leaking coolant pipe

[stoned1974]

ello

on a nice warm day like today my pipe from radiator to the block decides to split at 3pm. as it was too late to get a replacement, i was stuck in bringelly with my civic hot as hell.

i need a wreckers/spares yard that will be open tomorrow and hopefully have a pipe.

i have a d16a8, so what other engines share the same pipe ??

also, as the radiator was totally empty how much coolant do i need to buy and do i mix it with water ?

any particular brand ??

cheers in advance

paul

[dcii_sir]

Hi matey.. Sorry to hear bout your misfortune. Best advice is to wait till monday and go down to honda and get another pipe. It should be pretty straightforward to install it. 2 clamps, one on each side. After that.. top your radiator with coolant. Get the pre-mixed ones (any brand will do.. thats what I think).. that way u dont have to know how much coolant and how much water to put in. There's not much point going to wreckers to get this pipe.. sure you'll save money but being a used pipe, it might cracked again and seriously, you DO NOT want your engine to overheat. You could seriously damage the internals of the car..

[stoned1974]

ok, will get a new pipe :)

i did put a little bit of coolant back in 500ml i think, but it was not the consentrate, one so i just get more and fill it up to the top?

cheers

paul

[Setanta]

There will probably be a Repco or the like open that will sell you a new pipe as well (I'm assuming we are talking rubber hose).

Upper and lower radiator hoses are fairly accessable through the after market - it's usually only heater hoses etc that can be a pain and have to be genuine.

Cheers

[stoned1974]

went to repco, they only have the lower pipe!!

and other ideas of where to get a pipe on a sunday??

grrrr i hate going to work on the train !!!!

paul

[Setanta]

Auto pro or one of the bigger car stores maybe? :?

[dcii_sir]

In regards to the coolant.. here's how u top it up.. After you change the pipe, there will definately be some air pockets.

Method 1 (simplest way)

cool down your car completely..... open the radiator cap..top the coolant off in there...(again get the premixed ones). turn on the car and let it run.. you should see some air bubbles coming out of the radiator.. no cause for concern there.. u will see the coolant level in the radiator dropping.. just top it up again.. after a while.. u wont see any more bubbles and instead seeing coolant overflowing. This indicates that all air pockets have been removed.


Method 2 (need some tools)
open the radiator and top it off.. close the radiator cap.. you might need to run the car for a bit.. make sure you heater is turned on while the car is running.... and if u follow the top pipe of the radiator, it will lead to the engine block.. if u look around where the pipe connects.. u should see a little nozzle there with a screw on it.. use a wrench and unloosen it a bit till u hear some air coming out (DO NOT unscrew completely).. after a while.. u will see coolant coming out.. just tighten it and you're right to go..

[Nuttz]

hey is it me or are we meant to use 50/50 coolant and water in hondas??