newbie here, i don't know anything about cars, this is my first car also. i dont have a dad to help me maintain car. Should i use coolant or water? i see people that use water, although i don't want to mess anything up. my friend told me coolant in the winter and water in the summer. What do you guys do? Also how do i know when i need coolant or water....just when it gets low refill again? As of now its stock except for cai. I'm looking for performance if that plays a factor. thanks

 

bump

 

Use 50/50 mix of coolant and water. I use 50/50 all year. Coolant level should be in between min/max on the reservoir tank.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bigbeasta4 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... Also how do i know when i need coolant or water....just when it gets low refill again?</TD></TR></TABLE>There's anti-freeze testers at the carparts store, but they only measure whether your mixture is 50/50 or what. They can't measure whether the anti-corrosion chemicals are used up. Replace the antifreeze on a schedule in the owner's manual. Probably every 2 years.

 

I'm pretty sure the I saw the dealership carries a 50/50 mix, ready-to-go.

 

Yesh, Honda coolant is not only pre-mixed, but non-silicate so your water pump no leaky!

 

i think i am going to go with the 50/50 from the honda stealership, although how do i know when i need more of hte mixture? thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bigbeasta4 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... how do i know when i need more of hte mixture?</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Replace the antifreeze on a schedule in the owner's manual. Probably every 2 years.</TD></TR></TABLE>You can add a little bit whenever necessary based on the level in the reservoir. But you should drain & refill according to the maintenance schedule. Because measuring the anti-corrosion strength isn't easy.

 

previous owner did not tell me when he changed coolant or anything like that. All i know is he had an oil change 1000 miles ago... the coolant tank looks like half full. should i just wait for it to go even lower or wat? Thanks

 

I guess I'd be tempted to change it soon, since you don't know. But maybe there's other things more important. How many miles on it? Timing belt is one thing you don't wanna skip (but that's another thread)...

Watch the level for awhile. If it drops over time, you'll have an excuse to drain it anyway, once you find the leak.

 

i'm chaning the timing belt in 1000 miles,
How do i drain the coolant? thanks

 

I don't have a prelude...

Usually there's a small plastic drain valve at the bottom of the radiator. Looks like a wing-nut. Sometimes there's also a drain plug in the engine block, but maybe not Preludes??

 

wow, first off let me say that I'm amazed that everyone has been so helpful and not a bunch of big meanies like in some of the other HT forums. maybe I should dig around Tech more often...

before you do anything, get yourself a Haynes or Chiltons manual. you can get them at Autozone, Kragen, Pep Boys, etc. the manual will have a section on routine maintenance and what you should do every 3000, 6000 miles, and so on. it also will tell you the capacity for the cooling system, oil, fuel, etc. I took 3 Haynes manuals to work today: one for my Integra, my Mustang, and one just on Holley carbs. good stuff!

anywho, yeah, just about every radiator has a draincock on the bottom somewhere. you might have to remove some of the plastic panels underneath to get at it [mine has an access hole, but good luck sticking your fingers up there]. if you want to do it right, you can flush the entire cooling system so that you are starting from a clean slate and you know exactly what is in there.

as for coolant/antifreeze, use 1/2 coolant and 1/2 water. only use distilled water, don't just stick the hose in there. a gallon of distilled water is like $0.99 so it's not a big deal. keep a jug of premixed 50/50 and label the jug for future reference. then just keep the fluid between the fill lines on the overflow reservoir.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by burnout289 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Haynes or Chiltons manual</TD></TR></TABLE>



I have to say this every time some one recommends this. Those manuals contain WRONG INFORMATION. Just in the cooling system, for instance, Haynes had the great advice of replacing the thermostat in the upper radiator hose for my 85 Corolla. Just one problem. IT'S NOT THERE.

We don't use Chilton or Haynes at the dealer... We spend the money and get the real thing. Do yourself a favor. ****, they're free all over the internet. If you can't find one, I probably know where it is.

 

wow, crappy. I have never found my manuals to be wrong. I have had instances where the job is WAY more difficult than what the text describes, though.

anyway, what's the "real thing" that you recommend?

 

http://www.helminc.com

Helm publishes the manuals for many auto manufacturers. They cost more, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

Hello, I have a 93 honda prelude that I just bought it last year... I had as many question as you but, I decide that since I don't know what was done, I went ahead and done a 90k service. You must wonder what a k service is, well all shop have that, it's recommand by dealer and other shops. They have 30k, 60k and so on depend on the mileage on your car. I got a tune up,change the timing belt, timing belt tensior, cams seals, crank seal, oil pump seal, valve cover seal, coolant, air filter, fuel filter, upper radiator hose, lower radiator, both heater hose,and transmission fluid. So now I know whats been done to my car and this will be good for many years to come...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Fongman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You must wonder what a k service is, well all shop have that </TD></TR></TABLE>

Oh, so THATS what a k service is! All this time I thought 30k, 60k and 90k meant the services you do at 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 miles. Thanks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by drdisco69 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Oh, so THATS what a k service is!</TD></TR></TABLE>I thought those were the service plans you get at kmart?

ok, ok... I've owned Haynes & Chiltons books for some cars, & haven't found any outright mistakes. But they still suck compared to the level of detail in the Helm book. For someone who doesn't really want to do the bigger jobs themselves, it's not a bad book to help you understand what's being done to your car. Helm is the best for Honda if you're actually gonna do the serious work.

 

yes you are so right, that book suck.... I think that if you are going to keep your car for a while get the dealership book. They have the best detail!