Swapping radiators is a snap. You don't have to remove the AC, just unbolt the bracket for the AC line.

1. Drain coolant from radiator using the drain plug at the bottom.
2. Remove electrical harnesses from fans...probably will have to use pliers to get them through the mounting holes...just push them through.
3. Remove the radiator hoses and unbolt the radiator mounting brackets.
4. Pull out radiator.
5. Unbolt fans and put them on new radiator.
6. Put in new radiator, plug harnesses back in, bolt everything up, reconnect the hoses.
7. Fill radiator with coolant...50/50 mix. Fill until you see coolant at the base of the filler neck.
8. Bleed coolant. Start the car with the radiator cap off and let it idle until the fans come on. You will see air bubbles rise out of the filler neck. Add more coolant if needed, and squeeze the upper radiator hose to get more air bubbles out.
9. Replace radiator cap, turn car off, fill overflow reservoir to the max mark.
10. Crack open a beer and relax.

 

How do you bleed coolant?

 

Exactly how I stated above. On the GSR there is a bleed screw on the water neck...where the upper radiator hose attaches. The LS doesn't have that, though.

 

I remember calling Dubby when CRAIGHIMSELF and I replaced my radiator. Nothing happened after loosening the bleed screw, so we just let it run for 10 more minutes like that. No problems so far.

I was also wondering where you could get those metal-tanked radiators. Mine is an OEM replacement from C&R I believe... Anyway, it's still plastic. I'm pretty sure it'll last a while, but I'd like to know where to get better ones.

 

Thanks for the help, I've got the new radiator in and I should be able to finish it off tomorrow. It was pretty easy as described in the instructions (thanks!) The radiator from Radiatorbarn.com seems fine. I got the all metal one. It's not perfect, but definitely close enough in dimension and fit. For the price it's hard to beat, especially considering free shipping and arrival in AZ two days after ordering.

For a car with as much crap under the hood as the Integra, the radiator replacement was far easier than I would have guessed. When I'm all done I'd say I'll have less than 3 hours into it. If I did this all the time, I'm sure I could be much faster. Finding the right tools took most of the time (I really need to get my rolling tool chest out of storage!).

The most difficult part was getting the lower radiator hose off it's attachement to the engine. It attaches near the intake on the top of the engine, but there's stuff in the way that makes it difficult to get a tool on the hose clamp.

Thanks again, all!

Tim

 

radiatorbarn.com for $127including shipping for an all-metal 2 row. The stock radiator is pretty efficient for a tiny little thing!

Tim