My 1994 Civic overheats only after long drives (100+ miles) when I get off the freeway. The hoses, thermostat, water pump, and timing belt were all replaced November 2012. The radiator was replaced with an "OEM equivalent" in June 2013. Overheating still occurred after long freeway drives. Radiator was "burped" and Redline Water Wetter added but that didn't help.

Local repair shop tested engine and said head gasket was fine and no leaks and that everything is running as it should but that the engine (D16A that replaced the original 375k+ D16Z6) probably just runs hotter than the original engine and that a dual core radiator might help.

I researched radiators and the dual core aluminum radiators from Mishimoto, skunk2, Megan Racing, Blackworks, etc all have 32mm inlet/outlets and are for Civics with B-series engines. Koyo's R1952 radiator has 28mm inlet/outlets for Civics with D-series engines. Koyo claims their radiators are an OE fit and no modifications are needed to install their radiator in a street car. That was the reason I chose that radiator.

The radiator turned out to be too tall and actually touches the hood. I'm not an electrical expert so I don't know if the radiator touching the hood would make the radiator more susceptible to electrolytic corrosion. I'm trying to find someone with an analog multimeter to test the radiator (not sure why digital multimeters are not recommended for this).

Prior to installation:




After installation:








Radiator is too tall.


Underside of hood where radiator touches.


The radiator/rad cap touches the hood in three places.


Has anyone had fitment issues with a Koyo R1952 or other aftermarket all aluminum radiator for a D-series 92-95 Civic?

 

Are you sure the rad is sitting in those pegleg bushings on the bottom of the rad? That looks like a pretty big rad though.

 

I'm going to double check that right now. I saw your recommendation for Go Autoworks a few days ago but I had already ordered the Koyo when I searched and found a thread from a couple years ago where you recommended the GA D-series radiator.

 

Just double checked and the pegs are in the holes on the bottom mount. Looks like I'm gonna have to sell this Koyo.

 

Sorry. That rad looks to be a tad on the overly large size. Do you have the dimensions off hand?

 

You should try a thinner bushing in the bottom of the mounts

 

I have the same radiator in my daily, it hits my hood as well but only in one spot and it's fairly minor (more like a rub than a hit). Could be your car/frame is slightly tweaked.

 

 

make sure the feet are seated all the way in the rubber is seated all the way in the mounts. you can bend the lower mounts some if you still need extra room.

i had to do it on mine with this radiator

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...627&p=49769565

but believe the PO ran it up on a curb a time or 2 parking

 

Also, I just thought of this, if you're worried about closing a circuit with it hitting the hood, you can glue a rubber sheet to the hood. It might look dumb but its way better than wasting a radiator.

 

grumblemarc, do you have any pics of the GA radiator in your car?

I'm gonna see about thinner bushings or bending the lower mounts this weekend. Another thing I noticed about other Civic aluminum radiators is that the top tank ends are angled down which helps clear the hood, unlike the Koyo which is flat on top at the ends.

Mishimoto


I've also been checking out generic replacement radiators for the del Sol VTEC. Spectra has an OE replacement radiator that can be bought at Autozone for about $72. The 28mm hoses will be a pain to put on the 32mm inlet/outlets of the radiator but if it clears the hood the hassle would be worth it.

 

No rubbing. No interference.

 

Thank you sir. Now I know which one I'm getting.

 

Update: Just installed my Go Autoworks radiator yesterday.

Koyo R1952 on the left, Go Autoworks on the right. Koyo core is 2 1/16". GA core is 1 14/16" (or 1 7/8").








This is how the Koyo sat on the rubber bushing on the lower radiator support. I trimmed about 4-5mm off in an attempt to have it sit lower.


Koyo said my car might have front end damage to the lower rad support preventing the R1952 from fitting. Looks fine to me.


How the GA sits after installation.


No need for padding here.


The GA sits too low for the upper radiator stay, probably because of the trimmed rubber bushings for the lower rad support. The hood still touches the front edge of the radiator to the right of the filler neck.


The Koyo would touch the edges while the GA does not.


I'm disappointed that the radiator still touches the hood even with the trimmed bushings. But it fits much better than the Koyo. Did a 200 mile test drive after with AC on the whole time and it didn't overheat. Thanks to grumblemarc for suggesting the Go Autoworks radiator. It was half the cost of the Koyo and included the rad cap while the Koyo rad cap had to be purchased separately. The GA was $119 before shipping. The Koyo and cap was $246.35 including sales tax before shipping.

 

I wonder if you can bend the tabs that the rad sits in but it already sites too low. I don't have the hood problem but then again, I'm the next generation with a Kaminari CF scooped hood so i can't really speak to it.

 

I can trim a bit more from the bushings and reverse the upper rad stay bushing to the underside of the rad stay bracket and it should be fine. I'm gonna work on that when I get home from work.