Yet Another Radiator Corrosion Issue

[HondaE]

On my way to lake cumberland in my 06 RTL and 5000 pound boat in tow my rad and trans fluid quickly mixed and left me stranded. I was left on the side of the highway watching my ridgeline get towed as my family, dog and boat had no where to go. Enterprise picked us up but it was a horrible situation. $1,200 later for parts, labor and fluid I am left with a smoked trans and a rental vehicle..... Its unfortunate Honda has not stepped up and proactively resolved this known issue.

[buddywiser]

Originally Posted by HondaE

On my way to lake cumberland in my 06 RTL and 5000 pound boat in tow my rad and trans fluid quickly mixed and left me stranded. I was left on the side of the highway watching my ridgeline get towed as my family, dog and boat had no where to go. Enterprise picked us up but it was a horrible situation. $1,200 later for parts, labor and fluid I am left with a smoked trans and a rental vehicle..... Its unfortunate Honda has not stepped up and proactively resolved this known issue.

Welcome to the club. This is gonna get worse before it gets better. Apparently the 06's are coming due for this mess, then the 07's will start. Hope your tranny is okay. Mine was slipping really bad around 2K miles after my incident, but I did a 3x drain and fill and it stopped. I think the greaseball shop I went to put in a non-Honda fluid. He told me he needed to flush more tranny fluid than he thought. But there wasn't a Honda dealer within 60 miles and he charged me for 13 quarts of DW-1, which is one more than a case. Just seemed illogical at the time. Hope it works out for you. Very frustraiting I know.

[IanRTL]

Yes, extremely unfortunate. I think it's going to cause a very big issue eventually for Honda if they don't step up to the plate and fix it. They may be able to squirm their way out of legal responsibility, but this would crush customer loyalty in my eyes. Using a five cent steel washer causes several thousand dollars in damage if left untreated.

[HondaE]

The trans was slipping on the way back to columbus but not enough for a dealer in Cinncinati to notice. I traded the 06 (160,000 miles) for an 08 RTL with 60k.

[laserguy]

I would replace the radiator on that 08, or inspect the fittings and paint or put naval grease to keep them from rusting, otherwise you will have the same failure and you will trade it in 2 years again and those trucks the dealer got will have some issues with the transmission that other people will have to pay for if that is not taken care of before it is too late.

[gene r]

Is there a way to prevent this? My 06 has 102000 on it now

[IanRTL]

Originally Posted by gene r

Is there a way to prevent this? My 06 has 102000 on it now

There has been a lot of discussion on this issue. It does appear that the washers in question could be replaced, but a suitable replacement part has not been located yet that I know of. The only other option is to replace the entire radiator as many have done - including me. I bought a Silla radiator that has brass and aluminum fittings so they will not rust. Others have purchased Koyorad or a similar brand. The radiator was $150 online and I took it to a dealership to have it installed. Total cost was a shade over $400. Pretty good insurance against a possible complete transmission failure. This isn't just limited to the RL or even just Honda, for that matter. The washers on the fittings of my old radiator were certainly rusted. They could have blown in a day or could have stayed together for several more years. I just didn't want to take the chance. I would highly suggest you follow a similar path if you plan to keep your truck for any substantial amount of time.

[feetdry]

'Found a real radiator shop in Portland, OR that found a new radiator with brass and stainless steel washers and installed it for $275.00 out the door while I watched. 'Took him about a 1/2 hour to remove and install the new one.

He even took my out of town (Seattle) check..................

[laserguy]

Here are some threads have fun and if you decide to fix it instead of replacing the whole radiator, share your experience and post pics, and where you bought the replacement washer.

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...=39103&page=12

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...ad.php?t=44590

[Rockwood]

Replaced mine before it failed at 115k. Cheap insurance.


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