coolant replacement question

[nikey22]

once you drain the coolant from the radiator, 2 lower pipes and 2 engine banks, as I understand you'll need 12 L of coolant...

The overflow tank holds 2L, does that mean we'll need to "refill" the tank 6 times until we get the coolant all the way back into the radiator and entire system?

 

[warrenw]

once you drain the coolant from the radiator, 2 lower pipes and 2 engine banks, as I understand you'll need 12 L of coolant...

The overflow tank holds 2L, does that mean we'll need to "refill" the tank 6 times until we get the coolant all the way back into the radiator and entire system?

I drained and flushed mine this last spring. I removed the two radiator hoses to get as much of the old fluid as I could considering the wrong fluid was in the car.
Once flushed with distilled water, put the hoses back on and fill the coolant tak until it is full.
run the car, repeat.
once car has run for period of 10 minutes, You need to bleed the coolant system. Notes on how to do this is very easy to understand in the maintenance manual. let the car warm up a bit, open and bleed the valve.
Again, the service manual is top notch for this.

 

[goldNSX]

If you only drain it without removing the hoses then yes, 12l is about correct. If you change all hoses, it's more like 15l.

 

[ftuhy]

My coolant replacement trick: I have a long steeply sloped driveway. After doing the refill, I park the car with the front heading down the drive, then do the bleeding. I never have to do a second bleed or add more coolant after that.

"Your mileage may vary". :biggrin:

 

[UberNSX]

I drained and flushed mine this last spring. I removed the two radiator hoses to get as much of the old fluid as I could considering the wrong fluid was in the car.

If you only drain it without removing the hoses then yes, 12l is about correct. If you change all hoses, it's more like 15l.

Scenario time: Let's say there's an '01, and it's currently running what looks like basic green coolant. Records show the last coolant change was around 15K ago at a dealership, so I doubt it's something with silicates. Hoses look original but don't crunch or show obvious cracking, and aren't really limp noodles. What would be your recommended course of action?

1) Immediately flush and cut over to blue (Type 2 Long Life).
2) Wait for the soonest opportune time, do a full hose replacement and cut over to blue (winter project?)
3) Don't worry about it till it's "due" for hose replacement/coolant replacement, say, 2012 or 2013 (i.e. 12 years old at 30K on coolant).

I'd think that if it has the green, you'd want all of that out of there when making the cut over to blue. Maybe drain the green, fill with distilled, run that to flush it, drain again, then pop off the hoses, replace 'em, and refill with blue.

Thoughts?

 

[goldNSX]

Green in a '01? New Honda stuff is blue. Has it really been changed would be my question?
There's no need to complicate the coolant change if the right one has been filled in. Same for the engine oil: noone dismounts the oil filter adapter during an oil change to remove the rest of the oil. :wink:
Regarding the hoses if you know the history of your car and how it has been driven (hypermiled or beaten the sh*t out of a turboed engine ) it helps a lot to decide. From the cars I've seen in person an checked the hoses if you track the car 10 years are max. if you're hypermiling your car 20 years would be possible. It all depends on how hot they get and how much movement they've to take.

The less you know of your car's history they earlier I'd change them.

A hose looks as long as good until this inner wave-structure fails. Like to say: unless it's 20+ years you can't inspect a hose by looking at it as the wave structure can't be seen.

 

[ralph cerbone]

Green in a '01? New Honda stuff is blue. Has it really been changed would be my question?
There's no need to complicate the coolant change if the right one has been filled in. Same for the engine oil: noone dismounts the oil filter adapter during an oil change to remove the rest of the oil. :wink:
Regarding the hoses if you know the history of your car and how it has been driven (hypermiled or beaten the sh*t out of a turboed engine ) it helps a lot to decide. From the cars I've seen in person an checked the hoses if you track the car 10 years are max. if you're hypermiling your car 20 years would be possible. It all depends on how hot they get and how much movement they've to take.

The less you know of your car's history they earlier I'd change them.

A hose looks as long as good until this inner wave-structure fails. Like to say: unless it's 20+ years you can't inspect a hose by looking at it as the wave structure can't be seen.

green in 01 , sure ,i have a 06 pilot with green in it ,my wifes 04 crv green also,my sons 06 accord has blue, it all depends on the assembly plant ,trust me on this one!!!

 

[UberNSX]

Green in a '01? New Honda stuff is blue. Has it really been changed would be my question?

Regarding the hoses if you know the history of your car and how it has been driven (hypermiled or beaten the sh*t out of a turboed engine ) it helps a lot to decide. From the cars I've seen in person an checked the hoses if you track the car 10 years are max. if you're hypermiling your car 20 years would be possible.

I obtained a copy of the receipt of the last change/flush... in '07 from a Honda dealer. It also says Type 2 was used but that should be blue unless they had a bunch of old green stock.

Other than that, this vehicle does not appear tracked. 1) It's bone stock. 2) If anything it looks like it's seen service as a DD. There's some minor rusting on some of the various steel components in the undercarriage, which seems to indicates it's seen some weather, which combined with the mileage stats (a period of 10K+ per year) seem to imply use as a DD.

My take is, I wouldn't trust that green stuff, so I'd say swapping for blue is low-cost peace of mind. At 3 years it's close to due if it's the stuff from the '07 service anyway. But the hoses shouldn't be due yet without a tracking history. It's not a dry weather hypermiler either, though, so my guess is within 3-5 years the hose job (heh) would be a sensible preventative measure.

 

[Ashik]

I change all my hoses last year ,i use both of this ,one is cheaper( honda)

 

[dalybo]

Re: coolant replacement question - Type II and ASTM D3306

fyi...if you read the back of the Honda Type II coolant bottle there is a reference that the Honda coolant complies with ASTM spec D3306. Here is the pertainent text of ASTM D3306:

ASTM D3306
1.1 This specification covers the requirements for ethylene glycol or propylene glycol base engine coolants used in automobiles or other light duty service cooling systems. When concentrates are used at 40 to 70 % concentration by volume in water, or when prediluted glycol base engine coolants (50 volume % minimum) are used without further dilution, they will function effectively to provide protection against freezing, boiling, and corrosion.
1.2 The coolants governed by this specification are categorized as follows:
Coolant Type Description
I Ethylene glycol base concentrate
II Propylene glycol base concentrate
III Ethylene glycol predilute (50 vol %)
IV Propylene glycol predilute (50 vol %)

So in my mind any coolant brand that meets ASTM D3306 by default meets the Honda type II requirement.

 

[Briank]

I drained and flushed mine this last spring. I removed the two radiator hoses to get as much of the old fluid as I could considering the wrong fluid was in the car.
Once flushed with distilled water, put the hoses back on and fill the coolant tak until it is full.
run the car, repeat.
once car has run for period of 10 minutes, You need to bleed the coolant system. Notes on how to do this is very easy to understand in the maintenance manual. let the car warm up a bit, open and bleed the valve.
Again, the service manual is top notch for this.

You did not run your car with out fully bleeding it. The service manual does not say to run the car as part of the bleeding process except after bleeding.

 

[Briank]

Re: coolant replacement question - Type II and ASTM D3306

fyi...if you read the back of the Honda Type II coolant bottle there is a reference that the Honda coolant complies with ASTM spec D3306. Here is the pertainent text of ASTM D3306:

ASTM D3306
1.1 This specification covers the requirements for ethylene glycol or propylene glycol base engine coolants used in automobiles or other light duty service cooling systems. When concentrates are used at 40 to 70 % concentration by volume in water, or when prediluted glycol base engine coolants (50 volume % minimum) are used without further dilution, they will function effectively to provide protection against freezing, boiling, and corrosion.
1.2 The coolants governed by this specification are categorized as follows:
Coolant Type Description
I Ethylene glycol base concentrate
II Propylene glycol base concentrate
III Ethylene glycol predilute (50 vol %)
IV Propylene glycol predilute (50 vol %)

So in my mind any coolant brand that meets ASTM D3306 by default meets the Honda type II requirement.

It meets ASTM D3306 as a "coolant", the difference is Honda does not use silacates which shorten the life of the water pump seal. In a low useage car like the NSX that gets new water pumps on a regular basis its really not a issure.

 

[dalybo]

fyi..according to Preston, their Prestone® Extended Life 50/50 Antifreeze/Coolant is phosphate, silicate, and borate free

 

[UberNSX]

Never did follow up on this, the stuff I thought looked green by looking into the reservoir, was considerably more bluish after I drained. Doh.

Well it's not like I wasted it. After 3 years it was due for refresh. But I literally could not believe my eyes.

 

[Bogie Bog]

I am told that since the X has the expansion tank, there is really no reason to bleed it. Is this true?
Can I just get away with having the radiator cap open while I let the car running and check for bubbles to clear?
Where exactly is the valve to bleed the coolant?

 

[sparky]

It's all explained in the drivers manual, with pictures!

Sent from my SGS mobile

 

[Thunder]

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Coolant_Flush_and_Fill

 

[TANTO]

I am told that since the X has the expansion tank, there is really no reason to bleed it. Is this true?
Can I just get away with having the radiator cap open while I let the car running and check for bubbles to clear?
Where exactly is the valve to bleed the coolant?

Since you didn't listen to BrianK, i'll repeat, you are really playing with fire not bleeding this car. Yes it's the most difficult i have ever done, but that just means it 's the most important to bleed i have ever done. Search for a DIY and get ready for a PITA.

 

[Bogie Bog]

Since you didn't listen to BrianK, i'll repeat, you are really playing with fire not bleeding this car. Yes it's the most difficult i have ever done, but that just means it 's the most important to bleed i have ever done. Search for a DIY and get ready for a PITA.

Listening and reading are two different things. Thank you for pointing it out.

 

[UberNSX]

I surely did not mess around with the bleed sequence: Did it by the book, in order. Then did it again to make sure there really weren't any bubbles down there in the block. THEN I started the car. Hey, I'm paranoid, especially after some of these threads

Anyway, everything is hunky dory here over a year later.

 

[mr_goat]

There is a tool that makes bleeding a breeze. Hook it up to your compressor, evacuate all air out of the cooling system, then fill using the same tool. Quick, easy, not messy, no need to open bleed screws, leaves an air free system.

Larry Bastanza uses it, so should you :smile:

 

[Honcho]

There is a tool that makes bleeding a breeze. Hook it up to your compressor, evacuate all air out of the cooling system, then fill using the same tool. Quick, easy, not messy, no need to open bleed screws, leaves an air free system.

Larry Bastanza uses it, so should you :smile:

What is this amazing tool of which you speak? One thing I could never understand is Larry and Frank's advice to get the rear of the car as high as possible when filling/bleeding (I have a fairly steep drive too). How the heck are you supposed to reach the bleed screws under the rad and center tunnel in this configuration? I am not exactly svelte, but I am not a fatty either and there is no way I could shimmy under the front of the car to reach them, let alone have enough room to turn a wrench. I was thinking I could put the rear of the car on jack stands, but then how do I reach the rad? Therefore, this tool sounds like a heck of a better idea, since I have air in my garage shop.

 

[Sylvan]

What is this amazing tool of which you speak? One thing I could never understand is Larry and Frank's advice to get the rear of the car as high as possible when filling/bleeding (I have a fairly steep drive too). How the heck are you supposed to reach the bleed screws under the rad and center tunnel in this configuration? I am not exactly svelte, but I am not a fatty either and there is no way I could shimmy under the front of the car to reach them, let alone have enough room to turn a wrench. I was thinking I could put the rear of the car on jack stands, but then how do I reach the rad? Therefore, this tool sounds like a heck of a better idea, since I have air in my garage shop.

I had the rear of my car about 1 foot off the ground, and the front tires were still on the ground. I don't think I could have safely raised the rear of the car much higher with my basic jack and jack stands. In this configuration I had to stand on a step stool when reaching over the engine bay to get to the bleeders. This was slightly annoying but the bubbles bled out quickly from the engine bay bleeders. The radiator and heater bleeders however were a piece of cake, since the front of the car was at ground level and easy to reach.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

What is this amazing tool of which you speak? One thing I could never understand is Larry and Frank's advice to get the rear of the car as high as possible when filling/bleeding (I have a fairly steep drive too). How the heck are you supposed to reach the bleed screws under the rad and center tunnel in this configuration? I am not exactly svelte, but I am not a fatty either and there is no way I could shimmy under the front of the car to reach them, let alone have enough room to turn a wrench. I was thinking I could put the rear of the car on jack stands, but then how do I reach the rad? Therefore, this tool sounds like a heck of a better idea, since I have air in my garage shop.

There are no bleed screws under the radiator, or in the center tunnel. All bleeders are located up top, radiator, heater core, two in engine bay on thermostat housing and return pipe. Regardless, no need to worry about that at all if you use this tool:

I use a snap-on vacuum bleeder. Pull 25" of vacuum and put the fill hose in a 5 gallon jug of Type2 coolant and open it up and watch it fill. Thanks to pbassjo for telling me about this years ago.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=681175&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Regards,
LarryB

 

[mr_goat]

There are no bleed screws under the radiator, or in the center tunnel. All bleeders are located up top, radiator, heater core, two in engine bay on thermostat housing and return pipe. Regardless, no need to worry about that at all if you use this tool:

I use a snap-on vacuum bleeder. Pull 25" of vacuum and put the fill hose in a 5 gallon jug of Type2 coolant and open it up and watch it fill. Thanks to pbassjo for telling me about this years ago.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=681175&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Regards,
LarryB

There you have it :smile: There are others on the market too. For the home mechanic like myself, there are cheaper alternatives. I got mine for about 100 bucks. Have yet to try it :tongue: