You can get about ten to fifteen years on your radiator before you would have to change it. You are going to need to flush your coolant about every 60,000 miles to ensure that your radiator stays good and does not get clogged.
You may have a cracked head or bad head gasket. The car will start to overheat from lack of coolant if you don't check the radiator coolant and refill it, if it's low. You need to get the car repaired or replaced before it breaks down and leaves you stranded .
The radiator on a 1995 Saturn is flushed by draining the coolant, refilling the engine with water, and adding a flush. It is allowed to circulate and drain before refilling with coolant.
i would have replaced water pump long before replacing radiator. also check engine oil to see if it has engine coolant mixed in.if it has then the problem is more likely to be a bad head gasket
To drain a radiator without a drain plug, you can disconnect the lower radiator hose to allow the coolant to flow out. Make sure to catch the coolant in a container for proper disposal. Be cautious of hot coolant and allow the radiator to cool down before attempting this.
Most, if not all, the coolant in the radiator reservoir will pour out when you pull the water pump. Drain the radiator and save the coolant (if you plan to re-use it) before removing the water pump.
Usually on the coolant outlet just before the upper radiator hose.
Adding coolant to a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am is very easy to do. The coolant can be directly added to the radiator. Make sure the engine is not hot before adding the coolant.
If you are using the OEM radiator and it has never been replaced then some of the core may have collapsed blocking flow. If there is a lot of brown in your coolant this may be a good indicator of this. I recommend flushing the coolant system before moving to more expensive alternatives.
can the gasket go bad behind the water pump houseing
Before changing the radiator on a 2001 Pontiac Montana the coolant must first be drained. After the drain remove the radiator mounts, fans, and hoses. Pull the radiator upwards.
A vehicles water pump circulates coolant ( water and antifreeze ) through the engine and to the heater core and the radiator. The coolant is warmed up in the engine and the coolant carries the heat to the radiator where it cooled down before being recirculated through the engine again.