hometheaterman

So I have a 94 Chevy Caprice Classic I just had to replace the radiator on. Anyway, the old radiator had where the upper and lower radiator hose hooked up, then it had two hookups for the transmission on the passenger side, and in the top corner on the passenger side it had a little hookup for a 3/8" hose that ran from the radiator to the top of the reservoir. You have to fill this car through the reservoir and a hose goes from the bottom of the reservoir to the block which then goes to the radiator. Anyway, I got a radiator from Napa and it didn't have the hookup for the 3/8" hose on the top corner. I talked to a local radiator shop and they told me it was a vent hose and that most of the newer radiators don't have the hookups for it and to just block that hose off. So that's what I did. Then tonight we drove the car, parked it, and came out and antifreeze was leaking out. Looked and it appears the reservoir overflowed. I'm not sure this had to do with the hose that I couldn't hook up, but it got me thinking. Does the fluid flow through that hose from the radiator to the reservoir when the car gets hot? Or is it just a vent hose or what? Is it okay to leave this blocked off like the radiator shop told me to do? Or do I need to get a radiator with a hookup for that hose?

So here are pictures of the old radiator. I don't have pictures of the new one yet. It's dark out and I don't want to go pull the shroud off at night to take pictures. I could probably get some tomorrow. However, the new one looks exactly the same without this little piece to hook a hose onto. So I just plugged that hose where it comes out of the reservoir at the top. There is also another hose coming out of the reservoir the same diameter, I'm not sure where it goes. It's right next to the one I plugged. Am I going to have problems from this?

It's the piece in the top right of the radiator where a hose can hook on.

MDTAHOE

The new radiator is just plain wrong. I have never heard of such a thing. Every radiator that I have installed (hundreds) matched the old one. Get the correct radiator.

hometheaterman

Okay, here is the new radiator setup.


As you can see it doesn't have that hookup in the corner.




Here you can see the reservoir. The hose I blocked off is the one of the two closest to the cap. It was hooked into that corner of the radiator.



The furthest from us here.



I'm not sure where the other hose there goes but it runs up under the tube going to the airbox and goes back to the motor somewhere. As you can see here.




You can see here where the other hose heads and then the one I blocked off that I just zip tied to transmission line.




Here you can see that the radiator has two transmission lines on this side and then the lower radiator hose.



Then on the other side it has a drain at the bottom and at the top it has this upper radiator hose.





Here you can see under the reservoir how it has the big hose that comes off of it. I guess this is the one that goes to the block.

hometheaterman

Now one thing I find interesting is I'm talking to another guy online that has a 96 Impala SS which is basically a very similar car. He said his reservoir doesn't have this hose. Where mine has two his just has the one going to the throttle body. Mine has the one going to the throttle body and then the one going to the radiator here. So is this hose really needed? I'm wondering if I can just put a reservoir from a 95 or 96 Impala or Caprice on here so that I don't have a port for that hole and then not worry about it? Or do I for some reason need this hose? It seems not that important if newer ones don't have it.

Now this is interesting. In my search for a coolant reservoir I found this. It only has one nipple and it says that it's a replacement for the 3 nipple one that was part of a technical service bulletin in 94.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-96...Q5fAccessories



I wonder if this was a part they updated and mine never just got changed since it was originally my grandmothers car since new and I'm sure she didn't keep up with the service bulletins. Do you guys think if I switch over to that reservoir I won't have any issues?