Been planning for a 180k mile tune up...Spark plugs, coolant + thermostat, oil + filter, air filters (engine and cabin), transfer case fluid, rear diff. fluid, CVT fluid drain/refill, rotate tires...all was going well until one of the thermostat housing bolts sheered off! If you've ever changed the thermostat, you already know how tight it is to get to! I was lucky, there was enough threads exposed I was able to grab them with needle nose vise grips and unscrew the remainder of the bolt right out. Got her all buttoned back up and took her for a drive. Got back home and I got coolant pouring out from under the car! Not coming from anywhere I just serviced, but the timing of it all seems so coincidental. I believe it's from an old incident I had with a large landscape rock that I wedged under my car. Got some cosmetic damage to the front lower bumper but thought that was the extent of the damage. I now see the radiator got pinched by the heat exchanger as it got shoved into it. I believe the radiator finally tore itself apart in this area, on the bottom where the aluminum fins and plastic meet. Why now after driving for 2-3 years after the incident with the rock? Who knows. Anyways, got a new radiator going in this afternoon. Hopefully the heat exchanger holds up!
***update***
Okay, so after completely removing the radiator and after further inspection, I found the tear in the radiator. After my recent repair, I must have left a screw/tool/socket or something under the hood. It then fell between the fan and the radiator, ever so slightly marring the plastic fan blade and tearing a hole in the radiator, down low.
Now has anyone seen my 12mm socket?
