The longish version:

While driving home from class yesterday, I began to notice an odd smell coming from the air vents in the cabin. It was that burning smell that I only previously smelled when my car would begin to overheat with the temp gauge reaching to the 3/4 position and the A/C running in the summer evening traffic. This happened twice in the last month or so with my OBD-II data display showing the engine temp hitting 230F. The weird thing about this time was the temp gauge was at normal level (half position) and my OBD-II data display was showing my car running at 193F. Thankfully, I noticed the smell right as I was pulling into my parking lot so I could figure out where the smell was coming from. As soon as I parked, I popped open the hood. There was a "pee" stream of coolant whizzing it's way out of my radiator and all over the front end of my engine. The stream quickly died down and stopped pretty quickly. I could see coolant had been splattered all around from it getting on the radiator fans. So, to see where the coolant was leaking from again, I started the car for 10 seconds and shut it off and went back under the hood. Again, the stream came back with the engine pressure. I was able to find a tiny, 1cm wide gash in one of the aluminum veins (tiny tubes) in the upper portion of the radiator.

EDIT: Just went outside to examine the situation again. It appears the radiator did not break from an overheating condition. Instead, it looks like the passenger side radiator fan broke, throwing it off it's mounts, causing one (or more) of the blades to strike the radiator, creating the gash.

Short version:

Found a 1cm long crack in one of the upper aluminum veins in my radiator after it "peed" out coolant all over the front of my engine. Thankfully, it was caught before the engine overheated.

Question time:

1. Will I need to replace the radiator?
If yes, where can I find a good replacement without breaking the bank while also avoiding purchasing one that is just going to crack again the next day? Salvage yard?

2. If I have to replace the radiator, I plan to do it myself. Is there any good DIYs out there on how to do this?

3. Is it possible to use some type of sealant to fill the tiny gash so I can drive my car until I can find a replacement radiator? Can I have it welded sealed?

4. Should I replace the hoses as well?

Vehicle Info:

2007 Infiniti G35x
VQ35HR - AWD SEDAN 4dr
174,000 Miles (hwy)
Regular 5k mile full synthetic oil changes

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

I have a DE, so it might be a little different.

1. It's best to replace the radiator if it has a crack. You can probably try using some oil/water/heat resistant RTV over the crack. Stay away from that stop leak stuff. I purchased a 60 dollar radiator from eBay almost 4 years ago with no problems.

2. You drain coolant, unbolt the condensor from the front via two hidden holes, unbolt the A/C line attached to the firewall, unscrew the fans, and it comes right out. Replace and bleed air out for about an hour.

3. You can try previous suggestion of RTV, but I'd get it replaced right away.

4. Might as well replace your thermostat, cap, and inspect hoses for damage.

 

Thanks for your help! Will I need to get my A/C lines evacuated and recharged?

 

Also, it seems like a lot of radiators come with the condenser attached. Does anyone know if you can replace the radiator without replacing the condenser on a 2007 G35x AWD SEDAN?

I'd rather replace my radiator without having to mess with the condenser so that I don't have to tow my car somewhere to get the A/C lines evacuated/recharged.

 

Nope, you don't have discharge the system. You just need to move the lines out of the way.

I'm not familiar with the HR motor, but I've never seen a radiator sold with a condenser attached.

 

It's possibly to braze or solder a radiator and if money is tight it's worth getting a quote from a radiator specialty shop (or plumber, or HVAC tech...). You would need to removed the radiator first and it is separate from the AC condensor.

Btw I just have to leave this here again because it's such a great quote!

 

First, off, I want to thank all of your for your helpful replies!

I'd like to throw in some information i've learned along the way. The biggest thing i've noticed (sadly) is it seems as though Infiniti built a "3-in-1" radiator that involves the engine coolant, automatic transmission fluid, and the A/C system. The condenser seems to be fused to the coolant radiator, making it one system, meaning I ended up having to get my A/C evacuated.

After a long man hunt of searching the web for a direct-fit radiator with the condenser, I finally found one on eBay for $170 from a 2015 Infiniti Q60 which came in the mail a couple days ago. Thankfully, it was a perfect fit!

Now, I must simply wait for the new radiator fan assembly to get in the mail tomorrow so that I can reconnect the upper radiator hose and get working on refilling and bleeding the system. Speaking of which, does anybody know a good DIY for bleeding the coolant system for a 2007 G35x (VQ35HR Sedan)?

Here's a break down of where I am at in this process.

Where I'm At:

• Old Fan Assembly Removed
• Coolant drained
• A/C Freon evacuated
• Old Radiator Removed
• New radiator installed
• A/C lines hooked up to new condensor (still need to evac and recharge)

What's Left To Do

• Install new radiator fan assembly
• Fill radiator with coolant
• Bleed system (remove air in coolant lines)
• Recharge A/C system
• Drive to store and get some beers

 

Some pics for you guys:


Old radiator out!



All the empty space! Note: I made a small cut in the fan assembly shroud as seen in the bottom right corner of the right "circle". This cut made removing the old radiator one millions times easier as it was difficult to pull the hose fittings attached to the radiator out the holes without putting too much stress on the A/C lines on the front of the radiator



The reason for all of this. Fan assembly broke out of it's mounts, causing it to fall forward and hit the radiator leaving a gash in the veins.

 

Few more pics:




Old radiator (rear).<br/>173,000 miles of bugs n' crud.



Here is a diagram I made of the old radiator from my 2007 Infiniti G35 X AWD Sedan (VQ35HR) to show how the condenser is combined with the radiator.

 

Wow I have never seen a rad/condensor set up like that. Glad you are getting it all worked out.

 

Yep that's a first for me as well, never seen a radiator/condenser integrated into the same unit. Terrible design... also, an expansion tube for the AC system??? This wouldn't even be necessary in a normal split system but it's getting so much heat soak from the radiator they needed an expansion tube... wtf Nissan.

 

Wow, that really sucks and a simple job now turns into a complicated expensive mess. Hopefully, you're doing most of it yourself or getting a good deal.

It usually takes me about 1-1.5 hours to bleed the air out. I usually just fill slow, squeeze hoses, rev engine several times, and then after both hoses are nice and hot. I take it out for a drive to get rid of the bubbles in the heater core. That is usually the hardest part to bleed out in my experience.

 

I was also very shocked when I eventually figured out it the condenser and radiator are combined. I actually spent an entire afternoon just simply examining everything and trying to figure out how the radiator separates from the condenser. It wasn't until I saw the pictures in the listing for the replacement radiator I ordered. It was like a "holy s***, it totally is one system!". I feel bad for the poor souls that google "07 infiniti G35x replacement radiator" and order the first one they see that says it fits and then find out that they bought the radiator, but no A/C condenser. It took days of googling to find an exact match that didn't cost me $900.

Lol, as soon as I figured out the condenser and radiator are combined, I knew I was in for something messy and extensive! I've been doing all of this 100% myself. Only exception is I had a shop evac the freon from the A/C lines and will be going back soon for a recharge. This has definitely been the most "in the guts" job i've done on this car.

 

The cooling fan assembly came in the mail yesterday! After A TON of wiggling and maneuvering, the assembly finally fell into place with the mounts lining up perfectly!

*Note: When I took everything apart in the beginning, I had a stack of little bags and a sharpie. I put the screws in different labeled baggies (i.e. radiator fan mounting). This made the reassembly stage substantially easier.

I filled the coolant system with close to 2 gallons of distilled water, burped it a few times and started her up. Took it for a little drive to warm things up and test the radiator fans. First time the car has moved in about two weeks!

During the drive, I blasted the heat by setting the air to 90F on full blast during the first half of the drive to help run the water through the heater core. When I got back home, I parked the car and left the engine running to get it hot and make sure the radiator fans kick in on time. To aid in this, I turned the air back down to 70F on the lowest setting to speed up the engine temp rising.

After about 15 minutes, the fans kicked in at about 205F! They run flawlessly and quietly. I was amazed with how much air these things were moving!

Now, i'm just waiting for the car to cool back down so that I can drain the distilled water and replace with prestone coolant diluted to 50/50.

Here's a cost break down for all of this. You guys think this job saved me some money??

Radiator- $173.25
Radiator Fan Assembly- $139.79
Prestone Coolant (Concentrated)- $15.99
Long Neck Funnel- $5.52
Distilled Water (5 gal)- $4.95
TOTAL- $339.50

And a few more pics!




Radiator fans finally in the mail! I have never seen a car part packaged like meat.



New fan assembly vs. old fan assembly.<br/>The plastic housing on the old one was VERY brittle. It essentially fell apart while removing it.



Job complete!



New radiator fans installed. Perfect fit.



She's alive again! She WILL see the 200,000 mile mark. Only 27,000 miles to go!

 

Don't go with the Prestone most Asian vehicles require silicate free coolant. I would either go with OEM or buy Zerex for Asian vehicles made by Valvoline.