blew radiator hose in half.

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

jayster33

New Member
I just swap a d16a into my 94 HB and have been having some problems. First the ECU was bad and I got a new one and got it running. So I take it for my first test drive and everything seems to be ok. I pull into a gas station and notice some smoke coming from the hood. coolant had come out from the radiator cap. So I went and bought a new one and it seemed to fix it. Later that night I was driving and got on it again and I noticed a whole lot of smoke and I started to overheat. This time it shreaded the hose that enters the engine just under the dizzy.

So I fixed that, filled it back up and started it and it came shooting out the cap! It was like a fountain out the top of the radiator it shot like five feet out of the radiator! So then I remember a kid telling me that you have to bleed it or something so you don't have any air bubbles? So we tried that and it seemed to work.

Took it on another drive and it was perfectly fine. Then I got on it to test it and this time it blew the upper radiator hose in half from clamp to clamp. The whole way.

Sorry about the long write up I am just very confused as well as some of the people i have talked to. What could be causing this? Do I just need to get better coolant lines or do I have block somewhere?
 
I would suggest, checking for a blockage in the block or radiator, as it sounds like it's building too much pressure and causing these type issues. I wouldn't suspect it to the be the radiator, if you had a motor in before the swap and everything was fine tho. However, I would say try to flush the system and see how the looks then and try again. Just my 2 cents on this issue.
 
just remove the upper and lower radiator hoses out of the engine and open the petcock on the bottom of the radiator. Make sure you have a drain pan under the radiator. Then let all the fluid drain from the radiator.
Then get a water hose and stick it in the top of the radiator and turn the water on. Let it run til the water coming out where the petcock is, is clear.
 
They sell full kits with everything you need, and instructions. I would recommend using google and researching it. As Jizared said that would be the best bet to do. Last time I did it to any vehicle, I pulled both hoses off and ran it thru the motor and then did the radiator. But either way, I would do a google search on it, and if you don't feel comfortable or don't have the adequit tools and supplies, you might want to take it to a repitable shop to do so. Just my 2 cents as usual. -Gary
 
I feel that my radiator is fine but I am worried about the motor. So If I take both hoses off I can run it through my motor in the upper hose and out the lower? and if there is a glog it will not flow, obvious? Now how about getting the air bubbles out, what is the best way to do this? I just opened the screw above where the upper hose enters the engine and let it sputter out while running and it seemed to work ok? Sorry I am new to this honda thing, but thanks for all the help.
 
Last edited:
Per the Honda shop manual, the steps for bleeding read:

1.)Pour coolant into the radiator up to the base of the filler neck.
2.)Loosen the bleed bolt on top of the engine. Tighten it again when coolant comes out in a steady stream with no air bubbles.
3.)Refill the radiator to the base of the filler neck. Put the cap on the radiator, and tighten only to the first stop. Start the engine and let it run until it warms up(the radiator cooling fan comes on at least twice).
4.)Turn off the engine. Check the level in the radiator, add coolant if needed. Install the radiator cap, and tighten it fully.
5.)Fill the reservoir to the MAX mark. Install the reservoir cap.

Hope this helps with the bleeding process. As for the flush, that is how I did it on my buddy's pick-up. I would recommend cleaning the entire system tho to make sure all dirt and debris is out of not only the motor, but the radiator.
 
Back
Top