Nissan Frontier Replace Radiator 2005 Pathfinder Xterra 

Craig you’re welcome, good luck!

Sometimes “budget” means doing it right so you don’t create more expensive problems!

Best of luck!

I'm glad it helped!

I had the video up as I worked. The water pump detail (looks crooked) when putting the fan back on was a big save b/c it would have caused unnecessary issues thinking there was a problem when it’s ok b/c it realigns itself 👍🏽 Excellent work 💯

Yes that should be the only place the two could mix...

You can do it!

Good idea

Glad you liked it, I hope it helped!

Hi Matthew! Without having an Xterra in front of me I can't say, but on most vehicles radiators are usually a pretty similar procedure. The differences are what you have to remove to get to the radiator. As long as there are no permanent frame elements that crossover the top of the radiator in the engine bay (in which case you might have to go thru the front via bumper) then taking off the cooling fan(s) usually makes enough room. I got the radiator from rockauto I think for around $100. Its still working! This job is medium difficulty, made easier by having someone to help lift radiators in and out. good luck!

Budget Mechanic Thanks for the information!! You got yourself a new subscriber haha

Just did '05 Xterra today 13Sept18 & it's exactly like this.💯

Ram M457 I’m not familiar with that particular issue but I’d have to look at it to diagnose accurately. If you can find fluid leaking out anywhere from the radiator though I would definitely replace. In my experience none of the stop leak products you can buy are good long term fixes.

Ram M457 you will need to pull the transmission lines off the radiator yes. Usually not much comes out of them, especially if you can put some caps or plastic wrap over them. So I usually don't have to add transmission fluid.

Ram M457 I always like to see the part in person before I buy it but that’s just me.:)

I bought it used so i dont know about this

Sroor9001 I'm not sure what you're looking at then. Do you not have two electric fans between the radiator and engine?

@@BudgetMechanicHawaii no i dont have only clutch fan thinking of retrofit a fan with a relay to work with ac on I have one 16 inch drale fan ill try to see if i can install this temporary untill i figure where is the connector or wiring cause iam lost on this May be he cut it or Did something i dont know this is bad even he didnt tell me and ac was cool and who checked car ac is ok and temp gauge is ok hope i can find a way to hang this fan on radiator

Sroor9001 yeah if it’s been customized I would definitely try and find out what they did if you can. Good luck!

texas tough thanks for the comment and agreed! As I mention in the video this is a great time to replace your hoses as well!

Can you explain why it is a ticking time bomb please

I believe he talking about they can leak when they get older, and you lose your transmission fluid which can ruin your transmission if you don’t catch it in time. Bypassing can be a problem however if you do a lot of mountainous driving, towing, or live in a very hot climate. Without it the transmission can get too hot. Do your research before bypassing

@@BudgetMechanicHawaii Wait! Won't a new radiator fix the issue that requires the bypass work-around? The radiators in the 2005 Frontier (and other years/models) had a high failure rate causing cross-contamination and transmission failure and therefore a bypass could be used to avoid the issue without replacing radiator. I would expect the new radiator (OEM?) will work as designed w/o this failure rate. Found this helpful comment on the ClubFrontier.org site posted by smj99smj regarding this topic. #5 • Jan 8, 2017 The issue was caused by a failure of a seal in the radiator's integral cooler; it's not a corrosion issue as some have suggested. When the seal fails, the engine coolant and transmission fluid can cross-contaminate. This issue occurs on 2005 though 2010 Frontiers/Xterras/Pathfinders with the VQ40DE engine with the original, Calsonic radiator. Most of the failures have occurred on 05-07 models, but there have been failures on later models, including 09-10 model years. That said, any radiator with an integral oil cooler (or coolers, as some vehicles have integral transmission fluid AND engine oil coolers) has the "potential" to experience a cooler failure, but they are, on the whole, very reliable and have been used for decades. It was just these particular Calsonic radiators had a high rate of cooler failures. Calsonic, as a company, has been a long-time manufacturer of parts for Nissan, including exhaust systems, air conditioning systems and even dashboards. Nissan bought out the company in the mid-2000's, which, ironically, is when the cooler problems started in the Frontiers/Xterras/Pathfinders and also when the problems with cracked, lower radiator tanks started in the Titans/Armadas. There are several options to avoid the issue. The cheapest is to simply bypass the radiator's integral cooler and rely only on the factory installed, auxiliary tans cooler. This method usually does a pretty good job at cooling the fluid and there is really no need to add an additional cooler, however, it does eliminate the radiator's integral cooler's ability to warm the transmission fluid (transmission fluid operates ideally around 175-200 degrees F.) as well as provide the ability for additional cooling, if needed. Liquid to liquid coolers are far more efficient than liquid to air coolers. Also, those who have done the bypass method and measured their trans fluid temperatures have reported readings around 155-165 degrees F. under "normal driving conditions." While this is slightly below the "ideal" range, it is still okay, however, you do not want to run transmission fluid consistently at temperatures below 150 degrees F. The integral cooler will warm the fluid more quickly and better maintain it in the ideal range. The other options include radiator replacement. The genuine Nissan radiator is around $550 ($450 online) and they have a value line option for $350, which is still a lot for a plastic tanked radiator. Most of the aftermarket, plastic tanked radiators are made in China, including the popular Spectra Premium, but they are, on the whole, well-constructed and can be had in the $100 range. For the same $350 that you could spend on a Nissan value line radiator, you can get an all-aluminum, CSF radiator from Stillen Motorsports that will bolt right in. Any option is better than gambling on whether the factory radiator will fail and ruin the transmission or not.

Not exactly sure. If you look up the engines for the two different years you could see if they’re the same.

Sorry for the late reply, I’m not actually sure what I used for this one. I have found parts houses that I trust and just get multiple different brands