, 2011 02:24 AM

You can check with any junk yard, but you may get something that is worse than what you now have. Since everything you do with the car relies on the cooling system working well so you don't get stuck , in the long run , put in a decent one. Many GM radiators were the same for many year vehicles shouldn't have too much trouble locating one.
Is the radio the original radio or has it been changed?
Those cars were built like a tank.
It can be a pain to remove the rear light assembly , but not that difficult, just be prepared to replace a couple of the #1157 bulbs for the stop lights. There are a few wing nuts in the rear trunk that need to be removed so you can get to the bulbs.
The dash lights use #194 bulbs and can be replaced easily. All you need is a little patience and go slow. The pieces of the dash mostly are push and snap in clips and can be removed if done carefully to gain access to the bulbs which since the time the car was built are probably blown out. If you can replace the radiator , you can replace the dash bulbs.
While you have the dash open check the antenna cable to the radio and make sure it's plugged in. If I'm not mistaken your antenna goes to the rear of the vehicle. Is this correct?

eloc501 Feb 19, 2011 01:53 PM

thanks
 

Originally Posted by hanky (Post 8978)
You can check with any junk yard, but you may get something that is worse than what you now have. Since everything you do with the car relies on the cooling system working well so you don't get stuck , in the long run , put in a decent one. Many GM radiators were the same for many year vehicles shouldn't have too much trouble locating one.
Is the radio the original radio or has it been changed?
Those cars were built like a tank.
It can be a pain to remove the rear light assembly , but not that difficult, just be prepared to replace a couple of the #1157 bulbs for the stop lights. There are a few wing nuts in the rear trunk that need to be removed so you can get to the bulbs.
The dash lights use #194 bulbs and can be replaced easily. All you need is a little patience and go slow. The pieces of the dash mostly are push and snap in clips and can be removed if done carefully to gain access to the bulbs which since the time the car was built are probably blown out. If you can replace the radiator , you can replace the dash bulbs.
While you have the dash open check the antenna cable to the radio and make sure it's plugged in. If I'm not mistaken your antenna goes to the rear of the vehicle. Is this correct?

Thanks a lot for the information. We are pretty snowed in at the moment, but I will take a closer look when I get a chance. I will talk to my dad too, who is also really good with cars and I will keep in mind the numbers and instructions. Yes, my antenna is at the rear and I never considered that the antenna cable might be the problem. To clarify, it is a stock radio, but I may be replacing that if I can't get it to work. Thanks again for your help.


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