Greetings,
I just got my 1999 RL acura, and the radiator is leaking. It has a little crack in the top plastic hood-thingy and it also leaks along the seam (where the teeth bite into the plastic). The coolant seeps out slowly...

Now, I am in Toronto, Canada - so buying on ebay a new rad would ammount to more shipping charges then in us.
One mechanic here is offering me $240 for rad + $80 work to replace it.

A few questions:
1) I am pretty handy with fixing things though - I was wandering if it's possible to replace it myself? Is there a diagram of some sort that might help me? I've seen someone offer something like that on the forums (but i can't find where)

2) Any places I might get it cheapers? Is scrap yards are good place to find one? I mean it can also be leaking...

3) The guy I bought it from - had safety done in an Acura dealership. Can I ask them to repair it, stating this as a reason for "unsafe" vehicle?? Or is safety (during resale in Ontario) not relevant?

4) If I do not repair this - what can be the consequences? Assuming I always refill the antifreeze levels.

Any help would be great. This car is a new beast for me - and I feel a bit discouraged with this trouble right off the bat...

 

I too have the crack on the top. Try rockauto.com . They are usually pretty cheap on parts. It shouldn't be more than disconnecting the hoses( draining before of course) removing the fan shroud and a few bolts here and there. I will be doing this probably within the month.

 

Isn't this the wrong place for this thread?

 

Welcome to AZ!

You have a first generation RL (1996-2004), so I moved your thread to the appropriate forum so you can obtain appropriate answers.

 

If you just bought this car and noticed the cracked radiator right away I'm pretty sure the previous owner was aware of it too. How long have you owned it? I would see if the seller would refund the repair cost of the radiator to you. If not check with the Acura dealer who did the inspection. There should be a checklist of items inspected/checked and see if they missed the radiator crack (it's a known problem on RL's so they should have checked it.) If they did miss it on the inspection see if they will repair it as a gesture of "goodwill." You should not have to deal with this if you just bought it and was told it had been inspected and no problems existed at the time of purchase. It cost you nothing to persue this issue with Acura and the owner who sold you the car before you "eat" the cost of repair yourself. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thank you all for the replies.
Sorry I thought 99 was the second generation. I guess I wasn't paying attention as it was classified 1.5 and not 2nd on Wikipedia.

I bought the car about 1 week ago. I doubt if the seller will refund me a cent (as it cost him 700 for the safety inspection). I will try to contact the dealer and as 200RL suggested.

@Jimmay - thanks I'll check out the site. Is there anything else tricky I should watch out when replacing the radiator? What would be the Order of Actions to take from the beginning?

 

When I open rackouto.com they have 4 types of radiators available. Which one is the most suitable?

• SPECTRA PREMIUM Part#CU1912
• VARIOUS MFR Part # AC3010135
  all; Assembly (Quality: Standard)
• PROLIANCE Part # 431440
• KOYO Part # 19010P5A013

Is it also made by honda - or is it an aftermarket radiator, and how reliable are they?

 

I replaced mine without a manual. There are a lot of connections but it was not too difficult. The radiator was a Koyo. No problems in the next 25,000 miles of driving...

 

Hmmm I looked on my radiator today, as i was fixing it( i cheaped out for now, figured id try and use some JB weld and see if it holds up) and mines says Denso on it. I do believe that it is the original, as it was not replaced in my accident(God i wish i would have known it was cracked, got my windshield replaced saying the accident caused it ) I was driving around today and all is well so far. Im going to be doing some highway driving tomorrow so I will let you know how that works.

 

I forgot to update the thead, but I replaced my radiator a few days ago!

Basically it ran me CAD$180 for radiator (shiping, taxes included) at rockauto.com, and $40 for 2 Antifeeze bottles (about 7L) from Acura dealer.
Turns out I only needed one bottle.

The whole replacement thing took me 3 hours. The biggest problem were the fans. I suggest you take both of them off - it will be easier.

Also I have a long (with welded washer) screw left over :-)

Works good, had to add some antifreeze for a few days after the replacement, but now level is ok.

Thanks everyone for suggestions.

 

I just replaced mine with a Koyo. No problems so far glad to hear yours is doing well