'86 CRX Radiator question

Hi,

I'm working on replacing my engine, and bought a Helm guide to assist.
We also want to replace the radiator, and the diagram in the guide
appears detailed. So we removed the old radiator last night, and the
funny thing is that it has extra stuff...like more holes, and what
appears to be another thermosensor. So my concern is...do I have the
wrong book? Or is it common for things in the actual engine to not
match up exactly to the guide? If this is any indication, the engine
swap is going to be even more fun...

One other question...I ordered a replacement radiator from a reliable
radiator shop nearby. We got it out and compared it to the old one.
The main this is that the replacement radiator is half the length of
the old one. I'm going to talk to the radiator shop about this, but
is it possible that the aftermarket radiator could be that much
smaller and still be the right one? Or did my shop make a mistake?

Thx for any help!

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as long as you can fit all the hoses and sensors, I wouldn't worry about
extra holes...oh, I'm betting your radiator has two tubes, right? these are
for cooling automatic transmission fluid, which I'm betting you don't have,
just ignore them.
it sounds like the replacement radiator isn't the right one. Don't bother
putting something smaller in, it'll just create problems almost certainly,
and you probably can't even fit it in anyhow since the mountings won't
match.

 

Does either of the radiators match the picture in the manual?
Since the car is an 86, it is possible that the radiator was changed before
with an used one and the person who did it didn't care about replacing it
with the same model and just took another one that he was able to fit in.
In addition, if your car a standard and the radiator has 2 small tubes, that
would indicate that it was replaced with a radiator coming from an automatic
car.
I've seen several Hondas with very small radiators and I'd doubt that a
radiator specialized shop would make a mistake. You could go back and double
check.

 

The CRX shares a rad in common with lesser models, The various odd
openings are for things like an automatic transmission heat exchanger
and so on. Sometimes refitting the draincock at the bottom is a
problem.

Helm guides aren't as accurate and detailed as the factory shop
manual.

Yup. They goofed. The CRX rad fills the opening.

Make sure you get the little rubber shock mount thingies in place when
you replace the rad or it'll vibrate itself into a sieve.

 

Huh? My understanding is that the manuals distributed by Helm, Inc., are
the Honda factory service manuals. Mine is about two inches thick, has
lots of Honda logos on it, lists Honda part numbers for special tools,
and is copyright Honda. Are you sure you're not thinking of Haynes?

 

I don't know if it has a part number. I ordered from helminc.com
directly, but others (e.g. on honda-tech.com) have said that you can
get the same manual at a dealer as well. They usually have to special
order the manual, so there's no real reason to do it that way.

Note that Helm also distributes owner's manuals. I bought my car used
and the manual was missing, so I got a replacement from them. It is
obviously an actual Honda owner's manual.

 

I'm pretty sure that my Helm manual says that, too, but I don't have
it here.

Likewise. Even though most people call it a "Helm's" manual, I've
always been under the impression that they're just the distributor.
I usually call it my "Honda service manual" in discussions other than
this one.

Check on the icons. My electrical diagrams do not fold out, but it's
not for a CRX. Note that my manual, it its thousand-page glory, is for
the relatively small-production Civic del Sol and has dozens of pages on
the topic of the removable roof panel peculiar to this model. Haynes
and Chilton "cover" this car in their Civic manuals and essentially
ignore the removable roof, lack of rear seat, and so forth.

 

I just ordered it today. I ordered it via the hondacars.com web site.

In my case, since I have the "california SULEV" Civic Hybrid, in addition
to the $70 manual, there is a $35 SULEV supplement, which I didn't order.

From www.helminc.com:
"Helm was founded in 1943 as a commercial trade bindery and at the time was
"the largest bindery in the Detroit area. In 1959 the Ford Motor Company
"asked Helm to distribute their service manuals after binding them. This
"launched Helm into the automotive publication fulfillment and distribution
"business. Today, Helm provides fulfillment and distribution services for
"Ford Motor Company, all divisions of General Motors, American Honda Motor
"Company, Jaguar Cars, American Isuzu, Kia Motors America, Hyundai Motors
"America, American Suzuki, and Florists' Transworld Delivery (FTD). Helm
"fulfills over 625,000 factory authorized publication orders annually -
"accounting for over 70 percent of the market. In 1998, Helm strengthened
"its position as the leading distributor of automotive and motorcycle
"publications when it launched its web based online ordering system.

 

So I wonder if my Canadian manual, which was printed in the U.S.A.
was printed by Helm?

Since Jesse states he has one for an 86 CRX, let's compare it with the
one I have for an 87 CRX. Mine is in two parts, a main manual that
covers the DX Honda sedan and suchlike of that year, and a second
supplement for the CRX, which it terms a 'Coupe'. The covers are blue
and white. They have fold-out pages for the wiring diagrams.

Does that match what you have Jesse?

 

As I suggested yesterday, I think Helm is the distributor, not the
publisher.

I checked my 1994 Civic del Sol manual last night. It is copyright 1993
Honda Motor Company, Ltd., published by Honda Motor Company, Ltd., and has
a part number on the back.

 

So I wonder if my Canadian manual, which was printed in the U.S.A.

My manuals are light yellow. One is the Service Manual for the 1986
CRX/Si. It has icons for the different components, lots of detailed
diagrams on everything imaginable, and fold out charts for some
things. The other is thinner and is the "Electrical Troubleshooting
Guide." Most of the diagrams in the book contain at least two
versions, one for the Si/fuel injected engine, and one for the DX/HF
carburated engines. It looks very official, no mention of Helm
anywhere on it, but when I search Helm's website for books, these are
the two that appear for 1986 CRXs. I bought them from a third party
website. They used to be in a library.

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