Saturday, June 4, 2011

Goodbye Mr Radiator

Made some progress today, despite some setbacks. First, we jacked up the front of the car - front passenger side first. Big mistake. Once it was nearly up on the jack, fluid started pouring out from underneath the car. I knew it had a leaky head gasket, but this was a bit out of proportion to what I was accustomed to seeing, but of course that is what i thought it was at first. Only a mild panic ensued:



We had taken the hood off yesterday, and the windshield washer nozzles are on the hood - we left the disconnected hose dangling. It is on the driver (left) side. The
reservoir is high on the passenger side. Jacking the passenger side first put the end of the hose below the reservoir. The one fluid I didn't need to drain...

We also drained the antifreeze, removed the battery, radiator, A/C condenser, and the two front wheels. Here is what the front end looks like now:


Oh, and one more disaster. One of the lug nuts had been put on incorrectly. It was extremely hard to remove. The stud is completely stripped. grrr...