I think you're most likely OK with what you have. You'll know once you get some stuff off and have more access/visibility.

The only coolant leaks I've experienced first-hand on my two KA24DE 2.4l Frontiers have been water pumps on both 1998 and 2004, and a bad radiator gasket on my 1998. So I haven't replaced the bypass hoses on either of mine.

 

bad radiator gasket

Radiator gasket?

 

Yeah, I was hoping to have everything needed with no parts store runs mid repair. Hopefully that's the case. Thank you for your input Cusser.

 

Yeah, the rubber gasket/seal that is just under the top plastic part and above the metal guts of the center of the radiator. So I got an O'Reilly lifetime radiator for it, in stock, maybe 7 years ago. Bought a factory/dealer fan blade same day, also in stock in town.

 

" and a bad radiator gasket on my 1998. "

Can we just re-seal the top on radiators?
Mine is seeping on the top seal.
I am thinking about trying re-sealing mine, but NO ONE says it is a reasonable thing to do.
I know that a well placed bead of silicone is an awesome thing.
Jody

 

" and a bad radiator gasket on my 1998. "

Can we just re-seal the top on radiators?
Mine is seeping on the top seal.
I am thinking about trying re-sealing mine, but NO ONE says it is a reasonable thing to do.
I know that a well placed bead of silicone is an awesome thing.
Jody

If you're dead broke or just looking for a short term fix then go for it. You can get a new radiator at Rock Auto for $55 bucks tho. Shipped, probly like $65. On my V6 it was leaking thru a crack in the top plastic part of the radiator last year and replaced it. I was looking up all kinds of ways to fix it. Saw where people were even sanding down the cracked area, getting the same type of plastic, and then melting it over the crack. Was just better to replace it, be done with it, and move on with my life.

I mean, your Radiator is a minimum of 15 years old already if you have a 2004 (assuming its the original) and if you do fix it then something else is bound to break bc they're just getting too old.

 

How old are rad hoses? OEM? IOW, this is an excellent opportunity for some preventive maintenance...whether DIY or farming out to a shop/mechanic.

 

I'm about to start wrenching on my KA24DE to repair a small coolant leak under the intake manifold.
In the pic are the 4 new hoses that I'm going to install and I also have a new intake manifold gasket.
Anyone know if there are any other parts that I'll be needing to complete this repair?

My valve cover gaskets need replacing. I bought everything to do it. On my V6 I have to pull the plenum to get the driver side cover off and there's like 7 or so hoses underneath and the only way to change them is with the plenum off.
So like you, I went ahead and bought all those hoses to replace my 20 year old ones. Seeing your post is making me feel a lot better about that purchase. Not the cheapest either because they all have funky bends in them so i had to get the OEM replacements as you're obviously aware of.

 

Yessir. I've been pushing my luck holding off on this repair but I need to get after it this weekend no if ands or buts.
The hose in this pic is the one I believe to be the culprit. It felt like my finger would push right through when touched.

 

I leave my radiator cap loose, so no pressure builds up. I use 75% coolant strength so it won't boil over. I'm not in the desert or tow heavy loads so I've never had a problem. And I haven't had an original hose blow, or a radiator or core leak in at least 35-40 years. No pressure = no strain on the cooling system. Especially if you have half-a$$ed patches holding it together.

 

Just picked up the heater core inlet and outlet hoses so now just have to start wrenching....tomorrow that is.

 

When the radiator seal on my 1998 Frontier first leaked, I thought maybe I could seal it by "tightening" a few crimps, didn't work for me. Since there were zero radiator shops except way downtown (opposite direction from where I worked), I didn't even bother to call to ask if and how much to repair. So I went to O'Reilly/Checker 2 miles away and just picked one up. The replacement fan blade was from dealer as mine was cracked and I felt "it was time". I later got an O'Reilly fan clutch for it (radiator and fan clutch are both lifetime-warrantied, and actually fit my 2004 Frontier as well).

 

I saw a guy on youtube remove the top from a radiator by crimping the little metal finger things.
The re-assemble, he put in a bead of silicon and re-crimped the top in place.
It seems like it should work, but I have not tried it.
??

 

Give it a shot and let us know how it turns out.

 

Well the the leak was coming from the "U" shaped hose. I replaced the four hoses that are pictured in my original post. And did so without removing the intake manifold.
Unbolting the power steering pump and removing the mounting bracket and plate allowed just enough access to swap the bypass hoses.
Unfortunately, the heater inlet hose replacement will have to wait until it becomes a necessity. It connects to the back side of the engine block and it seems that the intake has to be removed to access. I tried getting to it from underneath but space was too tight.

 

Well the the leak was coming from the "U" shaped hose. I replaced the four hoses that are pictured in my original post. And did so without removing the intake manifold.
Unbolting the power steering pump and removing the mounting bracket and plate allowed just enough access to swap the bypass hoses.
Unfortunately, the heater inlet hose replacement will have to wait until it becomes a necessity. It connects to the back side of the engine block and it seems that the intake has to be removed to access. I tried getting to it from underneath but space was too tight.

Did you get the inlet heater hose replaced? If so, did you have to remove the intake manifold to replace it? This one seems like a real challenge and I am trying to do this one on my 2002 Frontier XE KA24DE 4 Cylinder.

 

Great ! And thanks for supplying the hose part numbers, saving those in case I ever need for my '98 or 2004.

 

Make sure that you use quality hose clamps, not the stock junk that's on there. If you're doing the bypass hose, you really should replace the heater hoses as well. Be VERY careful as the inlets to the cabin are brittle plastic nipples...

 

I used Ideal hose clamps.

 

I use made-in-USA hose clamps.

 

Likewise.

 

I've had to redo a coolant bypass hose once when I reused the stock hose clamps. They just don't provide enough surface area to make a good seal and if they do, then they will leak in the future when the hose hardens.

 

My bypass hoses actually got very soft. Could've been due to a power steering fluid leak that has since been repaired.

 

Thanks. I will so some research. I bet someone has figured out how to install something as basic as a heater hose without removing the intake manifold. Sees crazy, not to mention the poor person who loses this hose on the road and is informed by a garage that it will cost hundreds of dollars to change a twenty dollar heater hose.

 

Reminds me of when I thought I'd swap out the pcv valve in 30-45 seconds.

 

Yep the PCV was a challenge. Going through the drivers side wheel well was a bear and I had to use two sets of extra long angled head needle nose pliers to get enough pressure on it for it to seat. I think there may an equally creative way to get the heater hose changed. BTW, if you have not replaced the starter yet, I cut an access panel in the drivers side wheel well to get to it.

 

Got any pics of that access panel?

Man, I replaced my fuel pump back in Oct 2020 using the method I learned of from your bed tilt thread, then again about a month ago (warranty) and a third time 2 weeks ago(warranty). It had me considering cutting a fuel pump access panel in the bed.

 

One note of caution on removing the inlet heater hose that the pipe (top) leading into the heater core on the KA24DE 4 cylinder is plastic and is known to deteriorate over time. I would remove the heater hose as it connects to the nipple at the firewall by cutting it with a razor and gently "unwrapping" it. You may want to add some slight heat to the hose to soften it a bit.

 

I'm about to start wrenching on my KA24DE to repair a small coolant leak under the intake manifold.
In the pic are the 4 new hoses that I'm going to install and I also have a new intake manifold gasket.
Anyone know if there are any other parts that I'll be needing to complete this repair?

This picture shows the heater hose which is attached to the rear lower engine block with the arrow pointing to it. If I remove the flat bracket next to the EGR (pictured) it will give me room to reach the heater hose, but the small bracket (or whatever it is) which I circled in yellow is in the way. Does anyone know what this part is or how it may be removed?

 

This picture shows the heater hose which is attached to the rear lower engine block with the arrow pointing to it. If I remove the flat EGR bracket it will give me room to reach the heater hose, but the small bracket (or whatever it is) which I circled in yellow is in the way. Does anyone know what this part is or how it may be removed?

Is the small bracket preventing you from removing the air cleaner support bracket (the egr doesn't have a bracket)?

I couldn't find anything definitive looking at the exploded parts diagrams. Was thinking maybe this cable mounting bracket, which doesn't look the same I know.. But I haven't checked where the shift cable actually runs.

I'm going to reach a mirror in there to hopefully have a better look.

 

@idlafie A penny for your thoughts?

 

Sorry Butterman....I'm at a loss...I replaced my heater hoses many years ago on my '95 240SX, (KA24DE motor), but can't recall if I ever changed the heater hoses on my '04 Frontier. From what I can recall, I used a ratchet extension or two and those universal swiveling sockets.... It seemed like a pretty easy repair to me... I tend to remember those repair jobs from hell... Sorry Buddy....🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️