sf3r8z

Maybe i'm just dense, but the only reference that i can find in the manuals that came with my 2008 civic lx regarding replacing engine coolant is in the section on the maintenance minder on p. 229 of the owners manual( 5. Replace engine coolant). The only other reference is on a detailed maintenace schedule provided by the dealer (doesn't appear to be an official honda motor company document). I am somewhat uncomfortable with this because it suggests having the coolant replaced at 48 months or 60,000 miles. Other sources suggest replacing a 5 years. Maybe the #5 on the maintenance minder comes on after 48 months but if it did, i missed it. My civic has 20,000 miles and is 6 years old.

What do you think? I just changed my oil and filter and all i see in the minder is oil life 100%. I don't recall having seen a reference to replacing coolant.

I know that I need to replace the coolant now but I just wanted to know the official Honda schedule for it.

mikey1

i would never leave any coolant longer then 5 years regardless of mileage or what is recommended, so if yours is 6 years i would change it, but that's just my 2 cent jackass opinion, so take it for what its worth

ezone

IIRC: Maintenance minder will tell you to replace coolant at around 100,000 miles, BUT the minder system does not keep track of time.

I think the maint minder may repeat the 100,000 mile cycle for coolant, but I'm not positive about that.

Link to pic of both Acura and Honda Type2 antifreeze bottles, if you want to read the back labels: http://www.nsxprime.com/photopost/data/500/DSC01084.JPG





We (at my dealer) try to recommend coolant every 5 years/60k as stated on the back of the bottle,

but even on the cars that go 100k each time, on the cars that use Type2 coolant I haven't noticed deposit issues in the cores like in the olden days when we had to mix antifreeze with our own water.

HTH

ezone

In addition, the underhood label on maintenance minder cars states the original coolant is to be changed at 10 years or minder item #5, then every 5 years thereafter.

sf3r8z

what/where is the underhood label on the maintenance minder? how does minder item # 5 decide when to show up? will it happen in 10 years. I think I agree with the idea that just to be sure, change it every 5 years. so I'm a year overdue.

ezone

It's a label.
Under the hood.
It's not about the maintenance minder, that's explained in the owners manual. (Maybe I should have said something like 'on cars equipped with maintenance minder'.)

This is the emissions label.

Pics of the underhood label, this is from an 05 Odyssey that happened to be nearby, (not dialup friendly huge pics):






Not all of these labels are exactly the same, they differ a little bit from year to year.


Here's a label from a 12 Civic


Programmed to show within certain mileage range.

As stated before, the minder system does not keep track of time.

Not overdue, but at any rate it's fine to do it now if you wish.


HTH

brags

1st coolant change at 200.000kms... I read that to somewhere for my
Civic. sounds crazy ..? if you waite that long I gaurantee you wont have an engine Left.
but than again Honda would love to sell you another car.

I did the draine and fill 4 times on my rad using Hondas type2 blue coolant
wich they claim is good for 5 years or 200.000km"s the reality is
Hondas coolant is no special than any others I mean its a specific fluid to
use on Hondas that You need to use. But don't be fooled on leaving it in for

5 years or even worse 200,000kms because it will damage cooling system parts and eat the head gasket.
spend the Lousy $100.00 on Honda coolant do-it Yourself and have the peace of mind. I have owned cars
most of my life and never once had a head gasket issue from lack of changing coolant its when You don't change it
that you run into Problems.

ezone

No problem with that on the 7th gens, they automatically get coolant replaced with every head gasket job LOL.

mikey1

your guarantee is null and void.....

i did my first coolant change at 200+ kilometers,

when i drained it the coolant coming out still looked like it was brand new,

i now have 290+ kilometers....original HG and its still running like it did the day i bought it brand new and drove it off the lot

i think most peoples cars would last a lot longer if they just stick to the recommended fluids and intervals, engineers are very smart people and spend a lot of time researching what is best for your car, the average person is not smarter, the products and intervals they recommend are for good reason, not just random



.

brags

driven for 200,000 kms on original coolant.? and no problems. no find that hard to believe.

ezone

That's nothing.

I see a lot of low/no maintenance cars, 200,000-300,000 MILES (322,000-483,000 km?) with no cooling system problems at all.

Some people would never have it done unless something catastrophic happens that would require it to be drained to do the work.

mikey1

yes....and i know its true because im the original owner