01 Civic Radiator Replacement (pics)

[Sayjac]

01 Civic with ~203k mi. losing AF with temp. gauge rising above half way at idle. Honda stealer wanted $734 for new radiator, t'stat, upper/lower hoses and AF. Radiator was going to be a Ready Rad (charge~$190) that they could get immediately, ordered Honda rad. add ~$130 more. Fyi, RR Rad ~$120 from AAP, subtract $40-50. using code. Told my daughter I'd do it.

OEM original radiator

New TYC Radiator from Amazon, $62 including ~$4 tax now charged here. Order Sun. arrived Prime 2 day ship, Wed. 11:00. Choose TYC because a most popular on RA and 5 stars Amazon.

New Honda oem hoses left of old $26 (local dealer gave ~$10%, discount, more than online price but got/needed next day), originals hoses didn't look bad. Also (not shown) new Honda t'sat ~$22 and 2 gallons Type2 AF ~$31/(matched online price).

Bumper cover, battery, recovery tank, hood latch, one fan removed. Other fan unbolted but left in engine bay. Condenser brackets loosened for access.

View from above. Space looks much bigger than reality, tight-ish fit especially with trans cooler line connections sticking out and right fan limiting space. Also two black grommet retainers (lft/rgt) come off with old radiator and must be placed back on cross member.

Another view.

New radiator installed.

Complete and buttoned up.

 

[sciphi]

Bravo! Excellent job on saving a lot of money on a fairly simple, if tedious, repair!

 

[Sayjac]

Thanks. Caught a break yesterday with some unexpected 55+ temps which helped a bunch. Besides saving substantial money, doubtful I would have been satisfied with a job I could do, and know how it was done and the parts used.

 

[Vikas]

Excellent! I think Eric just posted a similar job on the youtube. By the way, you definitely need to polish those lights.

 

[Rolla07]

Dont know if its just the lighting but how about a headlight restore?

 

[SatinSilver]

Great job! Esp, using oem hoses. Did you re-use the old CT clamps? I heard new ones are hard to come by. Hope you had a beer afterwards.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Excellent! I think Eric just posted a similar job on the youtube. By the way, you definitely need to polish those lights.
I watched a couple yt's showing the cover over the radiator could just be pulled back and not remove bumper cover, no go/no way for me. Luckily cover not that difficult to remove once lower splash shield is removed. Some clips and two screws. Done it before.

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Dont know if its just the lighting but how about a headlight restore?
Yeah, debated showing that one view for that reason. No, not lighting they need restoration which is on the agenda, if weather cooperates. Have Rain X kit I've used before with good results waiting to go. This vehicle has not been and isn't garaged, and I don't see it that often now.

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Great job! Esp, using oem hoses. Did you re-use the old CT clamps? I heard new ones are hard to come by. Hope you had a beer afterwards.

I was able to reuse all the clamps except the lower radiator hose bottom clamp. Tried several times, but for whatever reason couldn't get to expand enough. Not worth damaging radiator, so got a worm gear clamp at Napa, but one that was solid clamp on one side. Not my preference but wasn't going to wait on spring clamp. As for OE hoses, not enough difference in price between shipped Gates hoses from Amazon, and OE was overnight from local dealer.

 

[dishdude]

This is exactly the kind of job that is worth taking an afternoon to do. Nothing is more satisfying than saving $500 by doing a quality, lasting repair yourself!

 

[JavierG]

Well done, sir!

 

[Tucson Five-O]

Excellent job Sayjac!! I bet this put a smile on your face.

Reminds me of many jobs I used to help my Dad and brother with. Good times.

On a side note, any issues with bleeding the air out of the system? And what temperature is it running at now, regarding the temperature gauge?

Gary

 

[stephen9666]

What is the country of origin of the radiator? Taiwan?

I've read some good things about TYC and I would give them a try in the future.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
This is exactly the kind of job that is worth taking an afternoon to do. Nothing is more satisfying than saving $500 by doing a quality, lasting repair yourself!
Yes, nice to know the job has been to your expectations, and as you say saving that many Franklins makes it that much more satisfying. And besides, when I'm thinking 7-8+ hundred dollars, I'm thinking something more serious like a head gasket, not radiator, t'state, and hoses. Especially so on a car with these miles and age.

Originally Posted By: Tucson Five-O
...On a side note, any issues with bleeding the air out of the system? And what temperature is it running at now, regarding the temperature gauge?
Gary
No, this model Civic as far as I can tell doesn't have a bleeder valve. It does have a t'stat with a jiggle pin, and that pin is supposed to be installed in the 12 o'clock position. My understanding is that allows for self-bleed. I've done a t'stat replacement before, and some drain and fills before for AF, and air in the system has never been an issue for me. As for temp gauge, not a number gauge, but a dial. It generally stays just below half way or 3'oclock position.

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
What is the country of origin of the radiator? ....
Made in China. Coo not noted in Amazon comments, all 5 star except one 4 for trans cooler connections not needed for a manual. Several noted how well it fit 01 Civic, which I found true, perfect fit. Time will tell about durability, but I'm satisfied with the installation.

 

[Smoky14]

Sayjac: Great job, but as a tip...tie your shoes so's not to trip and fall. Don't ask how I know.

Smoky

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: Smoky14
Sayjac: Great job, but as a tip...tie your shoes so's not to trip and fall. Don't ask how I know.

Smoky

Leave it to a bitoger not to miss a trick. I do know how you know though. Like the headlight view I thought the untied sneakers (tennis shoes in the south) might not go unnoticed or unmentioned. Those a my garage based old Vann's that I slide into for a quick trip outside, in this case camera happened to be inside when I decided to go snap a few more pics. But, point noted and good catch.

 

[DuckRyder]

Did the bumper HAVE to come off or was it ease of access?

RE: COO - Brand new Denso Radiator for RL sourced from Acura Dealer Online and in Honda box - CHINA and slightly different from the OE which was Japan.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Did the bumper HAVE to come off or was it ease of access?...

It had to come off for my installation. I tried to remove just four top clips only as advanced in some yt's. But in so doing, noticed that I was potentially going to damage the center grill portion, so I stopped and proceeded to remove bumper cover, as noted not much extra involved. Honestly with having to loosen condenser brackets to gain enough access to remove/install radiator, I don't see how just the upper portion could just be pulled back.

 

[Smoky14]

SJ: So glad you knew I was poking a little fun in your direction. Great pictures with good depth of field so the shoes were in focus.

Good point about removing the bumper, less strain on the plastic and only takes a couple minutes more. Good job.

Smoky

 

[DuckRyder]

Good information about the bumper, sometimes it is easier to just go ahead and take something off than mess with it. Hopefully it will be quite sometime (or never) before I have to use that information.

 

[steve20]

next time you see the car, I'd lube the hood latch and cable for the remote hood release

 

[JHZR2]

Very nice!