DIY 2012+ Civic Si - How to install Venair Silicone Coolant Hoses

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Vehicle Model
Toyota MR2 Spyder
Body Style
Convertible
Parts Needed

600001121382-BL (BLUE), 600001121382-BK (BLACK), or 600001121382-RD (RED)

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Tools Needed
Jack
Jack Stand
Wheel Chocks
Various Pliers
One Gallon Pitcher
Funnel
Distilled Water
Safety Glasses

Time Needed
Approximately an hour

1. Chock the rear wheels. Jack the front of the car up. Place your jack stands. You will need to get the car high enough in the air in order to fit your one gallon pitcher underneath.

2. Remove the radiator cap. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS THE CAR HAS COOLED DOWN!!! I RECOMMEND LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR AFTER DRIVING IT BEFORE DOING THIS. EVEN THEN, USE A RAG AND OPEN THE CAP SLOWLY.

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3. Locate the drain plug and drain coolant into the one gallon jug.

The plug is approximately behind the vicinity of the red box.

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The coolant will drain nicely (for the most part) from the hole shown below. (top of picture is the front of the car)

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In order to reach the plug, you will need to need to pull down a bit of the bumper shroud. Jack point highlighted to help with bearings. (bottom of the picture is the front of the car)

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Turn the drain plug counter clockwise and let the coolant drain. This will take about five minutes. Cover the pitcher as you will be reusing the coolant and do not want to contaminate it.
DO NOT forget to close the drain plug after the coolant has finished draining.

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4. Locate the upper radiator hose.

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5. Disconnect the intake flex hose between the throttle body and the air intake box from the air intake box side as shown below. This will make access to the rear hose clamp easier.

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6. Locate and remove the upper radiator hose clamp at the front of the engine bay next to the radiator cap. Accessibility is NOT easy. I recommend having a variety of pliers on hand. You may have to try a few out to try and find which ones will work best for each clamp.

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I used a giant pair of channel locks in order to reach around the small hose coming off the radiator. The trick to hose clamps is to be able to fully close your pliers in order to lock open the hose clamp itself. When this is achieved, you will be able to slide the hose clamp out of the way. Easier said than done most of the time unfortunately due to how tight and limited the access is in on this engine. Best bet is to open the clamp as much as possible and wiggle it away from the front of the hose. After that, just tug on the hose work it a little bit to get it off of the radiator. You can do this by grabbing the hose by the throttle body.

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Continued in the next post.
 
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7. Locate the rear hose clamp for the upper radiator hose. This one is easy to remove due to accessibility. I apparently didn't take a before picture, but here is a glimpse at an after picture just so you can see where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine.

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8. Install the new upper radiator hose. Pull the hoses out of the package and compare them so you grab the correct hose. Remove the hose clamps from the old hose and slide them on each end about 4". I recommend dipping your finger into the coolant and lubricating the inside of each end of the hose to make them slide on easier. Don't forget to reconnect the intake hose.

Pic of the upper radiator hose installed.

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9. Locate the lower radiator hose. I started with the top hose clamp. It was accessible from the top of the engine bay. (you will need fairly small hands/forearms in order to do this) I was not completely accessible from this angle and had to work at it from underneath. Others may have better luck. That is the alternator on the left side of the picture.

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Upper hose clamp for the lower coolant hose as seen from underneath the car. (bottom of the picture is the front of the car)

Warning: A fair amount of coolant WILL come out upon disconnection of this hose!!!

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10. Locate the lower hose clamp for the lower coolant hose. I had a tough time trying to get the right angle in order to get this hose clamp off. Come to find out later from the insider
that you can pull off that smaller wire clamp closer to the radiator for quick release.

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11. Install the new lower radiator hose. Grab the remaining new hose. Remove the hose clamps from the old hose and slide them on each end about 4". I recommend dipping your finger into the coolant and lubricating the inside of each end of the hose to make them slide on easier.

Installed pic from underneath.





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12. Using a funnel, slowly pour the coolant back into the radiator from where you removed the radiator cap. Top off the a bit approximating what you may have lost in the removal process with some distilled water. The amount will be insignificant enough to not throw off your mix.
Do not forget to put the radiator cap back on!!!

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You are done!
 
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Awesome job bro


Thanks! :D

This install was actually quite rough due to how tight everything is. Tore my hands and forearms up in the process. Also, got a face, ear, and mouth full of coolant. :bleh:

Happy with the results, though!
 
Very nice DIY but I have a question do our cars have to be bleed or just refill and let idle?


I really do not know about the bleeding, but I have not had any problems since I have swapped the hoses.
 
Most cars, if not all should be bled after opening the coolant system. This usually means, running the car without the radiator cap and have a funnel in it allowing air pockets to burp out. Hold 2-3k rpms for 10-15 secs then idle. And repeat until you have sufficient heat coming out your vents inside at idle. Then cap the radiator.
 
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Most cars, if not all should be bled after opening the coolant system. This usually means, running the car without the radiator cap and have a funnel in it allowing air pockets to burp out. Hold 2-3k rpms for 10-15 secs then idle. And repeat until you have sufficient heat coming out your vents inside at idle. Then cap the radiator.


Not that I don't believe you silver04v, but can others chime in on this so I can add it to the steps if necessary? (and open mine up to do the same)
 
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Not that I don't believe you silver04v, but can others chime in on this so I can add it to the steps if necessary? (and open mine up to do the same)
Yeah, do we have fsms here on the site that could be referenced? I'm a technician for Nissan and this is basically a mandatory thing for proper cooling bleeding. Usually a car will eventually burp itself but you can get one every now and then that won't burp itself through the reservoir and will keep a air pocket leading to no heat inside car and or overheating engine.
 
So for my PRL Short ram intake they sent me a radiator hose similar to move the heated air away from the filter...I assume just follow these instructions to install that hose??
 
Yup! I installed the same hose and intake

Yeah I just wasnt comfortable bleeding the system, but with this DIY all should be good now. I will probably install next weekend. I am assuming we may need a DIY for that intake!
 
Yeah I just wasnt comfortable bleeding the system, but with this DIY all should be good now. I will probably install next weekend. I am assuming we may need a DIY for that intake!
The PRL SRI is super easy to install, you should be fine
 
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