2002 Holiday Rambler Endeavor Radiator removal instructions

[Freedmeister]

Rear Radiator, Charge Air Cooler, Hydraulic cooler removal and replacement in a 2002 Holiday Rambler Endeavor (Diesel Pusher, Cummins 330C) performed by Josh Freed in 2013.

First, let me state that there have already been several good explanations of several ways to get this done posted on this and several other popular forums. I used many of them as guides to figure out what I think is the easiest way to get it done, with the least amount of disassembly. There was talk on one forum about removing the entire end cap being required. It’s definitely not. In fact, this isn’t the worst RV repair task to do and doesn’t involve more than reasonable mechanical aptitude and normal tools. Thanks to all those who have done this job before me and shared their experience. I couldn’t have done this without the benefit of your experiences.
Second, a little history. We bought our RV in 2012 from a couple near Buffalo, NY. I think they had had it for most of its life, but I don’t think they bought it new. It had spent most of its life parked in Florida, and it was obviously near the ocean for most of that time, and perhaps partially submerged in it for some of that time. I’ve been through pretty much every system on the unit, due to extensive rust and corrosion, roof leaks, etc. This summer, on our way from the Bay of Fundy to Acadia, the radiator finally let loose. I’m glad we had a pretty full water tank and a long enough hose to reach the radiator. We were able to nurse it home with occasional refills and obliging gas stations who let us fill up our house tank along the way. The radiator cap was suspiciously absent when we bought the RV, and after replacing the piece of foil covering the overflow tank with the proper pressure cap, and draining and flushing the system, I had a sneaking suspicion that there might be a reason the cap was absent. The heater control valve seized up not long after that, and I’m now convinced that there was a large amount of “leak-stop” added to the system. I found plenty of evidence on the inside of the radiator hoses and tubes when I did this repair. So, a word to the potential buyer of a used RV; There are no coincidences in the history of an RV. Any indication of a potential problem means there is a problem. And a word to those selling; be honest, the buyer wants to buy your RV and enjoy it. Give them the benefit of your knowledge of the history of the unit. If it was a lemon, let your potential buyer know that too.
Tools required for the job:
1. Working hydraulic leveling jacks and a good surface to raise the RV when needed.
2. Drill with bits to drill out rusted fasteners, Screw extractors, chisels, implements of destruction for removal of broken fasteners.
3. Metric, and SAE sockets (3/8, and ½” dive),and wrenches, a ½” breaker bar.
4. Hex Key wrenches, screw drivers.
5. Penetrating oil, good lighting, safety glasses.
6. Perhaps a sawzall and/or die grinder.
7. Razor knife
8. Filter wrench, antifreeze (Lets discuss what kind you want to use in a separate thread).
9. small pry bar and wood blocks
10. A capable, old school radiator shop with a record of successful RV or truck radiator repair.
Drain the radiator from the petcock located on the bottom left hand side of the radiator. After it is empty, raise the rear of the RV well off the ground and secure it.
Remove the hose clamps from the charge air cooler (CAC) connections at the CAC form up in the bedroom access panel. Pull the orange silicone CAC hoses clear of the CAC. New clamps and CAC hoses can be purchased on-line from several sources. They are specified by ID and length. Make sure to get the constant force, heavy duty clamps. I found them on E-bay for the best price.
While still in the bedroom, remove the radiator hose clamps that you can reach from there. Slit the hoses with a razor knife and peel them off of the tube stubs . Access is from either above or below, or a little of both. There are two formed metal tube sections that complete the cooling circuit. They are secured to the body with welded brackets and exhaust clamps (see pictures).
If the clamps won’t loosen, cut just the metal strap of the exhaust clamp. The clamp strap can be purchased at an auto parts store. It’s a little odd, since it’s a “light duty” clamp. Bring in the pieces of the old one and match it up. I’m not sure if they were consistent with what they used, throughout the production run, but mine were replaced perfectly with 2-1/4” Standard Clamps with a 5/16” bolt made by Nickson Industries. I just used the strap and the new nuts and recycled the clamp body.

I sand blasted the tubes because they were nasty and painted them with a cold galvanize spray paint before top coating with some leftover spray enamel. Check for pinholes and weld or replace as needed.
Remove the sheet metal panels that cover the surge tank opening (left side of engine) and the oil/transmission/ power steering reservoir and dipstick tubes (right side of engine).
Remove the “filter minder” and the tube from the back of it on the left side of the radiator support. If there is an electrical box for a block heater and/or a 12 volt utility lamp (or other stuff) attached to the panel above the CAC, remove them (Make sure AC is unhooked from the RV). Move them well out of the way.

Using a large open end wrench and another as a backup wrench, Remove the hydraulic fittings from the transmission cooler and cover the ends with rags and tape to protect them from dings and contamination). If your unit has the transmission cooler internal to the radiator, unhook those lines now, instead. Undo the bolts that secure the power steering reservoir to the right radiator support (leave the hoses attached) and pivot it over to the right. Secure it out of the way with wire or rope. Disconnect the straps that secure the oil and transmission dipsticks to the right radiator support and push them out of the way to the right
.
There are 3 pieces of aluminum sheet metal that need to be taken out to make clearance for radiator removal. They can be removed now, or after the transmission cooler is removed. Either way, it’s a bit of a wrestle involving flexing and coaxing. They will come out with some persuasion. Take out the side pieces and then the top piece. Expect the many sheet metal screws securing these panels around the perimeter to break, strip, or otherwise require creative removal. The top panel on this RV was glued in place with spray foam. It looked like it was there from the factory. I slid a hacksaw blade (just held in my hand) over the top lip and sawed through the foam to loosen it up (See picture of 3 panels removed). The top piece has to be slide towards the rear of the RV, then the front of it will clear the CAC and pivot down. It’s just a plain piece of Aluminum heavy flashing, so if it gets destroyed, a new one can be fabricated easily.

The panels will come out through the available opening. They are flexible and can be bent to clear stuff in the way. Once the sides are out, the top has room to curve, slide to the left, and be pulled out the main opening. Now is a good time to take a break, you’ve made great progress. Go and order the clamps you destroyed, new (larger and stainless steel) sheet metal screws, new CAC and radiator hoses (these are standard 90’s and straight 2-1/4” ID hoses).
The transmission cooler is attached using 3 socket head shoulder screws, a large washer, and rubber washers for vibration damping. They may look like large rivets, but they were once screws. The sockets are probably useless, but mine came out OK with liberal use of Kroil penetrating oil, vise-grips, a little cold chiseling and hammer taps. Order some nice stainless steel replacement bolts, washers, and rubber washers from McMaster Carr or similar. Note that there are two different length shoulder bolts used on this project. Take note of the shoulder lengths as you take them out. There are 3 with a longer shoulder that mount the transmission cooler (3/8 diameter shoulder x 1/2” long with a 5/16-18 thread (Mcmaster Carr 90298A619)). Pull out the transmission cooler and set it fittings up, out of the way. Protect the open fittings with a rag to keep junk out.
The CAC is secured in place by 3 hex head shoulder bolts, washers and rubber to the radiator top bar. Washers. Two of them were just removed when the transmission cooler was removed. The last one is a 3/8 diameter shoulder x 3/8” long with a 5/16-18 thread (Mcmaster Carr 90298A617). Spray them with penetrating oil and these should come out easily. I replaced them with stainless steel, but had to settle for socket heads instead of hex heads. They won’t rust, so I’m OK with that. Secure some old cardboard around the bumper with tape to protect the paint (see picture). Note that some pictures were actually taken with the new parts reinstalled, because I was too filthy to take pictures during the disassembly, and not what the steps really were going to be.
The CAC can be handled by one person. Clear any sprayfoam away from the top of it and pull it towards the opening.
The bottom of the CAC can be pulled forward, leaving the top in place until the bottom edge clears the radiator and can be dropped down until the top clears the opening. It should pull straight out through the opening after that maneuver. These things are infamous for leaking and I had mine checked out, cleaned, and then patched with epoxy in the corners where the leaks were found. I’m hopeful that this will increase our fuel economy! Replacements are available, but apparently they aren’t made any better and repair is the recommended option.
Now that you can see what’s going on with the fan, decide whether to leave it alone, or replace it with either a flex fan or a hydraulic/thermal clutch unit. I debated and decided that the $500 for a flex fan, and $1000 for a hydraulic unit wouldn’t pay us back in increased economy for too long. Who knows what other repairs we need to budget for! I cleaned the mud daubers out of the fan hub, treated the balance weights with rust mort, and sprayed them with cold galvanize.

The radiator is secured to the side supports with shoulder screws, washers, and rubber washers. These shouldn’t be too bad to get out. One was removed when the transmission cooler was removed, so there are only 3 more! Use some penetrating oil and patience. You don’t want to break these off, as they screw into threaded areas of the radiator supports. No fear if they snap. It can be drilled and re-tapped. Once the radiator is free of these bolts, it’s loose and sitting on the lower crossmember.
The radiator side supports come out next. I was actually able to get the radiator out with only the left support removed, but we couldn’t get the new, heavier radiator back in without being concerned about damaging it until I took the right radiator support out too. You might as well take out both now, since you’ll want to replace the rubber mount on the bottom of each.
The supports are each secured by hex bolts and nuts to the radiator shroud and by a rubber isolator at the bottom. Plan on having to cut the bolt on the isolator, or just cut through the rubber part and worry about getting the rest of it out after the radiator is out of the way. A half inch socket and breaker bar, as well as a ½” box end wrench and some penetrating oil will work. Some of these bolts are tricky to reach. Be patient and spare your knuckles. Drop the removed nuts and bolts in some rust mort and once dry, spray with some cold galvanize and they can probably be reused. The isolator can be bought from McMaster Carr. It’s a male/male, 3/8-16 thread isolator, 1” tall, 1-9/16” diameter. If you have one with longer studs, there should still be room for it. (McMaster Carr 9213K33).
The radiator supports can be maneuvered out through the opening. I cleaned them up, rust mort treated them and gave them a coat of cold galvanize spray paint.

Get your helper to give you a hand lifting the radiator up. You can set it on the carboard wrapped bumper to get a better grip, and angle it slightly to pull it out through the rear opening. Piece of cake!.
Take it to your shop and have it repaired or in my case replaced with a custom fabricated brass and copper one. It cost $3200 to have it made with all the exact frame dimensions and tapped holes correctly located and it did drop in with minimal fuss. I was skeptical, but Merrill’s radiator in Concord had the tanks fabricated by some place in Lewiston Maine and then soldered in the tubes. Its got ten rows of really heavy duty tubes to help deal with thermal/mechanical stress and can now be soldered if it ever gets another hole. Get a hand putting the new one in and reassemble all the other stuff in the reverse order. The rubber bushings are McMaster Carr part 90131A103. The washers are 98019A399. I added lock washers on the isolator mounts. While the radiator is out, inspect the fan, belts, and remove the water outlet, which houses the thermostat. The water outlet is a common failure point. Clean it up around the area where the tubing joins the flange and check for this spots or areas that have failed. This part is available from Cummins. The thermostat can be had elswhere for a lot less money. Might as well take care of it now. The water inlet is also suspect in the same area. At least wire brush, treat rust, and paint with galvanize paint.
While everything is out, cut a hole in the bottom of the radiator shroud. Weld or bolt a few pieces of scrap to it, and make a little access door so you can crawl under, unbolt the door, and clean out debris from the fan shroud occasionally, and before it bounces around and hits the fan, getting shot into the radiator again and again. Someone else suggested this, and I think it’s a great idea. Make sure you can get to the screws from below.

My Cummins dealer wanted to sell me the pre-diluted OAT complete antifreeze for $20/gallon. The radiator shop recommended sticking with the green Ethylene Glycol low Silicate and to use the anti-cavitation additive. I’m sure I won’t by pre-diluted antifreeze whichever way I go. The distilled water at the grocery store that I buy for my batteries is a much more cost effective way to go, mixed with full strength antifreeze. I’ll sit back and listen to others chime in on that subject while a go reinstall all the hoses on this unit.

See the attached document which includes pictures of the steps.

[R2Home]

I did the 'easy' route when we had to have the radiator replaced on our 2003 Endeavor. It went to the local Cummins shop and for my deductible of $1600, I got back a MH that had a new copper radiator, repaired CAC, flushed system, new fan, new fan hub and new coolant.
For one, at the time I did not have the time nor place to do the work. Also the repair was covered under our extended warranty to the tune of about $5000.

[Okrver]

I don't see the attached document

[walt2137]

That is a good write up of a pretty big job that not many would attempt josh, way to go guy.

[Freedmeister]

I'm not sure why the word doc with pictures didn't attach. I'll try it again as a pdf here. Seems like it meets the requirements for size...

[Freedmeister]

as an addendum to the instructions: The CAC actually has a lip along the top edge that slips over the sheetmetal edge of the fan shroud. You have to lift it up a little to get it un hooked and again to reinstall. To get mine back in, I actually needed to use a flat blade screw driver from up in the bedroom hatch to lift it up and get it re-engaged. I noticed this in my final check and had to go back and loosen the mount bolts to get it back in correctly. Boy, its tough to get those intercooler hoses back in too. I need to go to the Chiropractor!