How to Replace a Radiator in a Hyundai Santa Fe

How to Replace a Radiator in a Hyundai Santa Fe. Over time, your vehicle's radiator can corrode and wear out, causing leaks and overheating. If you have a Hyundai Santa Fe, replacing the radiator is a fairly difficult project because you have to remove so many engine components before you replace the radiator. However, if you have mechanical know how, you may want to tackle the job. Here's how to replace the radiator in the popular 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Things You'll Need:

• Wrench
• Resealable container
• Replacement radiator
• Water
• Engine coolant

1. Remove the air duct and disconnect the negative battery cable

Remove the air duct and disconnect the negative battery cable. Take off the air cleaner assembly, and drain the cooling system into a resealable container. Take off the radiator's inlet hose and remove the transmission's cooler lines.

2. Take off the fan shroud clips on the condenser tubes

Take off the fan shroud clips on the condenser tubes, and remove the bolts that connect the fan shroud to the condenser bracket. Remove the air deflectors.

3. Disconnect the coolant hose from the radiator overflow

Disconnect the coolant hose from the radiator overflow and take off the radiator support brackets on the fan shroud. Disconnect the electrical connectors on the engine cooling fan motor, and remove the fan motor harness from the fan shroud clips. Remove the fan shroud.

4. Take off the radiator's outlet hose

Take off the radiator's outlet hose and disconnect the transaxle oil cooler pipes.

5. Tile the radiator towards the rear and remove the condenser brackets

Tile the radiator towards the rear and remove the condenser brackets. Lift the condenser brackets and the mounting tabs and position them out of the way. Lift the radiator carefully out of the engine compartment and install the new radiator.

6. Reinstall and reconnect the engine components

Reinstall and reconnect the engine components in the reverse order that they were removed.

7. Fill the new radiator with a mixture of half water and half engine coolant

Fill the new radiator with a mixture of half water and half engine coolant. Start the engine and let it run for a couple of minutes, then turn it off and add more fluids, if necessary. Reattach the negative battery cable.

Tips and Warnings

Engine coolant can be reused if it isn't old or contaminated. However, if you choose not to reuse it, take it to a garage or a hazardous waste facility for proper disposal.

To avoid scalds, wear gloves and protective clothing before changing the radiator in your Santa Fe, and always be sure the engine is cool before replacing the radiator. Be sure to keep engine coolant in a sealed container out of the reach of children and pets. If any is spilled, clean it up immediately.

Video showing how to replace a Hyundai Santa Fe radiator:

Helpful comments on this video:

• Thank you so much I just finished my 03 and it worked out perfect and saved alot of time bending that bracket back instead of taking the whole front of the santa fe off, I was working against the snow today and I just beat it so now we ready for the winter weather.... one tip I have on the santa fe is when I needed new tires I just went to the junkyard and took the spare off the bottom of a few santa fe s instead of buying a brand new set of 4 I got brand new bf goodrich with the rim for $150
• Thank you so much for posting this video & pointing out socket size (ie: 10 mm), proper screwdrivers, clamp tool etc. Hopefully this will make it much easier for me to replace my radiator.