DIY: Radiator Removal/Install
 

This rad install was done on a 1994 civic hatchback with a b-series swap..... coming out of the car is a GSR rad, and going into the car is a GSR rad.



1. Remove bumper. There are 5 screws ontop (showing) and 2 underneathe which you will need a 10mm ratchet and 1 in each fender. This should take no longer than 5 mins.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7564/p10003493zv.jpg

2. Once bumper is off, you will see 2 brackets that go overtop of the rad on each side. Unscrew them and lift up and away (sides) from the rad.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/747/p10003521bt.jpg

3. Now you can remove the resvoir tank which is beside the rad. Simply unscrew the top of it and take out the tubing. Then lift up the tank and it should slide right out.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1261/p10003517tt.jpg

4. Jack up the car (I used the tow hooks, because its at the front).

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4719/p10003531pv.jpg

5. Remove the liner that is underneathe the car. It is a hard rubber piece that protects the engine from dirt and scum. There are bolts located underneathe (easy to see), but there are are also bolts in the wheel well (picture)

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6885/p10003569xv.jpg

6. Once that is removed, slide underneathe the car and you will see a little plug. Once you see it, place a pan/jug/etc, underneathe so once you undo it, the rad fluid will leak inside of it.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/3391/p10003593ug.jpg

7. Simply undo the plug and let it drain.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/3928/p10003606jf.jpg

8. Unscrew the bracket shown below and detach the hose (rad fluid will come out, so let it drain into the pan.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4779/p10003616qx.jpg

9. Unplug the fan, and lift out the rad. There will be a hose connected to it at the bottom, and there is some slack. So as your lifting, let the rad sit ontop of ur front frame and disconnect the bottom hose.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/654/p10003626mk.jpg

10. Let that hose go to the bottom and drain itself out some more.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/563/p10003641df.jpg

11. Now is the time you get you new rad, and connect your old fan to it. There should be a couple plastic bolts that hold it in, then simply just do what you did from your old rad to your new rad.

NO PICTURE


12. Slide in the new rad. After you have it in, slide the brackets back ontop on both sides and tighten them.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/9446/p10003899ym.jpg


13. Connect the top hose and clamp it down.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6030/p10003919ck.jpg

14. Connect the bottom hose and clamp it down (car is still jacked in the air)

NO PICTURE

15. Now put the resvoir tank back and hook that up the same way you disconnected it.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1261/p10003517tt.jpg


16. Get a small funnel and put it where the rad cap is. Now get your new rad fluid (mixture of 50 water and 50 antifreeze is best), I mixed myself, did not get a premix. Start pouring it in.



http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/760/p10003925ru.jpg

17. Only fill up the rad 3/4 the way through the rad cap.

NO PICTURE

18. Now add additional rad fluid to the overflow container (resvoir tank).

NO PICTURE

19. Seal up the rad cap and make sure everything is closed tightly.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/223/p10003932ea.jpg








20. Start car and make sure there are no leaks and your done ! :D



Hope you dont pay a mechanic to do this now !

Awesome write up.

u have to take the bumper off to remove the rad? that dont sound right for some reason

yeah i dont think you have to do that.. i replaced mine once when it blew and i don't remember removing the bumper..

and from what it says in like the first sentence, you are removiing a gsr radiator for a gsr radiator.. is that a typo or did your previous one blow... i don't konw.. wanna explain.. lol

that long ass radiator is sexy though..

nice car by the way... get a new header and you'll be set.. that one just kills the look of your engine bay..

should you not bleed the air out of the system?

It is so easy to take off an EG front bumper and it made it ALOT easier. I had to take off the front bumper to take off the guard that was at the bottom of it so I could properly drain out the system.

No typo about the GSR rad going in again. I cracked my other one at the bottom so I had to put in a new one. I got a new header as well, I did this about a year ago and just thought i'd post the pictures and such.

yeah i i just relised that your car looks different in that pic.. lol...

yes

Glad to see the pictures back Steve, funny I was looking at the old thread but the photos weren't there. Over the weekend, I removed AC fan, radiator, lines (up to the transmission part), condensor and compressor with help of droppedatbirth so now, my next task is remove D16 radiator and put in a ITR one.

My two questions

1) how does your GSR rad sit on the passenger side? Since stock EG came with 1/2 size rad, is there a custom bracket on the passenger side for it to sit on or it rests on the AC radiator mount?

2) how do you bleed air for this?

Thanks

well since Steve won't answer I guess I will.

Your air bleeder will be where your upper rad hose mets your engine (where the thermostat) is. Since I've never done a full coolant flush on a honda I'm not sure what it looks like but I've done plenty of other cars and there may or may not be a air bleeder for your heater hose/core as well. It should look like a little tube with a rubber boot on it or a cap.

I'm sure ull see the one by your thermostat and if you want Charles I'll doublecheck Monday when I get back to the shop if you have a heater core air bleeder aswell.

Thanks Chris :)

**** Charles, i've been busy lately. I'll let you take a look at my car the next time. I'll even help you out as well. Let me know when you wanna do it and we'll get er done for sure within an hour or 2 easy. You buy the beer :P


PM me when you wanna do it

Radiator job should commence on a Saturday, in a week or two.

Thansk Steve.

alrite dude, let me know

steve, u can do mine too :p

lol

hahaha, whoever needs help

ive tried refilling my rad and im getting a new one soon but how do u know where 3/4 is when ur filling the rad up?

by looking at it.. there's no set line or anything really.. you just gotta guess. It's not a big deal if your overflow tank isn't full

I am gonna try to tackle the radiator swap tomorrow night, since Friday I am off.

damn, charles again I didn't read this, how did it go?

IS it nessessary to bleed system. I put in a new rad and fan but now my fan wont turn on. Could I of facked something up?

Heh, I made a thread in Performance, basically, it went good. I had some fun :)

Thanks Steve

If you didn't drain the coolent in your engine block, there is no need to bleed. If you did, what you do is fill the rad, put the cap on but not tighten. Rather, let it close half way, put your climate control all the way to hot, then start your car. The half-closed cap will let air steam out and you can stop after the radiator fan go on TWICE. Then tighten the cap, fill to the proper line and you are done.

As for radiator fan turn-on time, Mike and I did a test. For regular single core 1/2 size rad, it takes about 12 to 14 minutes for the fan to go on from a cold start. For a full size (GSR, ITR) rad, it takes about 1/2 hour.

If you have a 1.3 bar radiator cap, perhaps that will increase boiling point and make your ran go on later, or if you run full 100% distilled water?

Charles, your like a master at this now eh :p

I replaced mine last week, and its e to the z. (Once you figure out the stupid things you did). Remember to reconnect the fan. Thats the main reason it could not start, unless you broke the fan itself. But like others said, it takes a while for the fan to get going.

Glad to see a couple people using my 2 year old DIY :)

FYI: For those who are replacing a radiator who have an automatic, the lower connectors to the automatic transmission oil hoses can be unscrewed, so you can source out a manual transmission radiator and put it in your automatic transmission civic. The screws are on pretty tight and probably rusted a bit from all the salt/elements so get yourself some WD40 and some elbow grease and you will be good.

what i do wen i drain it out the block also like motor swaps and all that crap

there is a funnel u can buy its prety cheep it has a conection that wil fit onto the top of the rad and close like its a cap then the funel wil sit in there all buy itself and all i do is fill the rad up until there is 2inces in the fullel like its over full and start the car let it run rev it up every now and then u wil see air bubbles comeing up the funnel do this until the rad turns on and then whatever is left in the funnel i just throw it in the rez


il find out were i got that funnel from its a wicked tool it has a plug so u can just stop the flow if u need 2

Good Job :thumbup:

used it today got my new rad in :)