The Porsche 944 Radiator - Replacement and Refill

6-15-2005

Ok, you're wondering what two screwdrivers have to do with the radiator. Well, one of those screwdrivers was left somewhere in the front of my car. Maybe when I was trying to pry out the thermostat. Which was at least 3 years ago.

Anyway, it lay dormant for years and slowly rusted. Then, it jumped between fan blade and radiator, piercing the radiator and busting a fan blade.

Porsche 944 Radiator

Tools needed:

  • Long flat-head screwdriver
  • 10mm socket, or wrench.

The fan assembly is attached to the radiator by six 10mm screws.

The radiator is pinned on the top by two mounting bolts. There are little rubber bumpers that shock-mount the radiator top and bottom. It is not directly bolted to the body in any way.

It was actually fairly easy removing everything. The air-cleaner bracket gets removed (5 10mm screws), then all the hoses get disconnected, then the fans come out, then the radiator.

I had to jack up the car to slip the fans and radiator out the bottom.

The standard price for the 944 radiator seems to be from $259 to $279, with the exception of Vertex, where it is $219. I ordered it from www.overnightradiator.com for $211 with free shipping.

Had trouble re-filling the system, until I removed the bleed valve and filled it up through that.