After my raditator install last week, I checked the job out thoroughly after and noticed some play in the radiator when pushing it forward and back. There are two rubber clamps on top that hold it in position. I notice the play more when the car is cold and after warmed up it is considerably less. I am talking about a very slight bit of play. I brought it to the attention of the operations director at Lexus who looked at the car personally and said it was necessary due to back and forth movement of the engine. He showed me numerous places in the enigine where there were also rubber bushings allowing movement. It did make sense to me. If the plastic radiator was totally rigid in place, there would be a better chance of damage down the road from the twisting and vibrations of the engine.

 

i dont have any play in mine.

 

The radiator should not move. The hoses that connect the radiator to the engine provide all of the play that might be needed. The transmission fluid cooler lines that run from the trans to the radiator are solid stainless steel. No wiggle.

 

Thank you Tom57 for your feedback. Actually, I checked this morning and the transmission cooler lines that run directly into the radiator are rubber. They might have been cut at one time to accomodate the radiator which is a Denso aftermarket. I've ordered an upper radiator support bracket to see if it makes any difference since it is made out of rubber witch presently is 14 years old.($15 for bracket) If not, providing a very slight bend to this bracket should tighten up the very slight gap, which as mentioned earlier is minimum once the car warms up and expansion takes place.

 

Smart Boca. It's probably the upper support bracket. You definitely don't want the radiator to shake -- over time, it could cause premature radiator failure.

And you are correct, there are short rubber hoses that connect the stainless steel trans lines. Again, these insulate the engine vibration and allow for slight movement of the engine and transmission. However, the radiator should not be free to move around.

 

On my way to Lexus to pickup upper support bracket, engine air filter, and a few clips. To be continued .

 

Correct me if I am wrong. But ther is a ruber mont at the boot me as will that looks like a donut or a big o-ring.
If so I will do that as will.
14 years is a lot of time for ruber.
Edit: part number (SUPPORT, RADIATOR, LOWER 16535-74030)

 

Installed one new upper support mount and PROBLEM SOLVED! Tight as a drum!!!!!.. Just ordered another one to play it safe for the other side although I really don't need it. The part number for those who are interested is 16505-50090 upper radiator support. When I placed the 14 year old support next to the fresh new support it was like night and day. The rubber was supple and extended out a considerable amount to make contract with the top of the radiator. The old one was hard as a rock with no movement and depressed in as not to make any contact. Thank god this was an easy fix! Thanks Tom57 and all the others for your help.

 

Great DIY fix Boca. For anyone replacing their radiator, the upper radiator supports should be examined for rubber deterioration. You were smart to check your radiator after dealer install. Trust but verify.

 

Thanks Tom. I have historically always gone over work that is done by a dealership or an independent regardless of how trustworthy they may be. Mistakes are made and consistent quality work is hard to find. Besides, I'm an over the top perfectionist and hard to please. I do the exact same thing whenever my girlfriend's Infiniti goes in for service. When I finally sold my 04 G35 Coupe after 10.5 years of ownership, the new owner literally got a like new car. Although my LS430 is 14 years old, whatever needs attention gets done right away. That is why absolutely everything on my car works and works well, and all important maintenance items are taken care of regularly.

 

Just checked mine, no play in my radiator so far, car in-service 17 years now, with 167,000kms, so relatively low annual mileage + minimal summer driving. This is a quick and easy item to add to a regular maintenance checkup.

High mileage over lots of bumps/potholes, combined high temperature climates, would likely accelerate the aging of these upper supports and require more frequent checks.

 

Sitting now by side of road waiting for a tow. Smelt burning on highway, thought it might be outside. Drove another 10 miles at speed and turned off highway. Drove another 5 miles. Then smelt more like wires burning- previous was like brakes. Then noticed temperature pegged to red. Stopped. No coolant, bottom hose off. Engine and radiator both cool. Had a timing belt etc changed yesterday. Isn’t the engine supposed to stop when it starts to overheat? Ran fine the entire time. With no coolant.

 

Hopefully you have no engine damage....If there are any serious issues, it would be advisable to head back to the timing belt tech as there is where your problem most likely originated.

 

Got towed to the garage that did the timing belt and dropped it off.

Now it's the day after the disaster. Spent the night looking at used engines online and fuming. No doubt they forgot the clamp. Why would you replace the
hose without the clamp, since you need to slide on the clamp first? If the clamp were not tightened, you'd think the clamp would still be on the hose end,
but maybe not.

Got a called a short while ago, said all is fine. Compression test, another test (not the leak-down test, which was not needed), with test drive found all is well - and no codes.

Seems impossible.

When I stopped beside the road and looked, the coolant hose was off, no coolant at all, which would have dumped instantly.
No coolant under the car where I stopped, no CEL, no warning lights, and no trail of coolant on the road, both engine and radiator felt cold (not just cool) when I looked under the hood.
Coolant pooled at bottom of engine bay. I read this 4.3 engine has no coolant warning system. Apparently, it doesn't need one because it drives fine without coolant, so no radiator is needed either.

This is a true miracle. I will write the Vatican to get certification - can you be a Saint and not know it? Heck, I don't even go to church.

Just made some coffee and am ready to redo that same highway speed run. Will look for my missing coolant along the way.