Changing an engine radiator on Twingo 1.2 (D7F without air conditioning)

remove the expansion tank cap

It goes without saying that we work with a cold engine, of course.

remove the air sleeve and set it aside

remove the engine protection cover under the car (10mm and 13mm wrenches, there are 9 screws in total)

disconnect the battery starting with the negative terminal (10mm wrench)

remove the battery after unscrewing the fixing bracket (7mm key)

remove the plastic cover around the battery (2 screws, 10mm key)

You will need to unclip the hose from the canister.

unplug the fan plug

unscrew the 4 screws fixing the fan to the radiator (7mm wrench, there are two screws on each side)

remove the fan

On this vehicle, the coolant was changed very recently and will therefore be reused (it must be replaced every 2 years). We will therefore clamp the hoses to avoid emptying the engine block.

clamp the two top hoses (I had clamped them before removing the battery)

and finally the bottom one

Before removing the radiator, we will have to free the canister (recycling of gasoline vapors from the tank).

unscrew the canister locking screw on the radiator (7mm wrench)

tilt the canister and lift it to release it

and leave it waiting

After placing a recovery tray under the radiator, undo the hose clamp and disconnect the hose

The clamp seen here is not original and did not tighten the hose enough. I later replaced it with a conventional clamp that is screwed on with a 7mm wrench or a Phillips screwdriver.

let the radiator drain completely

disconnect the 2 upper hoses after unscrewing the clamps (7mm wrench)

Under the car, undo the 2 radiator fixing screws (ratchet wrench, extension and 13mm socket)

lower the radiator to dislodge it from the crosspiece (2 pins on each side)

and remove the radiator

compare radiators

remove the rubber spacers from the old radiator

and install them on the new one

present the radiator

Be very careful, radiators are very fragile parts and you can bend the fins just by touching them with your hand. Take your time to install the new radiator.

insert the 2 upper lugs into their housing on the crosspiece

and screw in the 2 fixing screws (ratchet, extension and 13mm socket)

Fit the 3 hoses, tighten the clamps (7mm wrench or multi-grip pliers depending on what you have) and remove the clamps

insert the 2 lugs of the canister into their housing on the radiator

We can take advantage of this to check the condition of the canister, I had to repair a hose that was broken in two.

place the canister against the radiator

and tighten the fixing screw (7mm wrench)

present the fan on the radiator

and screw in the 4 fixing screws (2 on each side, 7mm key)

There are two centering pins for the fan, 1 on each side. It will be impossible to screw in anyway if the fan is not centered.

reconnect the fan

install the plastic cover on the side of the battery (2 screws, 10mm wrench)

put the canister hose back in place

put the air sleeve back in place

install the battery and reconnect starting with the positive terminal (10mm wrench for the negative terminal)

position and screw the battery mounting bracket (7mm wrench)

I recommend bleeding the circuit as much as possible before starting the engine. To do this:

fill the expansion tank

open the bleeder at the radiator until the liquid flows out

and bleed at the thermostat until the fluid flows out

The vase will probably have to be filled as you go.

At this point, the bulk of the purge has already been done. We'll just finish up and make sure everything works.

start the car, heating set to maximum heat (the red circle on the ventilation console)

you can accelerate to warm up the engine more quickly

Bubbles will rise in the expansion tank, proof that the purge is being done.

screw the expansion tank cap on once the fan starts and let the engine run

we let the engine run to make sure there are no leaks

When you know that everything is fine, turn off the engine and put the cover back under the car (10mm and 13mm wrenches)

cold engine, we will check the coolant level one last time