BY ENGINE/4age/hyundairad

From AE86 Driving Club FAQ

Installing a Hyundai radiator into an AE86

With many original sprinter radiators reaching their limit in age and cooling capacity owners often are in the need for a newer replacement. One very affordable option is the radiator out of certain models of Hyundai Excel. This radiator has the outlets in the right position, has a greater cooling capacity, integral cooling fan(s) and is readily available.

Model of radiator: There are a few radiators available in Hyundai's however only two models are easly usable. The model to look for has an aluminium radiator and with a central top inlet and a bottom outlet on the left side (please see picture below). The two usable radiator models are physically identical however if the donor car had an air conditioner fitted then a secondary thermofan will be fitted on the second side of the radiator. This second fan would be highly recommended for those seeking the best cooling capacity, however the original fan is still more than enough for any non forced induction 4A based engine.

Above top: The model of radiator that is compatable.

Above bottom: The radiator fitted with both fans.

Purchasing: Multiple wreckers have this radiator in stock however self serve wreckers are often a highly economical choice. It is highly recommended to buy a radiator that still has the cooling system connected with an anti-corrosion liquid in use. Otherwise the radiator could of suffered corrosion inside and would have a limited life. Also of note that when buying the radiator of choice make sure to buy all four of the original mounting brackets and if possible the original top hose.

Instalation: Unfortunetly the original radiator mounts in a Sprinter can't be used and they will need to be chopped off. For the fitting prefit the original sprinter bottom radiator hose on the hyundai radiator, it is a direct fit. Whitht he bottom hose on move the raditor so it is central infront of the opening and move down till the bottom hose is slightly squashed, this is the possition the radiator needs to end up in. The bottom hose will need to be lightly pushed on by the castor rod bracket to get the radiator low enough.

The hyundai mounts need to fixed to the radiator support, this idealy is done with welding however other options such as self tapping screws may be possible.

[picture of bottom mount needed]

Above Top: Bottom mounts in place with the top mounts read for mounting.

Above Bottom: Top mounts finished by welding brackets to the radiator support.

Depending on which model engine is fitted the top water outlet on the head may be of a larger diameter than what the original hyundai radiator hose may be able to allow for. One way around this is to use a shortened combination of the original hose and the Hyundai hose, this is possible by putting a peice of metal tube inside the hyundai hose, pushing the sprinter hose over the top and clamping both of them together. Another more crude option is to have a short section (30 to 40mm?) of the hyundai hose on the radiator outlet then slide the sprinter hose over the both the outlet and short section of hose and then use a hose clamp to hold down both hoses at once (ie: using the hyundai hose as a size adapter).

Above Top: Both hoses shortened and a piece of tubing pushed in to allow for a clamp.

Above Bottom: Installed with a 4Ac engine, hyundai bottom hose and half of each top hose.

Above: With some custom instalations it may be possible to just use a shortened cut down section of the original top hose.

Once all installed refill with some anti-corrosion coolant and then bleed the air.

Electricals: The fan(s) can be run either directly by using an igition fed relay or a thermostat of sorts.

Article and all pictures by Sam_Q [[1]]

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or additional information/pictures that may be of use.