Flush for 2005 Accord V6?

[kenpoed]

I have an Accord V6. Could someone give me advice on how often I should have the coolant replaced/flushed?

Is this an annual item to be done or am I wasting money to do so?

thanks

 

[Sayjac]

Wasting lots of money with an annual change. Follow your owners manual.

Factory fill "120,000miles (192,000 km) or 10 years, then every 60,000miles (96,000 km) or 5 years

 

[Donald]

I am not sure I would wait ten. I would just drain and fill the radiator with Zerex Asian every few years. Now might be a good time. Its 7 or 8 years now. The radiator is roughly 1/2 the capacity of the total cooling system. Use distilled water to make 50/50. Your total cost is then about $5/year for the cooling system.

 

[cwing6]

Has your timing belt been replaced? It should be around 105K. If that has been done, they at a minimum did a drain and refill. I have the same vehicle with 200K on it I bought new. Its been the best car I have ever owned. Take care of it and it will run a long time.

 

[LeakySeals]

Opinions differ, here's mine. I don't buy lifetime/super long life fluid claims no matter what fluid it is. For coolant your talking water and inhibitors. The balance can go off within a couple of years depending on conditions. Flushed/replaced I would do it every 5 years/60k. A drain and fill is a % of the total. I do that every other year/30k. May seem extreme but I prefer swapping fluids over mechanical repair. So far in my Camry NOTHING has been replaced in the coolant system using drain and fills as described.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
.....I would just drain and fill the radiator with Zerex Asian every few years....The radiator is roughly 1/2 the capacity of the total cooling system......Use distilled water to make 50/50.

As ZAF and Honda Type 2 are both premixes, using distilled will dilute both below a 50/50 concentration. Both are designed to be used as is.

As mentioned above though timing belt/wp replacement is a good time to replace coolant. It's when our 01 Civic was done ~105k and ~7 years.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Wasting lots of money with an annual change. Follow your owners manual.

Factory fill "120,000miles (192,000 km) or 10 years, then every 60,000miles (96,000 km) or 5 years


This.

 

[kenpoed]

Just replaced timing belt, I confirmed this was done at the same time. Thanks for the feedback everyone!!!

 

[JHZR2]

No way Id let it go for 10 years.

I have original plastic-top radiators in my MB cars that are 30+ years old, and getting >>200k miles on them is doable if you keep the chemistry happy.

IMO the best way to do this is to keep replenishing the components that passivate the surfaces and prevent reaction.

Its just like titration in chemistry class, as the levels of these additives decrease, the speed in which buffering can occur slows down. This means that there is a greater time window when the chemistry is not protecting...

Is yearly changes a requirement? No, Id say that borders on being a waste.

But Honda likely is onto something when they say that all subsequent changes are 5 years, 60k miles.

Id probably do at least a dump and refill of the radiator at about half that interval, though I wouldnt sweat it.

That will equate in practical terms to probably doing it once every threeish years, at around 36k miles.

Should the fluid last a bit longer? Sure, thats why you shouldnt sweat it. But it seems that Hnda does not have real faith in the fluid past 5/60.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

But Honda likely is onto something when they say that all subsequent changes are 5 years, 60k miles.

But it seems that Hnda does not have real faith in the fluid past 5/60.


The likely reason for the reduced interval is because only a percentage of the fluid is replaced with a coolant service. Generally, people only drain the radiator which replaces about 1/2 to 2/3 of the fluid. So, a 5/60k interval after the initial 10/120k makes perfect sense. Toyota follows a similar schedule: 10/100k initial, 5/50k thereafter.

 

[JHZR2]

So a complete, by the book service does not include pulling freeze plugs or otherwise draining the block, or at least flushing it somehow?

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
So a complete, by the book service does not include pulling freeze plugs or otherwise draining the block, or at least flushing it somehow?


I'm not sure on the Accord, but for the the CR-V the official procedure from the factory manual doesn't specify pulling any block plugs or flushing, just a drain and fill. So, I imagine the 2.4L Accord is the same. The only time all of the coolant is replaced is "engine tear down" in the manual. So, you're always leaving 2L behind. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for the reduced interval.

Honda aren't alone, my Ford has the exact same thing going on--a factory procedure to just drain and fill, and a reduced interval after the initial one. I can't even find a block drain on my Freestyle. Given the low incidence of cooling system-related issues, I think interval on the Honda is reasonable as long as it's actually followed.

 

[randomhero439]

30k or 3 years