well to me a radiator is a radiator.... thiers the oem one which just does the trick... thier thiers larger ones that cool beter.
unfortunatly im not sure all what will fit in a civic.... ive only had to replace american large cars and trucks radiators and i always talked to my radiator guy and he told me what would work and be beter than it had...

 

Like I said, I just bought an OEM (Lifetime Warranty) replacement radiator from O'Reilly Auto Parts for $90 - AutoZone had the same deal - I just like our O'Reilly guys better. Disconnect all the hoses, unplug the fan harness, and one-bolt for the upper hold-down bracket, and the whole radiator (fan with shroud and all) should come right out. Just a couple of fasteners hold the fan shroud to the radiator. Installation is the opposite of removal - should be able to have it all changed out in less than an hour, if you dawdle.

Thermostarts are another story - at least on my VTEC-E it is. Kindof a PITA to get to with the intake manifold in the way. Doable though, with patience - and much easier if you already have the radiator hoses out of the way.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

$90 radiators suck. They have a cheap seal between the plastic and metal that blows off if something stupid happens. Get an all aluminum (or solid core) radiator on eBay. I got one for $130 and it was awesome.

 

Well, 'something stupid' usually only happens when someone is being stupid. And just like anything else, OEM works just fine and last as long as the more expensive aftermarket radiators - provided that the instructions are followed and 'something stupid' isn't done. For instance, using only distilled water to mix with the anti-freeze (or using a factory 50/50 pre-mixed) is one of the big things that people fail to observe and wind up with bigger problems in their cooling system later. The one I just pulled from my car was an actual Honda raditor - not sure if it was the original or not - but he car had over 190,000 miles before it gave up. I'd say that's not too bad.

Bottom line - you don't need a high-performance radiator if you're running an OEM-level car. Did your eBay radiator offer a lifetime warranty against the very thing you claim mine's going to do? O'Reilly Auto Parts did. How long did you wait for yours to show up through UPS or FedEx? I walked out of the store with mine. I'm not knocking eBay - there's lots of good deals out there, but that might not also be the route everybody else prefers.

Besides, there is also a point when you can run your engine too cool. With the tolerances being what they are these days in effort to maximize performance and economy, running an engine too cool can have the same effect as running it too hot (except that it won't blow up eventually) - lost efficiency, performance, and economy all come into play when the parameters are exceeded in either direction. For instance, engine oil that's not up to temp will provide more resistance in the bearings and cause the oil pump to work harder to circulate - which works out to a decrease in performance and economy. The ECU also must compensate various things (like the IAC, engine timing, and injector timing, etc.) in attempt to keep things in the 'normal' range... which can affect performance and economy as well.

There's more to it than just spending more money to get the cool decal for the window.

 

I appreciate both opinions guys, I'll probably look at an aftermark rad, only because of price. I haven't had the issue during this cooler weather we've had, the temp has actually stayed rock solid where it belongs, even on the warmer days. But with 90's on the horizon, I'm going to keep a close eye on the temp reading, and if it acts funny again, I'll take it to my mechanic and have him check it out before I drop a new one in anyway. Just so I'm not shotgunning parts at it.

 

well with running the engine cooler.... wel thats the thermostat thier........ not the radiator.....

and with the oil thats why they make different types of oil..... 10w-30........ or straight 30 weight.... blablabla.... they have different stuff to compensate for if ya want a oil cooler...

just somethings ya can compensate for......

but ya for a stock motor a oem radiator would be fine..... but if i could get a more performance radiator id rather have it for alittle extra performance for those HOT summer days..

 

I hear ya. I guess I have a different approach to my car - purely economy. Therefore, OEM and stock parts do the trick. I'm not trying to squeeze 2 extra horses out of an engine by bolting on aftermarket 'performance' parts.

If I want to smoke the rest of the imports in town, I'll take out the wife's '01 Grand Prix GT - stock Mustangs, too. And if I want the coolness factor, I've got my Jeep and Dodge Ram. But I've grown up a little, I guess.