Honda Car Forum

piperspost@webtv.net wrote in news:4822-4579AD92-537@storefull-
3336.bay.webtv.net:

> To Tegger,
> Why not use an aftermarket thermostadt & coolant?
>


Aftermarket thermostats are often poorly made and mays not fit or function
properly. Also they may be incorrectly rated. For the few dollars savings,
it's not worth risking cooking your expensive engine due to a faulty
thermostat.

Aftermarket coolants are not necessarily compatible with the Honda stuff
and may destroy the extended-life corrosion protection compounds. In fact,
this may happen no matter what's in there now. Unless you use the exact
same stuff as you removed, corrosion protection will go back to the
baseline 2 years. And some coolants will react badly together and may be
corrosive right off the bat. Not worth the chance, to me.


--
Tegger

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

jim beam wrote:
> Remco wrote:
> > jim beam wrote:
> >> Remco wrote:
> >>> Tegger wrote:
> >>>> piperspost@webtv.net wrote in news:17097-45788EFA-302@storefull-
> >>>> 3337.bay.webtv.net:
> >>>>
> >>>>> I need to get a new radiator for my 1993 Honda Civix EX..the mechanic
> >>>>> that I use who used to work for a Honda dealership is going to install a
> >>>>> Brand new aftermarket Radiator with coolant & thermostadt. The total is
> >>>>> $350.00 with everything including labor.....are aftermarket radiators
> >>>>> good to use? Honda want $300.00 just for the Radiator
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>> Use the aftermarket rad and relax.
> >>>>
> >>>> The coolant and thermostat should be OEM, though! Do not use aftermarket
> >>>> for those!
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Tegger
> >>>>
> >>>> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> >>>> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/
> >>> Not to plug where to buy one, but I had a really good experience with
> >>> Radiator.com:
> >>> A week ago, I needed a Subaru radiator. Had a good quality replacement
> >>> in my hands the next day for not crazy money.
> >>>
> >>> You may want to try them.
> >>> Remco
> >>>
> >> don't just buy any old radiator though dude. there's a fair amount of
> >> garbage out there. stick to stuff made by known names, not the cheapo
> >> metal tank stuff where the welds start to leak.
> >
> > The replacement I received was better than the original, imo. This one
> > was actually metal - the original had plastic elements that were just
> > crimped.
>
> believe it or not, the plastic/crimped thing is a better radiator.
> pressure/temperature is relatively low, so it's well within the
> mechanical capacities of the material. the most important benefits of
> plastic are:
> 1. it doesn't use solder. on the metal tank types, that tends to creep
> and leak.
> 2. it's inert regarding corrosion. the more metal, and worse, different
> metal types, the worse the corrosion equation.

Well, I learned something new.
Not sure about the dissimilar metals, but do see your other points.

Remco wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>> Remco wrote:
>>> jim beam wrote:
>>>> Remco wrote:
>>>>> Tegger wrote:
>>>>>> piperspost@webtv.net wrote in news:17097-45788EFA-302@storefull-
>>>>>> 3337.bay.webtv.net:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I need to get a new radiator for my 1993 Honda Civix EX..the mechanic
>>>>>>> that I use who used to work for a Honda dealership is going to install a
>>>>>>> Brand new aftermarket Radiator with coolant & thermostadt. The total is
>>>>>>> $350.00 with everything including labor.....are aftermarket radiators
>>>>>>> good to use? Honda want $300.00 just for the Radiator
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Use the aftermarket rad and relax.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The coolant and thermostat should be OEM, though! Do not use aftermarket
>>>>>> for those!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Tegger
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
>>>>>> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/
>>>>> Not to plug where to buy one, but I had a really good experience with
>>>>> Radiator.com:
>>>>> A week ago, I needed a Subaru radiator. Had a good quality replacement
>>>>> in my hands the next day for not crazy money.
>>>>>
>>>>> You may want to try them.
>>>>> Remco
>>>>>
>>>> don't just buy any old radiator though dude. there's a fair amount of
>>>> garbage out there. stick to stuff made by known names, not the cheapo
>>>> metal tank stuff where the welds start to leak.
>>> The replacement I received was better than the original, imo. This one
>>> was actually metal - the original had plastic elements that were just
>>> crimped.
>> believe it or not, the plastic/crimped thing is a better radiator.
>> pressure/temperature is relatively low, so it's well within the
>> mechanical capacities of the material. the most important benefits of
>> plastic are:
>> 1. it doesn't use solder. on the metal tank types, that tends to creep
>> and leak.
>> 2. it's inert regarding corrosion. the more metal, and worse, different
>> metal types, the worse the corrosion equation.
>
> Well, I learned something new.
> Not sure about the dissimilar metals

galvanic corrosion. the coolant is supposed to suppress this, but when
it ages and the mineral content starts to climb, that's when it starts
to be a factor. in addition, the more different types of metals, the
worse it is. this is the reason the modern hondas use aluminum-core
radiators rather than copper-core - keep galvanic potentials to a
minimum. and of course, once you're using aluminum core, plastic tanks
are by /far/ the easiest way to go...

Remco wrote:

>
> Well, I learned something new.
> Not sure about the dissimilar metals, but do see your other points.
>

Anytime two dissimilar metals are in contact with the presence of an
electrolyte you have created a battery which produces electricity
through a chemical reaction and results in corrosion as the point of
contact.

You can find a brief write up here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvani...anic_corrosion

John

"Remco" <whybcuz@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:1165771213.681783.248140@80g2000cwy.googlegro ups.com:

>
> jim beam wrote:

>>
>> believe it or not, the plastic/crimped thing is a better radiator.
>> pressure/temperature is relatively low, so it's well within the
>> mechanical capacities of the material. the most important benefits
>> of plastic are:
>> 1. it doesn't use solder. on the metal tank types, that tends to
>> creep and leak.
>> 2. it's inert regarding corrosion. the more metal, and worse,
>> different metal types, the worse the corrosion equation.
>
> Well, I learned something new.
> Not sure about the dissimilar metals, but do see your other points.
>


It doesn't matter whether the tanks are metal or plastic. That's not the
determinant factor in radiator life.

--
Tegger

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

Tegger wrote:
>
> "Remco" <whybcuz@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:1165771213.681783.248140@80g2000cwy.googlegro ups.com:
>
> >
> > jim beam wrote:
>
> >>
> >> believe it or not, the plastic/crimped thing is a better radiator.
> >> pressure/temperature is relatively low, so it's well within the
> >> mechanical capacities of the material. the most important benefits
> >> of plastic are:
> >> 1. it doesn't use solder. on the metal tank types, that tends to
> >> creep and leak.
> >> 2. it's inert regarding corrosion. the more metal, and worse,
> >> different metal types, the worse the corrosion equation.
> >
> > Well, I learned something new.
> > Not sure about the dissimilar metals, but do see your other points.
> >
>
> It doesn't matter whether the tanks are metal or plastic. That's not the
> determinant factor in radiator life.
>
> --
> Tegger
>


While I cannot state an opposite opinion positively, I still have the
original radiators in my:

1955 Studebaker President State sedan
1956 Studebaker Power Hawk.


The '55 radiator has been recored to a four row to accommodate the hot
Texas weather but the '56 has only been rodded about every ten years.

The radiator in the '31 President coupe is also the origianl honeycomb unit.

If I had my druthers, I'll take metal over plastic (anything) any time.

JT