just follow along and make sure i'm going to do this correctly.

-car is warm (cool enough that i won't burn myself)
-drain coolant from radiator: plastic plug
-remove header heat shield
-drain coolant in block: 19mm??? bolt
-replace block bolt and close radiator plug
-fill radiator with coolant until full
-fill overflow bottle too "full" mark
-turn on car and let idle
-fans turn on and the coolant is circulated
-air bubbles out of radiator fill hole as air is displaced by coolant
-refill radiator (to neck of fill hole) with coolant as needed
-after fans go on and off twice with no more air bubbles, cap radiator and DONE!

did i miss anything?

 

Sounds good to me.

You might want to get something to eat/smoke a cigarette/drink a beer somewhere in there, but that's optional.

 

is basic car maintenance!

 

will 2 gallons of the honda coolant be enough to complete this job?

 

Shouldn't he use a 50/50 mix of coolant and water ?

Is it safe to run the car with the radiator cap off ? (did I understand correctly?)

I had to refill the overflow bottle twice before the cooling system was filled properly, keep an eye on it and make sure there is always coolant above the lower mark.

Never remove the radiator cap when the system is hot, you might get severly burn (just in case you didn't know )

 

He's going to use Honda coolant (Type 2 I assume).

Yes, that's how you properly bleed the system.

 

yep, type 2 honda stuff.

you can run a cold car with no radiator cap on, the coolant bubbles but doesn't shoot out.

coolant smells like animal urine.

 

It feels "slimy" also.


[Modified by Reid, 11:19 AM 9/3/2002]

 

what is the torque spec for the 19mm block bolt?

 

I just bought a jug of Type1...hopefully I can mix it right.

 

Not totally sure on this, but I thought it was something like 57lbs. Don't fry me if wrong...

Turtle - who hates to be without helms at his side...

 

Sounds just right to me, as long as you are using type 2.
* You must eat and drink while you do this radiator flush/fill (as previously stated). That's imperative. If you have a portable grill (a little weber?), just move it next to the car, but not close enough so that the grease will find its way to your car. And a cooler of . I've found that its just not fun unless there's food and drink involved. Even when washing/waxing the car....

 

Okie someone got a picture on that?

 

That coolant drain block can be a b*tch to get off. Mine's all rounded now

 

Kool...i was looking to do this..im changing the oil tomm ...basic car maintenance kicks *** ...then i click that stupid maintenance light and im good to go...