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Tips and Tricks for Radiator Replacement?

5K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Pointer 
#1 ·
I have parts inbound from Rock Auto and setting aside next Saturday morning to replace my Riggie's original 2007 radiator and all hoses and thermostat. It's only got 101K on it but still, she's 13 years old and I want to remove this possible point of failure.
Besides spending quality time on you tube, what hints and tips can you guys offer? Any hidden fasteners, any special tools, any major pain points you care to share, from your experiences??
Is it needed / best to go ahead and pull the front bumper cover, and just get that out of the way? Is there an online maintenance guide I can access to lay this all out?
Thanks for any ideas, thoughts and tips. If I'm going to be stuck at home, might as well be productive, ya know.
 
#2 ·
I didnt take my bumper off. Theres a bottom drain plug which mine was stuck so i just unhook the bottom hose to drain. I never looked at any diagrams when i did mine. Make sure u got a stopper or plug for that transmission hose at the bottom. Which i didnt so i lost quite a bit of fluid but either way unless you got some tranny fluid laying around get clamp or plug for it....while you're at it might as well clean the reservoir. Just follow any electrical wires you see and make sure u unplug everything connected
 
#4 ·
Coincidentally, I'm getting ready to replace the radiator in my 2008 Ridge next week too. But I'm doing it as part of the TB/WP service interval.

Looking at the pics of the Murray radiator from O'Reilly Auto Parts, the tranny connectors for the heat exchanger look very similar to the Denso unit from Rock Auto. So I'm going to try that out. And I don't have to worry about shipping damage. Considering shipping (and maybe no taxes on the Denso), I figure it will cost me about $20-ish more for the Murray than the Denso.

 
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#5 ·
At my next service (call it a month or two) I'm expecting the Maintenance Minder to "pop" the codes for the timing belt which I've heard on this forum is routinely at about 104K miles (and yes it varies). I'm letting the pros handle that puppy and the belts and tensioners and water pump and seals etc., and so those will come off the board as potential failure points.
With me taking the radiator and hoses off the board next weekend, she will then be in the "ready for the next 100K miles category"...and very likely trouble free.
Loves me some Honda reliability.
 
#6 ·
At my next service (call it a month or two) I'm expecting the Maintenance Minder to "pop" the codes for the timing belt
I've been sitting at 30% for a while. I have not been driving much trying to stay inside while this Covid-19 thing passes over.
I've got the time now off work to do something. With the current cheap gas prices it is pretty tempting to go for some long drives and see if I can get the MM to roll over to 15% and start showing show some codes.

The question is ... will the codes that come up at 15% be the same as if I let it go to 0% or can they change?

I'll be waiting for @speedlever to give us a report on that Murray Rad once it comes in.
 
#8 ·
I've never seen mine change in the 50K miles I've driven and maintained my Riggie, but I guess it is possible (meaning just because I have not seen it, doesn't mean others can't have). i'm usually a little more conservative and get my supplies at 10% and find a nice Sunday afternoon, or whatever, to handle the service (or increasingly go get her serviced).
 
#9 ·
For those in the future who are looking for some hints and tips, like I was, but who found few, let me pass along what I learned for your benefit.
First, go ahead and get 2 gallons of Honda coolant at the dealer, it's not expensive, and it matches the fluid likely in the vehicle now...mine was the original factory fluid. It's a blue. You'll use about 1.5 gallons when all is said and done.
While there, purchase a few upper and lower plastic panel clips. These are those plastic rivet-like fasteners that hold the panels to the car and surprisingly, the upper and lower clips are different...the lower clips look shorter. You will break some. Trust me.
The upper radiator access panel comes off in a snap. The lower one, not so much. There are plastic panel clips (seemingly) half way back into the wheel well. A flashlight and patience will be needed here to find these pesky things. Oh and there's a HIDDEN clip right under the middle of the bottom of the radiator, that you can access by bending the bumper cover out of the way (it will spring back).
I've seen You Tube videos of guys changing the radiator on their own. I don't recommend it. There were more than a few times it took 2 of us to maneuver something from the top, while trying to clip or unclip a hose on the bottom.
Bring a friend, save an hour, and a knuckle.
The electrical disconnect was insane. There two fan connections went great but there's a thermocouple (I think...it's a single wire) that gets unclipped on the bottom of the fan shroud, man that was no fun at all. Struggled from the top and the bottom to get that puppy free.
I purchased and uses some plastic, rubber hose clamps to hold back the transmission fluid in those lines and they worked great. Highly recommend clamping off the lines, versus some make-shift plug thing.
Once you have the radiator freed, lifting it clear and keeping all the bits from getting stuck on something was a 4-hand affair. Had to keep pulling up, while tucking wires and parts out of the way. Again, bring a friend here to save time.
Once you have the radiator on the table, swapping everything over was a snap, then it's ready to go back in. Use those 4-hands, again. I hope you purchased a new radiator cap. Install it now so nothing gets dropped down that hole later...an open hole just begs for something to be dropped in there.
While all of that was out of the car I took time to replace the thermostat and the upper and lower hoses (I mean, why not...). The lower bolt on the thermostat housing was a bear to get reinserted...it's working blind (and might make you feel dumb in the process). The electrical clip on the back of the thermostat housing can be removed once it is free, mine has a little slack in it, once I got the cover free.
There will be a good bit of coolant trapped in the upper engine, that comes gushing out once you pull the thermostat. I found no good way to contain it, other than rags on the floor. It will make a mess, that I washed down the driveway, and reset everything before continuing. You do not want anyone under the truck when you pull the thermostat.
The whole job took 2 hours, except for the plastic access panels, which I have not yet reinstalled, in case of leaks and to be able to check for same. Was a nice Saturday morning, with only minimal blood and sanity loss.
Rock Auto had all of the parts I needed, save for the Honda fluids, and all and all it was a good use of a Saturday morning, sitting around waiting for the virus thing to return back to near normal.
Final step for me is to go get some replacement plastic clips for the wiring that runs power to the fans. I broke all 5 of those clips taking them off, and that's not how we roll.
 
#11 ·
According to Rock Auto it was a Spectra Premium and all of the hoses, radiator cap and thermostat were Gates. I did have an issue with the new thermostat as the supplied gasket was too big to fit into the machined space in the block. We ended up transferring the old gasket to the new thermostat, but only because it was still in good shape. I found the fitment of the new Gates hoses to be exact OEM, as for longevity...we shall see in a few years.
 
#13 ·
Have some Teflon tape on hand for the fittings. I had a minor drip that was giving me grief. Honda mechanic told me they use Teflon tape on the fittings. It worked, for some reason I didn't think it was an option, to use tape on those hot fittings. I replaced my rad on my 09 Ridg. because of posted failures on this forum. It was an easy job.
 
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