How common is a radiator leak for a 2003 g35 coupe?
I bought this car a couple months ago with no known problems.
Yesterday morning, while driving, I heard a high pitched sound then steam starting pouring out from under my hood. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. There was radiator fluid alllllll over underneath the hood, like it exploded.
I brought it to a local shop and they said I definitely have a major leak in the radiator, so I bought a new radiator and this mechanic I know is going to replace it, cause I know if I bring it to the Infiniti dealership they'll charge me out the *** to replace it.
I just want to know how does that happen? I didn't hit anything, no weird noises...wtf? Just happened out of the blue.
But yeah, I'm new here btw, name's Shelbi. This is my baby...

I'm a GIRL, just fyi. I know you forum kids like to assume everyone is a DUDE. lol...

 

Are they sure it's the Radiator and not the hose? Leaks on a radiator is not very common. But all parts will eventually fail and need to be replace..

 

I guess we won't really know for sure until they take the entire thing out and we can look at it. Meh, guess you're right though...just sucks.

 

welcome btw..

 

+1. Hopefully it's just a hose. Welcome and nice car btw, just not a fan of tinted tails

 

Has it overheated lately?

Hope it is the hose

 

replaced radiator, there was a crack in the old one.
but it's STILL overheating. >_<
water pump? thermostat?

 

Could be air still trapped in the cooling system. Make sure the radiator and the over flow tank are at the proper level. Thermostat is also a good thing to check or replace at this point (cheap).

 

Did you get a chance to look in the coolant reservoir before you had the car worked on?

Sometimes people mix in 2 non-compatible forms of coolant, and it causes them to form a nasty gelatinous/crystallized goo that plugs up the whole cooling system. This can cause all kinds of problems including overheating and busted hoses/radiators from pressure buildup.

If the car is overheating though, it could have air in the system, or a bad thermostat.

 

I have a similar problem, my car overheated yesterday and you could smell the coolant burning.. I had it taken to a local Infiniti dealership and they stated there's a crack in the raditor and that the radiator along with the thermostat will need to be replaced. Does that sound accurate?

 

Btw it's an 04 with ~100k miles on it

 

Get an aftermarket radiator since you have to replace the factory one. Aftermarket ones are thicker and will keep the correct temp even in hot 'spirited' driving. It might even be cheaper than a stock one. Maybe upgrade to a set of Samco colored hoses while the rad. is out of the car.

 

Thanks for the tip. Do you think it's actually necessary to replace the thermastat as well? Also, this wouldn't be part of the radiator motor warranty extension on the coupes I assume?

 

Its more than likely the thermostat. If you have a thermostat valve that is broken, no fluid gets through to cool the engine. Does it get hot when you idle? Does the temperature fluctuate? As to say sitting in traffic it goes up but when moving it drops down slightly? Its not a terribly expensive fix either.

 

It's currently at an Infiniti dealership right now and that's what they told me, that the radiator is cracked and needs to be replaced immediately. They also stated when the car overheats it is wise to replace the thermastat.

What happened was yesterday morning my car was fogged up and had ice on it (Chicago weather starting to take effect), so I turned on the defrost and let the car sit for 15-20 minutes. Absolutely nothing happened during that time, so I just took a towel and ice scraper and just manually cleaned off the car. About 10 minutes into my drive the overheat warning popped on my nav and I noticed my temp guage shot up to nearly H. The temp fluctuated between midway and H but mostly stayed near the top. After about 10 minutes of this I turned off the car and let it cool for 8 hours. Started driving and 5 minutes later it shot to the top again and I drove it to the dealership. You could smell a little bit of the coolant burning as well.