91 Acura Legend Coupe as DD? Opinions/Experience Please

[Searchin4acoupe]

Radiator on my Legend was replaced around 60K miles with an updated OEM Honda radiator. Does it need to be replaced every 60K miles? Or, is the replacement one good to go from there on out?

Ben, I'd say just keep an eye on it. That's what I do with mine. I'm just past 76k and still on the original on my '95. It's not my DD though.

I'd say this opinion differs from the majority however.

 

[coolnsx]

I have a '94 LS Coupe with about 60K on the clock. Have had zero problems with the car, only normal maintanence, timing belt ect. Great DD in my opinion.

 

[Ben]

Ben, I'd say just keep an eye on it. That's what I do with mine. I'm just past 76k and still on the original on my '95. It's not my DD though.

I'd say this opinion differs from the majority however.

The radiators were supposedly updated in '93 to be more robust than the original '91-'92 ones that my car came with. I replaced mine around 60K and 4 yrs with the updated one, because the original started to show signs of beginning to fail, but hadn't actually failed yet. I forget how, but I think Acura actually goodwilled this for me. The replacement is fine so far, 10 years after being installed, and the car has 150K miles now. I'm just wondering if I should go ahead and replace it again for preventative maintenance.

Daily Driver duty has fallen to the M3 as of earlier this year, since replacement Legend interior and trim parts are starting to become unavailable and/or hard to find.

 

[Searchin4acoupe]

There are those throughout the 2nd generation who proactively do as you are considering Ben. I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants - er, keep a watchful eye on it.

I'd say Mike Diaz would have a valuable opinion on this Q.

 

[CDX_NSX]

Ben, you can't go wrong with replacing the radiator early, but as Dave mentioned, you should be fine as long as you keen an eye on it.

I have an aftermarket radiator that cost me $200 installed; so really, it would be cheap insurance.

 

[Big_D]

There is a thread about a legend on acurazine that has over 300K miles and the guy reconditioned it to look factory and it is presently sitting at a dealership in PHX on the showroom floor. Its a silver '94 with 6 SP...sweet!

Here is the direct link...

http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/99349-300-000-miles-showroom-clean.html

 

[Ben]

Ben, you can't go wrong with replacing the radiator early, but as Dave mentioned, you should be fine as long as you keen an eye on it.

I have an aftermarket radiator that cost me $200 installed; so really, it would be cheap insurance.

The question is, that it's already been replaced by the updated one. So, does it need to be replaced again, or were the updated ones still not good enough for the long haul?

 

[minervoflorida]

One other thing the Legends like, frequently changing of the auto tranny fluid, the tranny likes clean fluid to shift smooth and prevent wear. How often varies, but at least one time per year, I did mine 2 times per year.

 

[Big_D]

One other thing the Legends like, frequently changing of the auto tranny fluid, the tranny likes clean fluid to shift smooth and prevent wear. How often varies, but at least one time per year, I did mine 2 times per year.

That goes true for any auto transmission. I change the fluid in my Camrys once a year also...

 

[CDX_NSX]

The question is, that it's already been replaced by the updated one. So, does it need to be replaced again, or were the updated ones still not good enough for the long haul?

Both of my '94s have had the radiators replaced. I replaced the one on my auto GS due to a leak, and the 6-speed had its radiator replaced by the previous owner.

While it's possible that the '93+ radiators are stronger than the earlier ones, they can still fail as evidenced by my two GSs.

 

[Searchin4acoupe]

There is a thread about a legend on acurazine that has over 300K miles and the guy reconditioned it to look factory and it is presently sitting at a dealership in PHX on the showroom floor. Its a silver '95 with 6 SP...sweet!

Here is the direct link...

http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/99349-300-000-miles-showroom-clean.html

That is Tyson's car. It's a '94 Desert Mist. He's a member here and on A-L.com. I've seen/driven that car and it is every bit as clean and well taken care of as it looks in pictures. He is THE most meticulous car enthusiast I know. If you were in Vegas for the Legend/NSX get together for Cinco de mayo it was there.

 

[Searchin4acoupe]

The question is, that it's already been replaced by the updated one. So, does it need to be replaced again, or were the updated ones still not good enough for the long haul?

Ben, I don't know the specific answer to your question. Logic would tell me that the radiators installed at the factory in the later models would have presumably been the "better" ones. However, there are plenty of '95 owners that have been through head gasket failure. So I'd say Honda didn't solve any problems with whatever modifications they may or may not have done to the radiators. IMHO, the best medicine is just common sense. Maintain it and pay attention and you will minimize the risk of having any issues. Tyson's 300k coupe is still on it's original head gasket.

Like Graeme stated, it is pretty cheap insurance. If you are concerned about it, I'd say just replace it.