Need advice on radiator replacement

So it's a 94 Accord with 67K miles. Barely broken in.

It seems I have a small crack near the top of the radiator, about
an inch long, It's weeping, but still able to maintain pressure,
more or less. Anyway, I want to replace it - the crack isn't going
to get any smaller.

I'm pretty handy, and wonder if I can do this myself. The local
independent Honda/Accura repair shop is quoting me around $400.

I assume the fans unbolt and swing out of the way. That would
leave the upper and lower radiator hoses, and I assume the
transmission oil coolant connections. Anything else?

I guess what I'm looking for is some encouragement, maybe some
detailed instructions on how to do this, and suggestions for where
to get the replacement radiator.

Any suggestions appreciated. I'm particularly goosey about the
transmission cooling.

I guess it's silly to think of putting JB Weld on the crack? I
mean it looks like it's plastic, so I assume there's no way to
patch the crack effectively. Right?

 

This is a very easy job. Two clamps on top, the fans' electrical
connections, the hoses, then the rad just lifts out.

It's best to leave the fans attached to the rad when the rad is removed.

Leave the lower rad hose attached to the rad, and disconnect it at the
engine only. Remove the upper hose entirely.

It's easy. Once you start tearing into the job, it should be pretty
obvious.

Any auto parts place. Try to get a Visteon rad, if you can get one. If
not, any aluminum rad will do. Aftermarket aluminum rads are of pretty
good quality.

The lines will make a mess once they're detached, so have a drip tray
under there.


Replace the rad hoses (with new OEM) while you're in there. THIS is the
time to do it! And reuse the original hose spring-clamps if they haven't
been replaced with aftermarket worm-screw types.

Have some fine emery-cloth handy to clean up the hose stubs. Corrosion
will make new hoses very difficult to attach. A bit of dish soap on the
stub helps the new hoses slip on more easily.

You have absolutely nothing to lose by trying JB Weld, so I'd do that
first. Just don't expect long-term success. Thermal cycling will
eventually crack the JB Weld.

 

decent quality new rads are so cheap, and the consequences of losing
pressure and the subsequently boiling coolant warping your cylinder head
so bad, it's not worth not replacing - patching doesn't work.

as for replacement, it's not hard, but there's quite a few steps
involved. suggest buying the factory service manual from helm.com -
while not cheap, it'll help you with many other repairs and will pay for
itself.

get a decent after-market branded rad from somewhere like
autopartsworld.com. don't go with metal tanks, go with plastic like the
oem - modern antifreeze formulations don't work with the solder on those
rads.

when refilling, use distilled or deionized [not softened] water with the
antifreeze, not tap water.

you might need a lube on the coolant hoses for reassembly. don't use
oil based, use water based. ky works great.

 

JBW doesn't work worth a shit on plastic.

This is MUCH better.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/epxy_plstc_s/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Plastic-Bonder.htm

Just bought some at Walmart for $6.00. Only difference is what I
bought has a 5 minute and not 20 minute set time.

 

Very easy to replace!

This used to be a zip file download only. Looks like you now have to
use Rapid Share (free) to get the zip file.

http://manualspace.com/honda-accord-1994-1997-maintenance-service-manual.htm

Look under "cooling" after download.

 

I stand corrected.

 

Ron says...

Thanks. I'll keep that for future reference. But further
inspection reveals it's also leaking at the seams - where
the top tank connects to the body of the radiator. Looks
like several places. So it's time to replace it.

 

the transmission hoses disconnect at the transmission. the a/c hoses
may need slight bending out of the way, but it's harmless to do so.

i'd avoid the really cheap ones - they're pretty danged thin and
unbelievably easily punctured. visteon is a good call.

soap's not such a good idea - foaming is the last thing you need in
radiator coolant.

 

Tegger says...

Well, O'Reilly and AutoZone appear to carry the same
radiator. At least they have the exact same price - $94.99.
I see there are some available online for less, but I'm
under some time pressure and will probably go for a local
one. Besides, they do have a lifetime warranty, which might
have some value at some point.

Well, the current hoses are original, but at 67k miles they
appear to be in very good shape. So I don't know. But I
understand what you're saying.

So do I have to remove something called the drip pan from
underneath the car? And will the standard wheel jack be
enough to do whatever lifting I'll need to do?

I have one other concern. I have replaced the thermostat
before, and remember having some trouble with the little
bleed valve that's used to remove any air. It didn't want
to shut off, so I'm worried what I may have done to it when
tightening it down. Since I'll need to use it again, I'm
concerned it may be damaged and I may not be able to get it
to close at all. Actually, I'm not quite sure how it
works. Would a parts store carry the right replacement
valve if I wanted to buy one just in case? Would there be
any risk in trying to remove the old one? I'm assuming the
body of the valve screws in to the thermostat housing or
whatever.

 

What are you talking about? There are 2 rubber hoses with spring
clamps right there at the bottom on the radiator.

Talk about making a job harder than it has to be.

 

The ones that Autozone sell are fine. I have one on my Accord and just
installed one in my Miata.

It's a plastic splash guard. Held in place by a few 10mm bolts.

I won't comment on the wheel jack. I don't believe in working under a
car w/o using jack stands.

 

i'm talking about the two air conditioner hoses that are run alongside
the top of the rad. if you want to lift the rad out of the way, you
have to move the a/c hoses to get the attached fan motors past them.

you'd be better talking about a car you'd actually worked on.

 

They're ORIGINAL? Mileage is irrelevant: they're 16 years-old! Buddy,
replace these before they go pop!

Yes. That's a matter of some plastic clips. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

No. Get a pair of stands and a real hydraulic jack. Harbor Freight has
them about as cheap as you'll find outside of a garage sale.

Hmm. It's starting to sound as though you may not be quite as handy as
you originally asserted.

It may hurt to read this, but I think you may find it quite a lot
cheaper, and a lot less troublesome, to just pay the $400 you've been
quoted and let the pro's do the work.

Lack of experience and lack of proper tools can add a very large amount
of undesirable cost to a fairly simple project.

 

Well, you said; "the transmission hoses disconnect at the
transmission"

Oh, you you mean like the one sitting in my garage?

http://i54.tinypic.com/2rdyq7b.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/bgnud4.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/2nklv76.jpg

 

Get this. I had the original timing belts replaced this week on my '95
Accord that has 97,000 miles on it. The original belts had NO sign of
wear on them!

 

I've been getting a lot of my parts from Rock Auto and you can get a new
Spectra for well under $100. They have fast delivery too!

JT

 

That is a LOT of money to change that radiator! Especially since the
radiator is only $100.

 

Timing belts wear and fail /internally/. Typically the carcass weakens to
the point where the teeth begin to delaminate, and the teeth eventually
strip off.

The exterior usually exhibits little appreciable wear.

 

There's labor involved as well, you know. Plus we don't know what the
garage had on their quote, so there may have been other parts (such as the
hoses) included.

And $400 to have a proper job done the first time beats a much larger bill
to fix stuff that got screwed-up during a home project.

 

the transmission cooler hoses, the ones that run to the radiator, /do/
disconnect at the transmission. tegger didn't state that because he
drives sticks, not autos - which is why i said it.

yes, the one sitting in your garage. the one where that top a/c hose
needs to be slightly bent out of the way in order to get the radiator
with attached fans out.

it's ridiculous when some wisenheimer who hasn't done a job tells people
who have how to do it.