Flush, drain, or do nothing?

[skaughtz]

I am on vacation with my 2018 Honda Pilot filled with Honda Type-2 Blue coolant. Today while waiting for the wife to run into a shop I smelled coolant while idling. I popped the hood and some how, some way that is still beyond me, the radiator cap had come off. I popped it back on and headed to the nearest auto parts store. $109 later I had a new cap, two gallons of Peak Blue coolant, and a Lisle burp funnel.

I got back to our rental without overheating and eventually added just shy of half of a gallon of the Peak Blue to the radiator and expansion tank (1.93 gallon capacity). Things seem okay now and we are making the trip home tomorrow.

Buuuut once I get back I have a decision to make. I know that Hondas are picky about their OEM fluids and I have just added non-OEM coolant out of necessity. She had new OEM fluid put in back in November when I did the full timing service on her (water pump change). Should I flush the system and refill with all Honda, drain the radiator and refill with Honda, or just leave it alone if it is running fine and stick to my normal schedule of draining and refilling the coolant every 50k miles?

Any opinions are appreciated.

 

[Escape08]

I wouldn't worry about it, leave it as is. The next time you do a coolant flush out , use either Peak Blue, Zerex Blue or Prestone Blue

 

[factorytuned2012]

Lisle burp funnel

how do you like the funnel? i was considering one for a future coolant project

 

[factorytuned2012]

I am on vacation with my 2018 Honda Pilot filled with Honda Type-2 Blue coolant. Today while waiting for the wife to run into a shop I smelled coolant while idling. I popped the hood and some how, some way that is still beyond me, the radiator cap had come off. I popped it back on and headed to the nearest auto parts store. $109 later I had a new cap, two gallons of Peak Blue coolant, and a Lisle burp funnel.

I got back to our rental without overheating and eventually added just shy of half of a gallon of the Peak Blue to the radiator and expansion tank (1.93 gallon capacity). Things seem okay now and we are making the trip home tomorrow.

Buuuut once I get back I have a decision to make. I know that Hondas are picky about their OEM fluids and I have just added non-OEM coolant out of necessity. She had new OEM fluid put in back in November when I did the full timing service on her (water pump change). Should I flush the system and refill with all Honda, drain the radiator and refill with Honda, or just leave it alone if it is running fine and stick to my normal schedule of draining and refilling the coolant every 50k miles?

Any opinions are appreciated.

if the honda uses the blue long life juice i would say its fine and both the honda and peak are compatible with one another.

 

[skaughtz]

how do you like the funnel? i was considering one for a future coolant project

I already own one back home and dropped $50 for the one they had in the store. That is a silly price, but it makes the process much easier and I didn't want to leave anything to chance with a 350 mile hike ahead of me.

 

[Kira]

the radiator cap had come off.

And you bought a new cap?
Was the old one faulty or did you reinstall it with slippery hands and fail to "1/4 turn" it to the lock position?

 

[parshisa]

I replaced Honda coolant with Zerex blue during the timing belt/WP job, all good

 

[skaughtz]

And you bought a new cap?
Was the old one faulty or did you reinstall it with slippery hands and fail to "1/4 turn" it to the lock position?

I still need to inspect the old one to see what exactly happened. But I have the new one on there tight.

 

[Stumpalump]

I was a service writer at a Midas for a friend when he needed help. The worst two cars are Honda and Toyota. You heard that right. I would not recommend buying any used Honda or Toyota because the owners think that they are superior cars and any mechanic that suggest maintenance is lying to them. They rarely change the oil and never change the antifreeze or anything else. They beat the **** out of them and think that they are invincible because they are in a Honda or Toyota. So many would come in with clogged radiators and brakes that were metal to metal. Broken motor mounts or suspension components and anything else that required service was always passed over by the owner, even though it was suggested. Let me ask the OP this… How many times have you had that radiator flushed and serviced? Oh and how do I get this thing back to a regular font?

 

[skaughtz]

I was a service writer at a Midas for a friend when he needed help. The worst two cars are Honda and Toyota. You heard that right. I would not recommend buying any used Honda or Toyota because the owners think that they are superior cars and any mechanic that suggest maintenance is lying to them. They rarely change the oil and never change the antifreeze or anything else. They beat the **** out of them and think that they are invincible because they are in a Honda or Toyota. So many would come in with clogged radiators and brakes that were metal to metal. Broken motor mounts or suspension components and anything else that required service was always passed over by the owner, even though it was suggested. Let me ask the OP this… How many times have you had that radiator flushed and serviced? Oh and how do I get this thing back to a regular font?

Well thanks for the vote of confidence.

I am no expert mechanic, but I am also not a schmuck that spends multiple thousands of my hard-earned money without putting in (what my wife would describe as "obsessive") extensive research. I purchased the car 5,000 miles ago and only after reviewing the extensive service history that came with it. She was a former lease that had every required service done on time at a dealership with records to back it up (including the services that I would want to see done, e.g., differential and transmission fluid changes and the like). Immediately after purchasing the vehicle back in November I had a trusted local mechanic perform the full timing service that she was due for at 105,000 miles. That is the last time that the radiator was touched and since the water pump was replaced all new OEM coolant was added. It was also 6 months and nearly 5,000 miles ago, so I would imagine that if they did not put the cap back on properly that I likely would have known well before I found myself in the pickle that I did.

What caused that cap to come off? I will discern that in time. In the meantime I will continue to buy only used Toyota's and Honda's because when maintained properly they have proven to me to be the absolute best value for your dollar... even if that stupid 2AZ-FE engine in the Camry was designed to chug oil.

 

[chorty]

step up from my disaster. I left the cap on the top of the engine, luckily i found a bottle of water under the seat to not only make the rest stop a half mile down the E-way, i missed the rest stop off ramp, so i kept driving to the on-ramp from the rest stop, and Reversed that ***** all the way back to the lobby so i can get more water.

I wasn't about to walk a 1/2 mile and make little quarter gallon trips. Nope. Not doing it.

Apparently chevy cruze has a rev limiter in reverse. i couldn't get beyond 35Mph. Stupid.

 

[Dino01]

That Peak coolant should be good stuff, maybe do a radiator spill and fill (dilution is the solution) in a few months with Honda stuff and call it, but I suspect thousands of Hondas are running around with that stuff in for years and zero issues.

As a fellow Honda owner that is what I’d do, but either way it should be totally fine

 

[skaughtz]

Well the stupid thing looks fine to me. No physical damage, compresses and springs back just fine. This was a Denso and I replaced it with a Gates I got in the store that stayed in the exact same position nice and tight for 350 miles. I might just be chalking this one up to odd bad luck.

 

[nthach]

I wouldn’t fret. Peak and Honda coolant both are non-2-EHA. And even with 2-EHA, the jury’s out for deliberations. I don’t think Honda is as RTV-happy as Toyota so 2-EHA coolants(Prestone) should be OK in those.

 

[tcp71]

The cap looks fine. Hows the neck the cap goes onto? Plastic?

 

[dubber09]

I was a service writer at a Midas for a friend when he needed help. The worst two cars are Honda and Toyota. You heard that right. I would not recommend buying any used Honda or Toyota because the owners think that they are superior cars and any mechanic that suggest maintenance is lying to them. They rarely change the oil and never change the antifreeze or anything else. They beat the **** out of them and think that they are invincible because they are in a Honda or Toyota. So many would come in with clogged radiators and brakes that were metal to metal. Broken motor mounts or suspension components and anything else that required service was always passed over by the owner, even though it was suggested. Let me ask the OP this… How many times have you had that radiator flushed and serviced? Oh and how do I get this thing back to a regular font?

Not the cars, their owners are the worst according to what you say.

 

[troymcclure]

I wouldn’t fret. Peak and Honda coolant both are non-2-EHA. And even with 2-EHA, the jury’s out for deliberations. I don’t think Honda is as RTV-happy as Toyota so 2-EHA coolants(Prestone) should be OK in those.

Yeah it should be fine. GM used to spec dexcool for the Saturn Vue with the Honda J35 in it. Never heard about any issues.

 

[BrendanC]

i run wallyworld supertech blue in my hondas. about to replace the OE radiator, thermostat and housing and both radiator hoses. it’ll be refilled with supertech blue.