o.k im changing out my power steering pump and radiator on my 88 sse.

now i have new fresh fluids to put in and i want to kno wif there is anything special i have to do besides just pulling them out and putting in the new ones..?

and how to i drain all the fluids with the least amount of mess and spill.?

thanks in advance for your help...

oh and i decided to keep the sse and not sell it.. i mean come on only 78,000 original miles and i already put $2500 into the car. i think i might put another $2500 and let my wife have a good strong lost lasting car with great millage...
i also will be modifying a set of front and rear leather seats from a 92-99.
i put a set im my frends caprice why not a 88.

For the radiator, I've found that using a siphon to suck out as much fluid as possible seems to work very well for getting nearly all of the coolant out.

For the tranny cooler lines, I usually just disconnect them and let the fluid drip in a cheap disposable turkey roasting pan as I really don't know of a good way to get the fluid out of the lines or tranny cooler.

On a side note, be sure to invest in a flare nut wrench when removing the cooler lines as the fittings will round out if you use regular flat open-face wrenches. A cheap set will run around $10 and you WILL need them in the future if you ever do brake line work.

While you have the radiator out it would be a good idea to flush out the block. Take out the thermostat and let a garden hose run through the engine until it comes out clean. Here'* how I did it: with the radiator already out, I pulled out the thermostat, then put the water neck (thermostat housing) back on the intake with the upper hose still attached, then I stuck the garden hose into the radiator end of the upper hose and duct taped it so it wouldn't leak, and then I turned on the water and let it run through the block until it came out clean. When it starts to look clean, cover the end of the lower radiator hose until it starts to spew out the duct tape. Do that a couple of times or until it doesn't make the water coming out any less clean.

Other than that, just put clean fresh fluids in where they are supposed to be.

o.k im in trouble.. i can get the metal lines on the passanger side of the radiator off
and i also cant get the 1 metal line under neath the power steering pumpp off..

any ideas.. i left them sitting untill tomorrow soaked with liquid wrench.

(and yes im using line wrenches)

Maybe they just need to sit and soak.
PB Blaster is better than Liquid Wrench, but Liquored Wench should do the job.

Be sure you are going
righty tighty, lefty loosey.
I sometimes get confused when I'm turning bolts at odd angles.

A little heat helps me sometimes

...but if you're working near plastic then that may not be safe. In the past with brake line jobs I've use a Mapp torch to heat the fittings for a couple seconds (to expand the metal just a tiny bit) and that usually does the trick.

ok i bought some pb blaster and let sit for a while.(hour) and it came right off..
but what the #@&*% the damn new radiator is about 3'' too short lenght wise
and im really upset as i bought it about 6 months ago from ebay and now its too late as the guy is no longer a registered user

so i froze my arse off and went to harrys ( my best friend) and pulled a rad out of a 90 sse but when i got home i realized the rad i pulled has some kinda of sensor on it and my old one did not have a sensor .

it fits in every other way but execpt the sensor part.. can i still hook it up and use it..

i dont see why not.. i would see a problem if my old rad had a sensor and this one did not but its the oppisote.. thanks guys..

The sensor is a coolant level sensor, iirc. It will work without any problems, just don't take the sensor out as I think it'll let fluid out, unless you want to monkey with rigging a bolt or somethign to fill the hole but imo its not worth pulling it.

o.k thanks for the advice.. i put it in and it works 100%.

but i have a question.

i have never put power steering fluid in this car as its always been full..

now when i sucked all the fluid out the ps pump with a turkey baster it was pitch black like burnt oil.?

and the new power steering fluid i put in the new power steering pump was clear like water.? :?

is the black power steering fluid the reason my power steering was a lil funky and not normal.. because now with the new pump and new fluids its just like the 95 se. sweet .

The fitting on the radiator for the sensor is a common Pipe plug fitting, but there is no harm done leaving it in. In fact, you can even rig it up on the instrument panel to activate the appropriate idiot light on the dash with very little work.

Power steering fluid can be different colors, though yours was probably just worn out fluid. More important than the color is how well the pump is working. If the pump is vibrating or making a loud whining noise, then is may have a problem, otherwise, run it.

The pumps are also self-bleeding. Fill it up, run it and cycle the steering from stop to stop, then top it off. It'* not like a brake master cylinder that has a specific bleeding proceedure, the Saginaw P-Series pumps we use just need filled and cycled a few times to get all the air out of the lines and steering rack.