Community Forums

bamoffthelip · 05-29-2013, 09:46 AM

Hi there-
So I got what I think is a great deal on a '89 Southwind, 25'. 54K miles, runs well, needed a few cosmetics, for $2k from a mechanic on a lein sale. Owning a motor home never appealed to me but I bought it for practical reasons for my cousin to stay in temporarily and now - I love it!!

Drove it 4 hours from Hesperia, CA to the Colorado River a couple of weeks ago. It ran strong and cool, never even reaching half way on the temp gauge, but when I got there someone noticed there was a flow of coolant dripping from the radiator. I was nervous bringing it back, but I topped off the coolant with water, and found a steady squirt of water coming from near the top of the radiator somewhere (couldn't pinpoint the location) at operating temp. I waited until after 6:30 and the air temp was down to 80-90degress and trekked home, avoiding using radiator stop leak and hoping to make it. To my delight, the engine still never reached the halfway mark on the temp gauge! I was very happy.

So now I'm determined to fix the leak. I started removing things from the from in front of the radiator with the intention of removing the radiator for inspection and repair but I'm looking for some guidance removing it.Here are some questions-

1. Do I have to detach the AC lines/pump/condenser to get the radiator out?
2. Does the radiator come up and out of the front of the engine compartment?
3. Optionally, could I access the radiator from inside the cab/engine cover and solder the leak while the radiator is still in place?
4. When I access the engine from inside the motorhome, can I take off more than the motor cover that is fastened with two screws to gain more access to the engine?

justimagination · 05-29-2013, 10:14 AM

I'm not sure, but I would look @ the possibilty of dropping out the bottom, after you get the inside cover off, I believe the upper @ lower fan shrouds will unbolt. Getting to this area is not to bad, I had to replace the fan clutch on previous coach like yours. I would definately try to get it out and have a radiator shop repair it the correct way. Good luck and let us know how it works for you.
david g.

bamoffthelip · 05-29-2013, 10:18 AM

Upper and Lower fan shrouds... Cool, I didnt' know it is two piece, different from a car. Thanks. I like that!

whem2fish · 05-29-2013, 10:40 AM

They are stapled together use 2 flat head screw drivers to get apart (a pain) use bolts to reassemble

bamoffthelip · 05-29-2013, 10:44 AM

Sweet! Thanks!

bamoffthelip · 06-06-2013, 01:46 AM

Update: removed the radiator yesterday. It came up and out of the front of the engine compartment (Chevy P30 chassis btw) shopped and compared recore vs. New. Found that new was not available. The best local recore price i could get was $575 for a 4 row, with1/2" wide rows which is an upgrade from the original 4 row 1/4" row unit. Spent today replacing water pump, fan clutch, all belts, thermostat and hoses, and flushing block for about $200 in parts plus $150 for two days of help from my hard working cousin. Radiator should be ready Friday from Broadway Radiator in Hesperia, CA who have a flawless reputation and have done 1 previous recore for me. Radiator should go in next week.