Hello,

I am here to ask you a very important question: I got my old Pontiac Bonneville LE (1987) with a nearly broken Radiator. And as I am writing from Europe, we dont have many bonnevilles on the Junkyards around, cause it never was distributed in Europe oficcially.

But we did have many many Pontiac Trans Sports, which seem to have the same Radiator as the Bonneville (Size looks same).

But i didn't get a worthful information about my oppinion by a dealer. So i have the choice between buying a Radiator for about 800 $ or getting a Trans-Sport Radiator. It should be the same, because both were build with the 3,8 Litre Engine and Automatic Transmission. But we only found a shifter-Transsport without Automatic Tranny, and the Intakes of the Oil were different.

Can you help me?

Thanks!
Regards Norman

Welcome to the BC. As long as the dimensions of the radiator are similar you should be OK. You might have to make a some adjustments for the mounting of the Transport radiator. Make sure the hood closes without hitting the top of the radiator. Also, the Transport radiaor might not have the same cooling capacity as the Bonneville but it should be OK. And you might have to fabricate or reroute the transmission cooling lines as well as the water hoses. Other Members/Gearheads here might have some additional info for you. Good Luck and let us know how this project turns out.

I would look it up at www.radiatorexpress.com and check it out. They may ship outside the US as well.

Shifter Trans Sport? Like manual transmission?

either way a new radiator is $150 in the states...but add on about $150 shipping....

probably the best way to do it.

in europe they made the trans sport with a quad four and manual transmission. weird and anemic i know, but it'* still kinda cool.

i don't know if you have ford expolers over there, they are an excellent source of cheap oil/tranny coolers. you could run 3/8 hose from you tranny to the explorer cooler and just run the coolant through the radiator.

Go to: http://www.acdelco.com/
Find your Bonneville Radiator, then click vehicle list and it will show all the vehicles that part # is in.

That would kinda be cool. But generally, I think only North America and Australia are into high-horsepower cars. My uncle that visited from the Philippines are astonished at all the big V8 trucks and cars we have here. They're stuck with mostly like 2.5L turbo diesels. An old 3800 Trans Sport would be a muscle car to my cousin who has a Toyota Lite-Ace (small cabover van). It'* like an 7 passenger van with a 5 speed sticker and 1.5L gas motor

Whats actually wrong with the radiator? A good radiator shop could order the tanks and install them.

What is worng:

Well, it doesn't hold the water because about one third of the fins is rusted and fell out. I think, that happened, cause the water stood in the crossbeam under the radiator for a long time. Everywhere on the remaining fins you see leaked and crystallised cooling-fluid.
the problem hasn't been solved till today

Its not easy to get a TransSport Radiator, because they mostly have a 3.2 or 2.5 litre Engine over here. To get a 3.8 V6 with an Automatic Tranny is not so easy.

Greets Norman