95 Integra Radiator Help!

Nick wrote:
> now (they also have a 3 year warranty). Whatever you do or purchase from, make
> sure to use Honda coolant.

nice, but not necessary. the orange prestone dexcool is
silicate/phosphate free and works just fine, when mixed with distilled
water.

the old green prestone is a no-no, good only for low tolerance ancient
detroit iron.

TeGGeR® wrote:
> "Earle Horton" > wrote in
> :
>
>> Your car overheated because of
>> an insufficiency in the cooling system.
>
>
>
> "Insufficiencies" sufficient to cause catastrophic overheating in modern
> cars are almost universally due to neglect, inattention, and/or
> incorrect/incompetent servicing.
>
>
yup. i see signs on the cajon pass to "turn off A/C for next x miles-
steep grade"

i never do it. just kick it down to 3rd, and blast up the hill. doing
70+ in 3rd really drops the mileage of a lil 4-banger, tho.

So I finally got my radiator changed and didn't bother calling for
other quotes since I need my car (well, I actually called an Acura
dealer just to see how much they're charging and it's about $200 more).
But now, I think he ended up selling me something that I don't need, or
do I? He changed the upper and lower radiator hoses, which he said I
should get coz there's no labor if I get it done now with the radiator,
than later when it actually gives me problems, which by then will have
labor and cost more. It set me back an extra $60. Did I actually need
those replaced?


I'm absolutely losing trust on mechanics. Where can I find an honest
one nowadays?


Grumpy AuContraire wrote:
> Frank Boettcher wrote:
> >
> > On 12 Jun 2006 13:10:17 -0700, "
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >I just took my car to a mechanic because of a radiator fluid leak.
> > >Apparently, my radiator is old and needs to be replaced. I was quoted
> > >about $427 for labor and parts. And also, he was recommending that the
> > >coolant system be flushed and change the parts related to it. And
> > >that's an extra $600, totaling about $1100. Does the price sound
> > >reasonable? I've been fooled by many mechanics before and I don't feel
> > >like I can trust anyone with my car nowadays. HELP!
> > >
> > >Thanks in advance!
> >
> > My '90 accord after market radiator cost $125 from radiator barn. Took
> > me little over two hours to install it and all new hoses except for
> > heater hoses, and have the car up and running. And I was going slow
> > cause I don't do it for a living.
> >
> > Seems a touch high to me, but I would imagine it is in the ball park
> > if you get multiple quotes.
> >
> > Frank
>
>
> I would strongly recommend that you change out *all* the hoses. A burst
> heater hose will cause you as much grief as the main radiator hoses and
> in a short time as well... BTDT
>
> JT

" > wrote in
ups.com:

> So I finally got my radiator changed and didn't bother calling for
> other quotes since I need my car (well, I actually called an Acura
> dealer just to see how much they're charging and it's about $200
> more). But now, I think he ended up selling me something that I don't
> need, or do I? He changed the upper and lower radiator hoses, which he
> said I should get coz there's no labor if I get it done now with the
> radiator,



He's 100% right.



> than later when it actually gives me problems, which by then
> will have labor and cost more. It set me back an extra $60. Did I
> actually need those replaced?



It NEVER hurts to change those. Those hoses are the ones that blow, strand
you and wreck your motor.

If you quibble over this one, you're being penny wise and pound foolish.
Your man did you a favor. I just hope he used OEM hoses.


>
>
> I'm absolutely losing trust on mechanics. Where can I find an honest
> one nowadays?



You can find *honest* ones everywhere. *Competent ones* with *lots of
experience* are much less common.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

SoCalMike wrote:
> TeGGeR® wrote:
>
>> "Earle Horton" > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Your car overheated because of
>>> an insufficiency in the cooling system.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Insufficiencies" sufficient to cause catastrophic overheating in
>> modern cars are almost universally due to neglect, inattention, and/or
>> incorrect/incompetent servicing.
>>
>>
> yup. i see signs on the cajon pass to "turn off A/C for next x miles-
> steep grade"
>
> i never do it. just kick it down to 3rd, and blast up the hill. doing
> 70+ in 3rd really drops the mileage of a lil 4-banger, tho.

70+??? slowcoach! my civic will easily red line in 3rd up that hill -
not much competition from detroit at that velocity i find...

What are OEM hoses? I'll ask him. And what if he didn't?


TeGGeR® wrote:
> " > wrote in
> ups.com:
>
> > So I finally got my radiator changed and didn't bother calling for
> > other quotes since I need my car (well, I actually called an Acura
> > dealer just to see how much they're charging and it's about $200
> > more). But now, I think he ended up selling me something that I don't
> > need, or do I? He changed the upper and lower radiator hoses, which he
> > said I should get coz there's no labor if I get it done now with the
> > radiator,
>
>
>
> He's 100% right.
>
>
>
> > than later when it actually gives me problems, which by then
> > will have labor and cost more. It set me back an extra $60. Did I
> > actually need those replaced?
>
>
>
> It NEVER hurts to change those. Those hoses are the ones that blow, strand
> you and wreck your motor.
>
> If you quibble over this one, you're being penny wise and pound foolish.
> Your man did you a favor. I just hope he used OEM hoses.
>
>
> >
> >
> > I'm absolutely losing trust on mechanics. Where can I find an honest
> > one nowadays?
>
>
>
> You can find *honest* ones everywhere. *Competent ones* with *lots of
> experience* are much less common.
>
>
> --
> TeGGeR®
>
> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

" > wrote in
ups.com:

> What are OEM hoses? I'll ask him. And what if he didn't?
>


"OEM" means ones from Honda, as sold by the dealer. If he didn't, the hoses
may be much less long-lived than OEM hoses.

You may save 20 or 40 bucks using aftermarket hoses, but it's not worth it
at all if they fail prematurely and your $5,000 engine goes south.

If he used aftermarket, just have them changed in two years, along with the
coolant. (Yes I know you have "long life" coolant, but that doesn't mean
anything to me.)


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:55:52 GMT, Grumpy AuContraire
> wrote:

>
>
>Frank Boettcher wrote:
>>
>> On 12 Jun 2006 13:10:17 -0700, "
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >I just took my car to a mechanic because of a radiator fluid leak.
>> >Apparently, my radiator is old and needs to be replaced. I was quoted
>> >about $427 for labor and parts. And also, he was recommending that the
>> >coolant system be flushed and change the parts related to it. And
>> >that's an extra $600, totaling about $1100. Does the price sound
>> >reasonable? I've been fooled by many mechanics before and I don't feel
>> >like I can trust anyone with my car nowadays. HELP!
>> >
>> >Thanks in advance!
>>
>> My '90 accord after market radiator cost $125 from radiator barn. Took
>> me little over two hours to install it and all new hoses except for
>> heater hoses, and have the car up and running. And I was going slow
>> cause I don't do it for a living.
>>
>> Seems a touch high to me, but I would imagine it is in the ball park
>> if you get multiple quotes.
>>
>> Frank
>
>
>I would strongly recommend that you change out *all* the hoses. A burst
>heater hose will cause you as much grief as the main radiator hoses and
>in a short time as well... BTDT
>
>JT


Good advice. I did not imply that I chose to leave them because they
would cause less of a problem if they failed. They had been changed
and were newer than the other hoses which had been on the car for
about 6 years. They inspected well.

Frank

jim beam wrote:
> SoCalMike wrote:
>> TeGGeR® wrote:
>>
>>> "Earle Horton" > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> Your car overheated because of
>>>> an insufficiency in the cooling system.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Insufficiencies" sufficient to cause catastrophic overheating in
>>> modern cars are almost universally due to neglect, inattention,
>>> and/or incorrect/incompetent servicing.
>>>
>>>
>> yup. i see signs on the cajon pass to "turn off A/C for next x miles-
>> steep grade"
>>
>> i never do it. just kick it down to 3rd, and blast up the hill. doing
>> 70+ in 3rd really drops the mileage of a lil 4-banger, tho.
>
> 70+??? slowcoach! my civic will easily red line in 3rd up that hill -
> not much competition from detroit at that velocity i find...


well, being that i own a lowly CX, i dont have a tach. in 3rd at 70+,
the engines screaming. to me, at least.

ill probably never get around to the "plug n play junkyard tach"
modification.

the last run to laughlin, NV from LA yielded a 25mpg round trip, due to
my heavy foot and some extralegal speeds. thats sad, for a civic.

wrote:
> So I finally got my radiator changed and didn't bother calling for
> other quotes since I need my car (well, I actually called an Acura
> dealer just to see how much they're charging and it's about $200 more).
> But now, I think he ended up selling me something that I don't need, or
> do I? He changed the upper and lower radiator hoses, which he said I
> should get coz there's no labor if I get it done now with the radiator,
> than later when it actually gives me problems, which by then will have
> labor and cost more. It set me back an extra $60. Did I actually need
> those replaced?

he was right about the hoses, in theory. i doubt they run $30/each,
unless he got them from a dealer.