coolant change

[turbocab]

i need to replace my coolant with antifreeze stuff as i am going down to the snow for the season and dont want my radiator to freeze solid ;D
i recon i know what to do but is there any thing i should look out for or any secret tricks
cheers peoples ;D

[Brendan]

Use one of those air blower thingoes to flush all the leftover coolant out

[Fader]

get a hard top cause you gunna freeeeeze your arse off in that cabriolet!

i wanna go to the snow!  >:(  :'(

[turbocab]

air blower thingys?
yeah fader hopefully it wont be too cold in the cab :-/

[Fader]

i think he is talking about a leaf blower! sounds dumb, but it works!

[Colza]

And once you have the thermostat out just flush everything you can out with water. Should be able to go in one side of the engine and out the other and still be clean on the other side

Same for radiator, but you put the hose in the bottom and all the shite bubbles out the top.

Make sure you have a new thermostat ready to put in because chances are yours will be rooted. At the very least you will need a new thermostat gasket.

[turbocab]

what new thermostat does it have to be a city turbo one?or is there something else that will do the trick

[Henry]

Changing the coolant won't effect the thermostat, Turbo thermostat runs at a different temperature than the City Pro one. Will need to bled any air out of the system via the nipple below the distributor after refilling.

[James]

I think Colza is just saying that cause in just about every honda engine we've worked on the thermostat has been relatively rooted.
Its the little dohickey that sity in the little round camber near the distributor, take it out and check it for wear and tear, and whether it still opens when you chuck it in some boiling water.
If it is screwed and all else fails you can just go with a stock city one and run the engine a little colder.
But as colza said, its a good idea to get a new thermostat gasket, its just a little circle of rubber

[Colza]

Yeah, thats what i meant ::)

It was meant to come out more as a warning that if you take the thermostat cover off it will most likely need a new gasket.

And while youve got everything apart it would make sense to check the thermostat and replace if necessary.

[campbell]

One tip, be gentle with the drain plug under the radiator.  Made of plastic and known to break off.

You must always run the car with a corrosion inhibited anti-freeze.  There have been some very dodgy mixtures over the years, so choose a quality one.  Even if it means going genuine Honda.

I'm trying the chamelion one at present.  The fluid should be replaced every 18 months to 2 years anyway.

There are some flush fluids that you run the car with then drain.  I could tell you some horror stories about what these can do to your engines internals. but you'll have to read the club newsletter for that.

And check everyone of your coolant hoses very carefully.  Any that are nearing the end of their life can start leaking when you flush their insides.  Which is a nuisance if you've just put everything back together.

good luck,
Campbell

[turbocab]

changed coolant today all went well exept i could not get a replacement for the bottom hose but the one on there is pretty good and should last for a while,for the top one i used a cut down mazda 323 bottom hose.
any one know a suitable hose 2 use for the bottom one?