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Hi, I'm Don from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the radiator on this 1998 Honda Civic, pretty much the same for any 1992 to 1998 Civic. You'll notice that we don't actually replace the radiator. The radiator is fine in this car. We remove it and put it back in to show you the process. The items you'll need for this are a new radiator from 1AAuto.com, jack and jack stands, pliers, 10mm socket and ratchet, flat blade screwdriver, drip pan, funnel and some coolant.
To start off, you're going to want to drain your coolant. Right here, is the drain plug. You just turn this white part, right here, and the coolant will start pouring out. Put a drip pan underneath it and just twist that switch. You'll see the coolant start to trickle out. Remove the radiator cap and that coolant will start pouring out quicker.
Disconnect your radiator overflow hose and pull the overflow reservoir up and out. Then, using a pair of pliers, push the teeth together on the hose clamp, on the radiator hose, here, and slide that clamp back. You can use a screwdriver to help you just pry that off, and you want to move it back and forth, and eventually it will slide off. Next, disconnect your radiator fan harness. Next, there's a series of 10mm bolts. There's one right there, one here, there, and right there. You want to just remove these and pull that panel back and out of the way. Our car has an automatic transmission, so there are three hoses to remove in the bottom: a large one, and then two smaller ones. I use pliers to squeeze the clamps like you did at top, and we also douse those bolts with some penetrating oil. You can see our first one slides back, no problem. These other two, however, are rusted out and they end up breaking. If this happens to you, don't panic. It's a cheap part that can be found at any hardware store. Once you have the hose clamps off, you can just pull those hoses right off. Make sure you have a drip pan under them, and you want to tuck that hose up and out of the way, so it stops dripping. With these two, he uses a flat blade screwdriver, to just help pry those off. You want to be careful not to damage the hose. Similar to the other one, you want to tuck them up and out of the way. You can use penetrating oil to help them slide, too, if you'd like. You want to remove this radiator bracket. It's just held in with a 10mm bolt. Lift your radiator up and out.
Next, you want to remove these four 10mm bolts, so you can remove your radiator fan and put it on to your new radiator. We'll fast forward as Don removes each of these. Put your radiator fan down into place on your new radiator and replace those 10mm bolts and tighten them up.
You want to line up these two feet down into these two circular brackets, right here. We'll fast forward as Don replaces that radiator bracket, and the 10mm bolt that secures it. Reconnect your radiator fan harness. Push your upper radiator hose back into place. Using your pliers, slide that hose clamp forward. Put all the lower hoses on your radiator back into place and slide those clamps forward. Like I said earlier, about our hose clamps breaking, you'll see that we use a different style of hose clamps. Any kind of basic hose clamp will work for this. This is what we just chose to use. You want to put that lower panel back into place, and replace those four 10mm bolts. Tighten up your drain, and push your coolant reservoir bottle down into place, and replace the hose.
Next, just replace your coolant. Now, replace your radiator cap and start your car for awhile, and then turn it off. Open up your reservoir bottle, and then fill your reservoir about half way up, then drive your vehicle a little bit, just check the coolant often, and fill it to the proper level.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.