I have a leak in my radiator on my 97 Accord with 165K.
I have done other repairs on my car and I am considering attempting this on my own.
Especially when my dealer want $500 installed.
I have looked at my Honda service manual and it seems straight forward.
Basically:
Drain coolant.
Remove all hoses connected to radiator.
Remove all fan harnesses.
Remove radiator mounts.
Remove radiator with fans attached.
Remove fans from radiator and install on new radiator.
Install in reverse order.
* Can anyone recommend an aftermarket radiator that installed easily into a 94-97 Accord?
* To anyone who has done this type of repair and run into any type of complications, any additional tips would be helpfull.
* One thing I would like to do is find a way to keep the transmission fluid from leaking out of the hose once I remove it from the radiator. I also plan to protect the fins with a piece of cardboard when installing the new radiator.

 

you only have to worry about the trans lines if its an automatic. If it is an auto, you can clamp off the lines before the radiator to keep the fluid from comming out. Keep in mind, you'll still need to top off the tranny once the project is complete, as you will lose the fluid that still in the radiator.

I purchased a new radiator from Advance Auto, great deal if you ask me as it was around $100 and its aluminum, not copper... was a nice suprise! Lifetime warranty too!

I cant remember all the details because its been a while since I changed mine, but the bottom hose can present some problems. I think the best way is to disconnect it from the motor, mount it to the new radiator... drop the radiator into the car and then reconnect the hose to the motor.

Other than that, its a pretty easy job... just sucks if you have a bad back, haha.

 

I guess while you're at it, might as well replace the hoses, clamps, radiator cap, thermostat, etc...

 

:werd: you better taken care everything now. I failed to do all this work when I change my radiator on feb 2005 and the result was very very bad.
10 months later the upper radiator hose just blew out of nowhere (the radiator cap is supposed to prevent this from happening), the new radiator also broke.
thank god for the lifetime warranty on the radiator.
I was also lucky it was winter and the car didnt overheat.
another good site is tasauto.com

 

Nothing complicated about replacing the radiator. I bought an all-metal replacement for my 1994 from radiatorbarn.com. About $100. The hardest part was removing the lower radiator hose. I recommend removing the undertray/splash panel to reach the hose clamp. Also, unclipping the fan wiring harnesses can be difficult because the clips are dirty and reluctant to release. The only fitment issue I encountered was that the draincock on the new radiator interfered with the cross member. I ended up just cutting the draincock "handle" in half to make it fit. You will need to fill the new radiator and bleed the system. I recommend flushing the new radiator well before you install it, just in case there's any crud in it, like metal shavings, packing material, etc. And I concur about replacing the hoses while you're at it. My upper hose failed about two months after I put in the new radiator.