would it be okay to mix royal purple with the honda coolant? what mixture would be the best? I've recently looked at the helms because I have to change out the timing belt, water pump, and this process requires coolant changing.
What tools are needed by the way for timing belt change? Should I let the engine cool down about8 hrs pryor to opening the valve cover? If anyone has tips on how to get to the water pump from the top or bottom of the car that'll be awesome too.
I know I would need sockets, ratchet, torque wrench, breaker bar, valve adjustment tool, honda bond, anything else?
for short i put two topics into one.

 

genyoowine honda coolant? this is the first time i'm hearing of such a thing. good ol walmart coolant seems to do the trick on my civic.

 

What kind of engine do you have? I've got a 98 dx hatch that I replaced the belts and water pump and didn't have to take off my valve cover. That engine is gone though, I have a LS/turbo now.

 

I read the same thing, found it kind of humerous too. Probably Hondas way of making sure you keep going back to their distributors.

 

I read the same thing, found it kind of humerous too. Probably Hondas way of making sure you keep going back to their retailers.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civicdxtyper &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">genyoowine honda coolant? this is the first time i'm hearing of such a thing. good ol walmart coolant seems to do the trick on my civic.</TD></TR></TABLE>
on you.

 

You can use Prestone, it's just as good...

 

go do a search somewhere. there is a certain chemical contained in many coolant packages which will eat away at your coolant passages. it's not advised in the helm manual so honda can make a few bucks selling coolant. that said, there are auto parts store-available coolants that do not have this chemical.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SkyeC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it's not advised in the helm manual so honda can make a few bucks selling coolant?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Are you sure

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bcruz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
on you.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i don't get it; why?? have a and calm down...

 

any green stuff will do the job..don t mix colors..try using a mix of the Redline water wetter in it ll..it ll reduce ur need for coolant down to a 20% mix during the summer months..but go back to a 50/50 mix during the freezing weather

 

honda coolant = green stuff, i prefer prestone myself

orange coolant/dexcool = the devil, NEVER EVER USE IT! EVER!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic-4-ges &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Are you sure </TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MikeK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's the official Honda bulletin on WHY to use only OEM Coolant:
"Increasingly severe operating conditions and the advent of lower maintenance requirements have resulted in significatn changes in the variety and the concentration of additives used in engine coolant. Also, the continual improvements in engine and vehicle design have challeneged coolant suppliers to design products that perform well in a more demanding environment.
To meet these needs, Honda R&D Engineers have developed a superior, high quality coolant that has several advantages over the competition.
Some antifreeze, although labeled safe for aluminum parts, may not be compatible with Honda/Acura cooling system components. Extensive research and testing by both Honda R&D and CCI, the manufacturer for Honda coolant, have proven that the abrasive silicates and/or borates found in most all domestic coolants can cause the following problems:
*Silicates bond to the surface of Honda/Acura water pump seals and act as an abrasive, causing considerable seal erosion and eventually, coolant leakage. In actual tests, the silicated coolant caused early leakage. This leakage increased dramatically until a substantial portion of the coolant had been lost. In contrast, the OEM Honda coolant has NO leakage through the entire duration of the test.
*Silicates tend to gel and settle in the coolest part of the system, causing radiator plugging and overheating. Honda coolant does not do this.
*Borates cause pitting and corrosion in the cylinder head and cylinder block's water jackets and passages.
*Silicate inhibitors are difficult to stabilize, and therefore limit coolant shelf life.

Honda coolant was designed specifically for aluminum 4 and 6 cylinder engines. It contains an organic corrosion inhibitor instead of silicate, which displays excellent characteristics:
*No silicate abrasion of water pump seals.
*No plugging or overheating caused by gelling.
*Excellent corrosion protection for aluminum components
*Long-term corrosion protection for other cooling system materials( steel, cast iron, copper, solder, gaskets, seals, and o-rings)

You may find less expensive coolant brands on the market, but now you see why Honda is the only way to go. This is the ONLY coolant approved for warranty repairs. Honda's non-silicate formula delivers added protection not offered by 95% of other brands. Since our customers expect lower maintenance, you're doing them an injustice if you use any other coolant.

-American Honda EPS, Pub. #SN-B950307 (03/01/95)

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm ashamed to even read this ******* forum sometimes.

 

I think there is only one company that makes antifreeze. Honda might be throwing **** in the wind?

 

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

I'm ashamed to even read this ******* forum sometimes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

thanks skyec

 

maybe thats y toyotas have redish brown antifreeze and vw has pink? and u suppost to use their antifreeze only.

 

I started out in General Motors dealerships but the last several years I've worked strictly Honda dealerships. I've noticed a few characteristics of the GM "green" antifreeze (I won't get started on DexCool...f'ing morons at GM...) and the Honda "green" antifreeze.

GM Green (Basically the same as any green you can buy at the parts store):

Smells terrible after a few years

Alum. intakes and thermostat housings show signs of corrosion after 4 or 5 years (or sooner, especially if you don't change the coolant at least every other year)

The coolant will often turn brown from internal corrosion. I've flushed Astro Vans for hours with only marginal success.

Coolant leaks were an everyday occurrence. I've replaced enough GM water pumps to build an addition on my house made out of aluminum.

GM's recommended service interval was something like 30k miles (it's been awhile since I've taken the time to look).


Honda Green

We normally replace it 45k miles (our dealer service interval). It looks and smells new. It almost seems like a waste of time and money to replace it.

The coolant is almost never discolored or smells bad (without mechanical problems like a blown head gasket)

I did a timing belt and water pump on a '96 Accord today. By the owner's own account, it has the original coolant. With 90k miles and 7 years of service, the coolant looked almost new. The water pump looked new inside and out. No signs of corrosion in the engine block or anywhere else.

There's never any hard water deposits in the radiator (the reason for this is obvious).

Honda's recommended service interval is 10 yr/ 120k miles (it's 5 yr/50k miles if mixed with any other coolant)

 

These were just a couple of my observations. What does it mean? Hell, if I know. I didn't go to school to engineer antifreeze for automotive applications. All I can suggest is this: if you can get Honda factory antifreeze for a decent price, I would go ahead and pick up a few gallons if I were you...


Modified by AngryTroll at 6:34 AM 8/22/2003

 

Thanks for the informative post.