Hi all, I have been here in a LONG time because my 2000 Ranger is just so reliable I never have problems with it. I am swapping out the radiator tomorrow. Have never done it before and I am pretty novice when it comes to this type of thing but I have a buddy helping me. My radiator had a pin-hole leak on the plastic top right and Bar's Leak helped it 6 months ago. However, it has gotten bigger so I have decided to replace it. Went to Auto Zone and picked up a new one and will tackle it tomorrow. Also bought a plastic sealable tub to let the antifreeze drain into (will not re-use it). Wish me luck, hopefully it will be an easy job. I have never changed one but my friend has so more than likely I will be his assistant.

Mike

It would have been much better if you had just replaced the radiator 6 months ago. Im not sure on the familiars of Bar's Leak, but stop leak products are horrible for the cooling system. They often plug up cooling passages in the engine, etc. Not trying to jump your shit, but just fyi...

I would recommend backflushing the cooling system once you get it put together- try to make sure you get as much of that crap out as you can. For that matter, maybe even backflush before the new radiator goes in. You can get kits to do it for ~$7-$10 at auto parts stores.

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2002 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab, 2.3L Duratec I4, 5-speed manual, 4.10 gears, ~100,000 miles
Power nothing with air conditioning; crank windows for life!
Throttle cable mod, retained accessory power mod, 2006 thermostat w/resistor mod
Headlight relay harness, Philips xtreme-vision bulbs
P235/75R15 Michelin LTX M/S2s

OK, thanks for the tip. Yeah, prob should've done it at the first sign of the leak. Again, not being experienced in these matters I didn't know any better. Getting ready to tackle the job soon.

Mike