Civic radiator(back from the dead)

[Adorsey]

I did this.

Just found a npt fitting that used the drain threads on the radiator.
Dremeled out the inside walls of the piece so it was not so steep. And screwed the stock sensor into it as shown.
Your easieset option, without any $ would be to just use a temp sensor on the t-stat housing, like mr. mitsu had said. And then just wire it in, within the loom.
Good Luck

 

[OMFGeofffff]

What's the specifics on that adapter? Is the thread size for the sensor M16x1.5? I tried looking everywhere for an adapter with m16 female and any sort of npt male(specifically 1/8"). What's the size for the drain hole on the radiator? Also, wouldn't putting the sensor in the tstat housing cause my engine to run hotter before my fan turns on? I'm down for putting it up there but I'm just worried about the difference in temperature is whether it be put before or after the radiator.

 

[Adorsey]

I don't remember the spec's really. I took the plug for the drain plug to ACE alone with the sensor. And found a matchup. That Allowed me to take material out, to allow me to thread in the fitting without interference.
Its a Megan Racing radiator.

 

[Adorsey]

If anything it would only be a few degrees between when you're fan would turn on. If it gets your car running then it shouldn't be a problem. What degree is you're thermostat? I have a 180* with a 1/8" hole drilled in it to slow warm up time. Never see over 190*.

Why 1/8"npt? Your best bet would be to just find one that fits.
Check Ace hardware or another local parts store, you might come out a winner. Lol

 

[doelcow]

I used the drain plug like him but I bought a 37/64" drill bit, a 3/8" npt tap, and a SPAL 195-TS (on at 195, off at 175):





The 2.5" civic radiator







I re-drilled the front cross-member and put bushings in:





and bought a FAL shroud fan for the radiator:





The SPAL thermoswitch switches ground just like our stock ones so I wired it into the harness fabbed up a quick upper bracket for it and Voila:

 

[mitsuturbo]

At what temp do our stock switches kick the fan on?

I made lower bracketing for my radiator when i installed it, but i didnt put rubber grommets in yet, as it was just to get me back to Seattle when i did it. I didnt put a lot of miles on it without the rubber grommets, and for good reason. I'll be fabbing a new setup for 555, but it will be very similar and it will have rubber incorporated into the mounts. It looks like your radiator will sit at quite an angle the way you've done it.. i'm actually surprised with that elevation that the hood still shuts.

The fan and shroud look fantastic. What thermostat are you running? Where did you get the spal switch, and is there a variety of temps to select from?

 

[doelcow]

The reason it's at that angle is because under my hood is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. That was the only way it would clear the turbo, intercooler piping etc. It clears the hood by about 1/2" (it's a cf hood... I don't know if the underneath of it is the same as stock). The SPAL switch was an ebay item.

click

They're readily available all over the place. I believe they are just available with a 195 or a 185 cut on. My temp. sensor is on the thermostat housing and it reads about 210 when the switch kicks over (obviously the temp is different at the drain plug of the radiator). I'm running a stock thermostat. I thought about shrouding the sides of the radiator to the front of the car but I've never seen temperatures high enough to make my eyes widen. The only thing that I don't like is that my alternator is on the fritz and when the fan cuts on it sucks a lot of juice (freakin 1250 cfm fan).

 

to be completely honest. i bypassed that sensor when i put my fan in. i wanted my fan on 100% with the key on. (so unless you dont want that dont do what i did) and i looped the two wires with a jumper wire(i did not cut the harness as that is stupid incase i ever wanted to reuse the snesor) i then taped the whole clip with teh jumper wire inserted into the clips pins. i tucked it away to the side of my radiator and now have 100%fan with key on, and i can still use my drain plug on my radiator.

 

[Adorsey]

stock radiator?

 

[dsmtalontsi95]

Do you have a link to where you got that radiator from?

 

[Adorsey]

Me?

 

[dsmtalontsi95]

Sorry no, doelcow,

 

Quoting Adorsey:
stock radiator?


no aluminum civic radiator.

 

[92GVR4num65]

bump....also interested in where to find a halfsize honda rad...everyone i find is full size or 2" and they say at least 2.5" is needed. im not planning on running AC so would a 2" w a good 14" pull work?

 

[vtecds1]

^^^You might want to check out Garfields site. I`ve searched all over and there are only 2 places that I found that carries the 2.5". One of them is Garfield.

 

[thecman02]

Yeah I'm running a koyo 2.5" radiator, and a FAL FAN. Keeps up with the temps on all but the hottest days with the AC on 95*F up, and that's with a 50/50 coolant mix. I switched to 20/80water with an additive package to prevent corrosion and seal damage and it ran perfect.

 

[vtecds1]

Someone had mentioned that I can use one of the sensors from the Thermostat housing but I can't figure out which one to use. Do I replace it with the sensor that was on the lower passenger side of the radiator, or do I hack into the wiring? How much of a difference(time wise and temp) if I do this. I've tried Ace hardware and cannot seem to find the right fitting or tap size to place it on the drain hole. Please explain as this is the only thing I need to do so that I can finish the car...Thanks.

 

[mr.mitsu]

I replaced the sensor in the lower half (the one with the nipples plugged). I used a stock fan switch.
Works fine for me. I've also wired a switch to turn them on at will /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Good luck

 

[vtecds1]

Thank you sir...now I just have to wire it in.

 

[fastfalcon94]

here's my civic radiator. I am going go move it to the center soon so I can route my passenger side IC piping up by it, and free up space so I can put my foglights in.