Quick Question on Radiator R&R

Somehow my radiator developed a hole. I won't know exactly where until I get it out. Most of it looks pretty straight forward, but I'm curious about the fan shroud. It doesn't look like the shroud will come out without removing the fan. And it doesn't look like the fan will come off without removing the serpentine belt. Am I correct in my assessment or is there an easier way? Thanks!

 

Take the 11mm nuts off the fan hub. Take the 2 10mm bolts out of the shroud. Pull them out together. The water pump pulley won't move with the belt tension on there

 

Piece of advice. Do not remove the serpentine belt, it's much easier to remove the fan bolts/nuts with the tension on it.

 

Another piece of advice- the fan hub nuts are way easier to get to from the bottom. Swivel ratchet wrench tool of choice here

 

Awesome! I had contemplated this approach but didn't know if the belt tension would send the pulley flying or keep it locked in place.

 

Finally had a chance to pull the radiator and found what caused the leak. Sometime in its life before I owned it, it was taken to a dealer for an oil change (I know this because it came with full maintenance records). Some moron at the dealer dropped the oil fill cap in between the radiator and the fan shroud and never bothered to fish it out. Since that time, anytime I hit a bump, the cap gets bounced up and is then slammed into the back of the radiator by the fan. There are countless dents in the back side of the fins/tubes. I guess my last romp down a dirt road allowed the cap to be thrown into the radiator for the death blow.

 

"I'm the guy who does his job, you must be the other guy"

 

And now for the picture of all the damage that damned little plastic cap caused:

 

$144 plus shipping for a Denso radiator from Rock Auto. Shipping took FOREVER, but it's now installed and she's back on the road! Which is great, because 108* is too hot to ride my dual sport back and forth every day.