Radiator Install

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Venom2049

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Rockville, Md
Im planning to replace my old radiator with a new Koyo radiator during my weekened. Im just a little concern about the bleeding procedure,
Can I bleed the radiator only or i have to bleed the whole system??
When pouring back the coolant fluid, which bleed bolt do i have to loose to let the air out the one by the engine "bleed bolt" or the one in front of the car "bleed cap" ??
When done refilling the fluid do i have to turn the heater on with the fan off after everything is put back together or is only necessary when bleeding the whole system??

bleeding system.jpg

I would really appreciate any kind of help or tips in how to perform this install. Thanks Nico
 
after you CUT the old 2 main front hoses off and install the radiator and install the NEW 2 main fronts the bolt at the top of the new radiator you need to loosen it, then open the rear bleed bolts
then raise the car from the rear as high as you can get it. and start the fill process.

after your satisfied with the fill and bleed process lower the car back down.
run car for a few minutes let the engine vibration wiggle those pestky air bubbles out and up. re-bleed the same bleeders check reserve and fill if needed.

but hey what do I know everything I say is wrong and will be quoted from a service manual and with pics to show I am wrong. so since I have done a crap load of NSX builds now pretty sure I can do it.
but somehow they will find a way to say I didnt build them and its all CG animation and in fact I dont even have an NSX. I drive a 89 ford SHO
so take my method with a grain of salt cuz I AM def wrong.
 
Oh C'mon now Shawn!! i know they are not CG animations. Im a little confuse now
1.Bleed the radiator
2.Remove the hoses and brackets ( Do i have to buy new radiator hoses or can i reuse mines? ).
3.Remove the radiator and install the new one
4.Loose the radiator bleed bolt and the two bolts on the engine compartment
5.Raise the car from the rear and fill it up the coolant fluid

what do you mean by "re-bleed the same bleeders check reserve and fill if needed."
 
Basically you drain the radiator, install the new one and follow the bleed sequence in the service manual. When you replace the rad, you are introducing a lot of air into the syatem, so you should do a full bleed. The one difference from the service manual is to jack up the rear of the car when doing the bleed sequence- it seems to help air get out of the system. I would also keep the coolant cap off the bottle completely when doing the warmup, and rev the engine several times to get a nice rolling boil before shutting down.

If you do not damage the rad hoses during removal and they are not 20 years old, you can re-use them.
 
Im just messing around stealing their thunder as it were.

if you can get the old collant hoses off without damage then yes you can use them and Like Honcho said if they are pretty new. anything over 5 years old I would just replace them.
 
well if you want to sure why not. but since you only need the front 2 main hoses go to dealership and only get the 2 you need. but...... if you do put the radistor in and the 2 hoses bleed the system and 2 weeks later one of the other hoses blow then your gonna need to fill it again, then bleed it again. etc. etc.

but if your hoses are pretty new then only get the 2 your need. no worries.
 
Venom2049 said:
So are you suggesting me to get this from SOS : http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/engine_performance_products/NSX/Venair/coolant_hose_kit/
Aren't those hoses for the whole car than just for the radiator??
Click to expand...

If you want bling hoses then get the ones in your link. Regular OEM ones will be fine.

Like others have mentioned though, if you can get them off without damaging them and they're not to old then you can reuse them. If not buy backup just encase. When I did my radiator it was a real pain to get the two lower ones off the aluminum piping, but I ended up reusing all my hoses because I had them all replaced a few years ago.

Something that will help your bleeding process is this type of funnel that sticks on top of your coolant tank and you can plug it up as well so it's air tight. I bought mine from Napa auto but forget the name of it right now. Think it was around $30 and was yellow.
 
I had one of my main hoses blow days after I made a long trip, they could have blown on the trip and I would have been in big trouble
 
sduffass said:
If you want bling hoses then get the ones in your link. Regular OEM ones will be fine.

Like others have mentioned though, if you can get them off without damaging them and they're not to old then you can reuse them. If not buy backup just encase. When I did my radiator it was a real pain to get the two lower ones off the aluminum piping, but I ended up reusing all my hoses because I had them all replaced a few years ago.

Something that will help your bleeding process is this type of funnel that sticks on top of your coolant tank and you can plug it up as well so it's air tight. I bought mine from Napa auto but forget the name of it right now. Think it was around $30 and was yellow.
Click to expand...

This one http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Lisle-Spill-free-funnel/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=291421
 
You guys are freaking me out about the hoses!! I already bleed the whole system. Ill post some pictures of the hoses, they look good to me but what do I know I drive a "98 ford" lol.
 
Thats how they look now
 

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You can't really tell on how they are by just looks and pictures. It's all about feeling them. Whens the last time you had yours replaced? Maybe due sometime soon.

If you need an example buy a hose of the same diameter or just go to an auto parts store, squeeze some of their hoses, take a mental note, then go squeeze yours once or twice. Try not to do it a lot...
 
we are not tring to freak you out in anyway.

but you will know they are bad if you squeeze them and you hear cracking. or the threads in the rubber are brown or tan.

pull on them and try and stretch them in any direction squeeze them if you even feel with your hand a clicking or cracking sounds they are old.

if you pull on them and squeeze and hear nothing and the threads strings inside look white then they are good.

always watch you temp gauge I look at mine every other scan of traffic if it goes any higher than normal pull over.

if anything replace the 8 main hoses. 2 in front, 3 under the car 3 under the reserve tank. those are the one's that have the highest pressure all the time.

- - - Updated - - -

the pics they look good. are the threads white? or a ( turning brown ) color cant really tell in the pics.
 
syndicate said:
Damn, that ABS conversion is sick!!! :tongue: How are you liking it? Also, just replace the hoses. Its not that hard and might as well do it now.
Jay
Click to expand...
I knew you were gonna say that lol, I haven't tested it as much yet. I think ill end up replacing the hoses this weekend. Im happy you finally have some time out of work Pedro.
 

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