Anti freeze or not to freeze

[TheSebringOne]

Hi guys n gals & with Luke/Matts permission! How often should this be changed, any difference if a 3.2 as oppose to a 3.0? Do HUK have to do it (rip off) or is it a simple DIY, then do you have to use HUK's own anti freeze. Think this is an appropriate Qs as its blxxdy freezing now!

[nigel]

It's not a bad idea to exchange the coolant with a good flush every couple of years or so because of the corrosion properties of the coolant acting on the alloy components of the engines. No difference in the 3.0 / 3.2 for this purpose other than the size of the piston holes.
There is a DIY at Prime, I forget by whom but it's a simple job, just be sure that you bleed ALL the air from the system. The service manual shows how to do it as well with some pics.
The hardest part of the job is getting the car high enough to get under it to reach the drain plugs.

Cheers
nigel

[Lankstarr]

Are you asking about coolant or antifreeze in the washer jets?

Whilst we're on this subject what do people think of de-icer spray cans? I used one the other morning on the RS4 but would never use it on the NSX... am I being an4l or could taht stinky stuff actually damage the rubbers etc?

Thanks,

Luke

[goldnsx]

That's why you should use it (not my engine). Second pic: my engine.

It's not a simply DIY, have a look in the manual first. There are 5 draining bolts and 4 bleeding 'bolts'. Bleeding the system is very important if you love you headgasket.

[TheSebringOne]

Just looked at the manual, think its every 3 years/36K miles? I'm surprise it shows you how to change/bleed the system! I can't believe theres that many bleed valves etc! Was wandering regardless of mileage or time periods, anti freeze must/will degrade? So those who don't do many miles per annum, still need to get it done.

Manual states its a 50/50 split bewteen anti freeze & destilled water, seems high. Also I assume HUK's own is pre mixed, ready to pour in?

Finally, how much would HUK charge for time, parts & labour, anyone had it done by them?

Cheers

Luke, its the anti freeze mate & as for the de icer stuff, I never use it, plus I don't think it will damage your rubbers as they would get sued!

[jaytip]

Also I assume HUK's own is pre mixed, ready to pour in?

don't think it will damage your rubbers as they would get sued!
It is indeed.It's not cheap though at about 15 quid for 5 litres.

[Senninha]

James,

Whats the point of this thread? A 2 minute call to your local dealer would give you the answer you already found (apart from cost) in your handbook.

Given your sub 1k miles pa I would expect you know when it was last serviced and what needs doing next anyway.

Luke,

Ref the de-icer mate, I never use as despie the claims I've always found the quality of the wiper to be less efficient after a winters worth of that stuff.

I now rely on my trusty watering can then is filled with very warm tap water and applied liberally across all windows just before setting off. I've used this method for years now and highly recomend it :thumbsup:

regards, Paul

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

1. Coolant Service interval
Depends on the spec of the coolant used. If you were using the early spec Honda coolant, then it was recommended to replace it 3 years for the 1st time and then every 2 years thereafter.
At some point around year 2000, Honda upgraded its coolant spec and on the supplement NSX Service Manual released in DEC/2001, the coolant service interval in Japan was extended to [11 years or 200,000km] for the 1st replacement and then [every 6 years or 120,000km] thereafter. Your coolant hoses and header tank may give up before that….

Not sure whether the latest UK service interval is the same or not as Japan.

It would be nice if someone here can check the label of the latest Honda coolant (possibly, blue liquid??) sold in UK to confirm the service interval.

2. 3.0 and 3.2 ENG
No difference on the coolant service interval for the different engine size.

3. Honda or DIY
As you mentioned, it’s freezing at the moment and not fun to work on the coolant system ….

Not sure about the labour charge at Honda but I guess 1.5Hr should be enough for them.

If you are going to do the DIY, then;
It’ll take time to flush out the old coolant.
As goldnsx mentioned, bleeding the system is very important. Using the vacuum type tool to leak test and fill up the system will minimise the airpocket.
Some people recommended raising the rear of the car higher than the front in order to bleed the system but I didn’t have any issues even the car was flat during the process. Just follow the procedure in the manual.

4. Honda coolant
Honda spent long hours to develop their own coolant and it is safe even for the materials used on our engine. Not sure about the price in UK though…. As the radiator is at the front and the engine at the back, you’ll need a lot of coolant. About 12L to 16.5L of coolant depending on other services involved such as replacing the coolant hoses and etc.

5. Other recommendation
If you haven’t replaced your coolant hoses, thermostat and header tank for several years, then it would make sense to consider replacing them at the time of coolant service or when you do the timing belt/water pump.
4741
Header tank can be replaced later without draining the whole coolant system but if the colour of the tank is no longer ‘super white’, it’s time to replace it.
It will start to show some crack at some point so several people opted for the aftermarket one. I stayed with the Honda one as I knew how much time was spent to design the internal air/coolant separator mechanism.


4743
If you have aftermarket header/exhaust, then please keep eye on the coolant hoses. Especially the ones at the oil cooler area and the 3 big ones just below the header tank.


4742
Thermostat. If you are not experiencing any over cool/heat issues, then some people recommends that it is best not to touch it. So far, I always replaced it every 4 years as I saw some of the black material (rubber??) was gone missing after long usage.

Regards,
Kaz

[dan the man]

yup warm water out the tap ive always used too..

although the transit has heated screen now i set off straight away with it on and hope it clears when i think i need to see summat!

[Lankstarr]

Great post... ditto the comments on the thermostat - a cheap part to replace if you have warming/cooling issues.

Thanks for the comments guys... kettle is used on the NSX every morning, warm water works well enough. I was just interested about people's opinions of anti-freeze. It smells nasty so it stays away from teh NSX!
cheers,

Luke


1. Coolant Service interval
Depends on the spec of the coolant used. If you were using the early spec Honda coolant, then it was recommended to replace it 3 years for the 1st time and then every 2 years thereafter.
At some point around year 2000, Honda upgraded its coolant spec and on the supplement NSX Service Manual released in DEC/2001, the coolant service interval in Japan was extended to [11 years or 200,000km] for the 1st replacement and then [every 6 years or 120,000km] thereafter. Your coolant hoses and header tank may give up before that….

Not sure whether the latest UK service interval is the same or not as Japan.

It would be nice if someone here can check the label of the latest Honda coolant (possibly, blue liquid??) sold in UK to confirm the service interval.

2. 3.0 and 3.2 ENG
No difference on the coolant service interval for the different engine size.

3. Honda or DIY
As you mentioned, it’s freezing at the moment and not fun to work on the coolant system ….

Not sure about the labour charge at Honda but I guess 1.5Hr should be enough for them.

If you are going to do the DIY, then;
It’ll take time to flush out the old coolant.
As goldnsx mentioned, bleeding the system is very important. Using the vacuum type tool to leak test and fill up the system will minimise the airpocket.
Some people recommended raising the rear of the car higher than the front in order to bleed the system but I didn’t have any issues even the car was flat during the process. Just follow the procedure in the manual.

4. Honda coolant
Honda spent long hours to develop their own coolant and it is safe even for the materials used on our engine. Not sure about the price in UK though…. As the radiator is at the front and the engine at the back, you’ll need a lot of coolant. About 12L to 16.5L of coolant depending on other services involved such as replacing the coolant hoses and etc.

5. Other recommendation
If you haven’t replaced your coolant hoses, thermostat and header tank for several years, then it would make sense to consider replacing them at the time of coolant service or when you do the timing belt/water pump.
4741
Header tank can be replaced later without draining the whole coolant system but if the colour of the tank is no longer ‘super white’, it’s time to replace it.
It will start to show some crack at some point so several people opted for the aftermarket one. I stayed with the Honda one as I knew how much time was spent to design the internal air/coolant separator mechanism.


4743
If you have aftermarket header/exhaust, then please keep eye on the coolant hoses. Especially the ones at the oil cooler area and the 3 big ones just below the header tank.


4742
Thermostat. If you are not experiencing any over cool/heat issues, then some people recommends that it is best not to touch it. So far, I always replaced it every 4 years as I saw some of the black material (rubber??) was gone missing after long usage.

Regards,
Kaz