What is the basic proceedure for changing the engine coolant and thermostat in my 1993 Honda Accord?

Question

4-cyl. temp gauge stays 'cold.' Heater is warm, never hot. Thanks in advance. You're info will save me $200+.

Answer 1

Easiest way to do it is like this: Don't mess with the drain plugs on your radiator. Instead, put your drain pan under the front of the car where the lower radiator hose goes into the bottom of your radiator. Loosen the hose clamp so you can move it freely and then carefully pull that bottom hose away from the radiator. It'll take some effort, but it's better than breaking off a frozen drain plug and having to replace your radiator as a result. Be sure to put that hose back on and tighten up the hose clamp when you're done draining -- yeah, I know, DUH, but a friend of mine forgot to do that once and ended up with radiator fluid all over his garage.

To replace the themostat, you'll need a new thermostat AND a new thermostat gasket from the dealer or a parts store. After you've drained the radiator, follow the top radiator hose to the engine. There should be a pipe piece with a 90-degree bend in it and a couple of screws or bolts holding it on the engine block. Remove the bolts or screws and pull that piece off. You'll see your old thermostat sitting in there. Pull it out, then use a screwdriver or a razor blade to scrape the old gasket away. Put the new thermostat and gasket in place, then put the "elbow" piece back on. Be sure not to over-tighten it because the gasket won't work properly if you do that. Better to go easy on it and then tighten it later if it leaks.

Once you're done, add a 50/50 mix of coolant and water to the radiator. If you want to clean out the radiator without having to worry about rotting the radiator core, put a gallon of distilled water in the radiator first, then start the engine and let it run for about 10-15 minutes (long enough for the thermostat to open and let the distilled water circulate through the engine). Then shut it off, drain the water out just like you drained the old radiator fluid out, put the hose back and tighten up the clamp, and add your 50/50 mix of radiator fluid.

Answer 2

Thermostats are reasonably cheap so this is a fairly simple job if you're handy with a wrench and screwdriver.

Your thermostat (th) is probably located at the engine block end of the top hose coming off your radiator. Make sure you buy the new th before you start and that it has the proper gaskets.

Drain the coolant from the small petcock on the bottom of your radiator, capture the coolant, don't let it run down the driveway. It's is toxic to animals but tasty and they will try to drink it. Once the radiator is drained, then you can remove the hose connected to the th housing on top of the engine block. Then, unbolt the th housing carefully, don't want to strip a bolt hole...(turn lefty-loosy-righty-tighty) The th should just lift out.

Place the replacement in the hole, clean the surface around the hole so the new gasket will seat tightly, maybe even a bit of permatex to create a watertight seal and hold the gasket in place, then put the th housing back on, tighten it down but don't overtighten, it's an aluminum block and can easily be damaged, reconnect the hose...REMEMBER to CLOSE the drain petcock, refill with coolant in the proportions required by the owner's manual and crank it up. Check for leaks.

To verify that it was the th that was bad, go boil some water on the stove and put the old th in. Watch for it to open somewhere around 160*-180* F and see if it was opening all the way.

Answer 3

Locate the drain plug on the engine block or radiator and dump the existing coolant. Locate the thermostat which will be on top of the engine block and remove. Replace with a new thermostat and gasket. Partially fill system with new coolant and run the engine at idle, slowly topping up the coolant as the engine gets warm and gets rid of any air in the system. When you get to the stage that the system will not take anymore coolant replace the filler cap and run at a higher RPM for a while. Let it cool and top up as needed.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

follow upper hose to engine remove hose un do 2 10 mm bolts remove thermostat replace it with spring toward engine don't over tighten 10 mm bolts put hose back on look for a drain on the bottom of the radiator loosen it until all the antifreeze drains out Thain tighten it
look for 12 mm nut looking bolt with a hole in the middle it should be near the thermostat loosen that a couple turns now fill radiator until antifreeze comes out that hole now tighten it and top off radiator and your done
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Answer 6

one thing that wasnt mentioned. make sure you open the bleeder valve when filling it with coolant, it should be right above the thermostat which should be on the passenger side