Replacing radiator in 97 Accord (any tips)

I have a leak in my radiator on my 97 Accord with 165K.
I have done other repairs on my car and I am considering attempting
this on my own.
Especially when my dealer want $500 installed.
I have looked at my Honda service manual and it seems straight forward.
Basically:
Drain coolant.
Remove all hoses connected to radiator.
Remove all fan harnesses.
Remove radiator mounts.
Remove radiator with fans attached.
Remove fans from radiator and install on new radiator.
Install in reverse order.

* Can anyone recommend an aftermarket radiator that installed easily
into a 94-97 Accord?
* To anyone who has done this type of repair and run into any type of
complications, any additional tips would be helpfull.
* One thing I would like to do is find a way to keep the transmission
fluid from leaking out of the hose once I remove it from the radiator.
I also plan to protect the fins with a piece of cardboard when
installing the new radiator.

 

My son did most of the work on my daughter's '93 Accord LX recently, and he
ended up with a two day job of it. Access to the bottom was the big
problem - scout it out before setting your schedule. This one had a plastic
splash shield - no big deal - but there is also a cross-member on this one
that runs across right about where you need to get at the hoses. He removed
the cross-member, which also required separating the ball joints.... I think
it can be done without removing the cross-member as long as you have the
patience.

If you can deal with the lower access, the next challenge is getting the
fans out. Easy, actually, except for the connectors. The trick with those
was to get a medium size blade screwdriver that could simultaneously depress
the tab and lever the connector apart a bit. I imagine a squirt with
silicone lubricant into the gap where the two halves mate before trying to
get them apart would help.

Once you get everything out of the way the radiator part is an anticlimax. I
recommend new radiator hoses - a small price to pay for what probably needs
replacing anyway. New clamps, of course, unless you really like those OEM
thingies. Reassembly is easier than disassembly - you know the tricks and
nothing fights much.

Mike

 

My son did most of the work on my daughter's '93 Accord LX recently, and he
ended up with a two day job of it. Access to the bottom was the big
problem - scout it out before setting your schedule. This one had a plastic
splash shield - no big deal - but there is also a cross-member on this one
that runs across right about where you need to get at the hoses. He removed
the cross-member, which also required separating the ball joints.... I think
it can be done without removing the cross-member as long as you have the
patience.

If you can deal with the lower access, the next challenge is getting the
fans out. Easy, actually, except for the connectors. The trick with those
was to get a medium size blade screwdriver that could simultaneously depress
the tab and lever the connector apart a bit. I imagine a squirt with
silicone lubricant into the gap where the two halves mate before trying to
get them apart would help.

Once you get everything out of the way the radiator part is an anticlimax. I
recommend new radiator hoses - a small price to pay for what probably needs
replacing anyway. New clamps, of course, unless you really like those OEM
thingies. Reassembly is easier than disassembly - you know the tricks and
nothing fights much.

Mike

 

I forgot to mention - in the '93 the radiator didn't have clearance to come
out with fans attached... you may be in luck!

To control the AT fluid leak you can put bolts in the hoses.

Mike

 

I forgot to mention - in the '93 the radiator didn't have clearance to come
out with fans attached... you may be in luck!

To control the AT fluid leak you can put bolts in the hoses.

Mike

 

I have a 90 Accord and a 97 Accord. I changed the 90 this past fall.
The job was just as you have described for the 90 and I looked at the
97 at that time and it was essentially the same. If you have air
conditioning you have to remove the AC coolant line bracket on the 90
can't remember on the 97. That is so you can push the AC pipe back
enough to get the back of the rad fan past it. It is a close fit but
you can get past.

You need to remove the lower splash shield to get access to the lower
hose and it is easier to get to the fan connectors with it off.

I bought my radiator from the Radiator Barn. Good price and Shipped
it in two days. $85 as I recall.

The only difficulty I had was replacing the bypass hose ( I decided to
change all the hoses when I replaced the radiator) It was difficult
to get to with those spring clips. I would have a couple of ideal
clamps if you change it to go back with, they are much easier to deal
with in close quarters.

Entire job took me about three hours.

Good luck

Frank

 

In most cases you will lose very little tranny fluid.
You can check it and top it up after the job just to be on the safe side.

Now, you know that Hondas require tranny service according to
schedule. Some models apparently have no filters, and if you want
the tranny to survive, you must service it.

 

In most cases you will lose very little tranny fluid.
You can check it and top it up after the job just to be on the safe side.

Now, you know that Hondas require tranny service according to
schedule. Some models apparently have no filters, and if you want
the tranny to survive, you must service it.

 

Once you finish the job, run the engine on idle for about 20 minutes with
a gallon of water in your hand. Leave the cap off of the radiator. If the
level goes down, pour water into it. Keep doing this until the level
remains at the
top for 10 minutes. This is the technique that I learned from a mechanic
to purge the air out of the system.
Also, check the water level in the radiator every morning for at least a
week before you start your car. If it remains at the top for three days in
row--that means all of air has been purged from the system. Perhaps other
people might offer other tips related to this issue. I hope that I did not
leave out any steps. Make sure you have 50% water and 50% radiator fluid.

 

Once you finish the job, run the engine on idle for about 20 minutes with
a gallon of water in your hand. Leave the cap off of the radiator. If the
level goes down, pour water into it. Keep doing this until the level
remains at the
top for 10 minutes. This is the technique that I learned from a mechanic
to purge the air out of the system.
Also, check the water level in the radiator every morning for at least a
week before you start your car. If it remains at the top for three days in
row--that means all of air has been purged from the system. Perhaps other
people might offer other tips related to this issue. I hope that I did not
leave out any steps. Make sure you have 50% water and 50% radiator fluid.

 

id have no hesitations. especially if it was a 5psd with no AC.

you can get the part for half that.

cork? piece of bread?

 

id have no hesitations. especially if it was a 5psd with no AC.

you can get the part for half that.

cork? piece of bread?

 

* One thing I would like to do is find a way to keep the transmission

I've used the fingers cut off from a latex glove for capping off hoses
and things. Roll the base of the finger up to form a bead. Only works
if the hose is a certain diameter, though.

 

* One thing I would like to do is find a way to keep the transmission

I've used the fingers cut off from a latex glove for capping off hoses
and things. Roll the base of the finger up to form a bead. Only works
if the hose is a certain diameter, though.

 

Remove the lower hose from the ENGINE end. It's lots easier than trying
to get to the rad end. Just move it to the new radiator in the same
orientation, and clamp it tight.
Check the trans cooler line (steel) in front of the rad for rust. They
will leak out there after some time. bob

 

Remove the lower hose from the ENGINE end. It's lots easier than trying
to get to the rad end. Just move it to the new radiator in the same
orientation, and clamp it tight.
Check the trans cooler line (steel) in front of the rad for rust. They
will leak out there after some time. bob

 

You know.....my 95 civic had a hole in one of the main lines of the
radiator...it was spewing out fluid like CRAZY! Couldn't drive for
more than 2 miles without overheating. Plugged hole with TOOTHPICKS!
Once they break off, cover area with electrical tape....saved me 50
bucks for a replacement radiator.

 

You know.....my 95 civic had a hole in one of the main lines of the
radiator...it was spewing out fluid like CRAZY! Couldn't drive for
more than 2 miles without overheating. Plugged hole with TOOTHPICKS!
Once they break off, cover area with electrical tape....saved me 50
bucks for a replacement radiator.

 

I changed my dad's radiator last year on his 95 Accord. You can check out
http://www.performanceradiator.com/ for an aftermarket radiator. They are
reasonably priced and carry a 3 year warranty. I have bought 2 from them and can
say so far that they have held up ok (It;s been almost 2 years on my Integra).
As everyone has posted, you will need to remove the lower splash guard,
and it may help to jack the front end up a bit to you have more room to work
with. You can plug the transmission lines with two sharpie markers so the tranny
fluid won't leak out. The transmission hose clips were the hardest to pull off
in my opinion. Also another gotcha is that you have to leave on the A/C fan (the
smaller of the two I believe) and pull the radiator and fan out at the same
time.
You may also want to replace the thermostat, and the lower and upper
hoses while you in there as preventive maintenance.
I would strongly urge you to get a Haynes manual if you haven't done
this before.


Good Luck and let us know how it works out

Nick

 

Just looked at radiator barn site and they have 2 options, 1 has a
plastic tank with aluminum core and the other brass tank with copper
core - the aluminum plastic is slightly more money - which is better.

A couple of things - had a local garage change my 97 accord's radiator
last summer. They used Bumper to Bumper - first 2 radiators had holes
- #3 was lucky - no holes Hecho in Mexico. Watched the tech - some of
the hoses were a real PITA to get off. Also he did not reconnect the
AC and it did not work - figured that out. ALso the garage manager
stole one of my maps - clean out your vehicle - took everything else
out - how did know the AH manager was going on a trip to Chi that day -
that is the map he took - crooks abound.