i have a 2004 CRV with around 190K miles on it. i bought the car used with 150K miles a few years back. i live in CA and drive the car in moderate weather most of the time with weekly trips to the mountains during the winter time for snowboarding. assuming all the cooling system components are original, should i be weary of it's reliability due to high mileage and replace the main components (water pump, thermostat, radiator, reservoir, and upper/lower radiator hoses) as preventive maintenance, or is the cooling system robust enough that i shouldn't worry about it until i start seeing signs of failure?

 

Generally speaking Honda has great cooling systems. Plastic radiator tank cracks and stuck open thermostats are the most common failures.

 

Since you didn't list if you did do these things when you bought the crv, than yes you should be concern about it.

 

Add in a timing belt to that.


Might as well do the cap,rotor, wires and plugs while your at it

 

2004 crv has none of the above with the exception of plugs.

 

X2.

 

so any gen2 crv owners have their cooling system fail on them? if so, what mileage when it happened?

 

Basic maintenance is always required in order for it to keep running properly. Driving it around and not thinking about it just because it hasn't broken down yet just makes the issue worst. GL either way.

 

There really isn't a set mileage. It all depends on the equipment, and the temp cycling that has occurred. When it fails it is a catastrophic failure, meaning you basically have to shut down and fix it on the spot or get it towed, otherwise you risk serious further damage.

Considering you are at ~200k, if it were me, I'd plan on a new radiator and hoses. Pretty cheap, and super easy to install. The thermostat is cake once you pull the hoses so do it as well - it's in the dollars for the part.

I would go so far as to recommend that you pull the old t-stat out, swap in new hoses (keep the old ones as emergency spares), and put in your new radiator. Buy 5 gallons of the cheapest 50/50 mix the store has for antifreeze, and 2 gallons of quality stuff.

Fill the new radiator with the first gallon of cheap stuff and have no t-stat installed (so that coolant runs freely into the block). Cycle the coolant for a few minutes, then drain. Repeat this for the 5 gallons of the cheap stuff (run with coolant, drain, repeat). This will remove old stuff and crap out of your engine block without necessitating a power flush. Use the containers you empty to pour in the crap you are removing from your engine. Jiffy Lube will dispose of it for free.

Once you drain out the last of the cheap coolant, install the new t-stat, secure your hoses, and fill your system with quality coolant. Leave the cap off to burp the system and purge all air out.

Now you have given yourself an edge to not be in danger of the engine overheating. Make sure to test your fans, that they come on as expected.

 

thanks. what about the water pump? u recommend changing that out too?

 

Check the weep hole on it. If it indicates coolant has come out, yes, change it. I am not clear how big a job the water pump is on these CRVs as I have never changed one on it (yet), but if it is accessible and not a major pain it can't hurt at that mileage. But, just because you are at 190k doesn't mean you have to start changing everything. If it seems intact, leave it.

At that mileage you should be checking suspension. Lower ball joints, outer tie rods, boots on the cv axles, struts. Those I would start changing as a safe measure, certainly if it is all still stock from date of purchase. You don't want a lower ball joint to fail catastrophically on you. If you see the boots are cracked or you see grease splatter, change them. LBJs, outer tie rods, etc. is not very expensive but can save your bacon if you get to them before they fail.

Take down your air system and give your throttle body a good cleaning. It will be electric so you don't want to move the throttle with your fingers. Have someone depress the gas pedal fully and keep it down (engine not turned over, just on the 1 position) and clean it up with throttle body cleaner. Costs $9. Clean the MAF with mass air flow sensor cleaner. Again about $9. All super easy to do and a good maintenance routine.

Do all that before replacing parts that are in working order, in my opinion.

 

thanks for all your advice. in terms of replacing the water pump on my car, i believe the crank pulley needs to be removed. aside from that, it's just a matter of removing bolts or nuts. as far as chassis go, the car still drives pretty solidly. i did visually inspect the bushings, ball joints, and CV boots when i replaced my brake pads and rotors a few months ago, and all seem to be fine, although i believe the big bushings in the front suspension are somewhat worn. i have been slowly, but steadily rejuvenating the car. the past few months, i've replaced the spark plugs, belt, and tensioner pulley. i've removed and cleaned the TB, ICV, and MAP as well as replaced their gaskets upon reinstallation. i even did a valve adjustment, and replaced the O2 sensors and PCV. (i did all this cuz i was trying to resolve a misfiring issue.) right now i'm just trying to prep the car for my winter trips to the mountains. since the mountains is around 2.5 hours from where i live, i just want to minimize the chance of the car breaking down on me while i'm far from home. from experience, i know a busted cooling system can leave you stranded. i guess other things on a high mileage car that can leave me stranded are a busted alternator or a busted fuel pump, both of which i'm also contemplating on replacing just as preventive maintenance.

 

Sounds to me that you are on the right track!