The upper hose neck on my original radiator cracked and snapped off this weekend. I can't really complain after 13 years and 149,000 miles. But I need to replace it ASAP and I can't break the bank. This has become my daily driver again and it gets autocross and light track (1-2 times a year) duty. I agree with the idea that the OEM rads are plenty sufficient for this car and I have never experienced high temp issues even at extended track sessions in high heat conditions. I'm still looking at other options, though.
Koyo all-aluminum rads and Fluidyne are out of my price range, unless I can find them cheap. Mishimoto looks good at $225, shipped, with cap and plug. Not Koyo quality, though. CXRacing ($152) and Blackworks ($188) offer the EXACT same radiator as Mishimoto, but they do not pressure test them as Mishimoto does (twice) and they do not offer the Mishimoto unconditional warranty (replace even if in an accident).
I think fitiment of these larger units will be ok with the stock fans, but I'm more worried about leaking. I don't want a 2-year radiator after the OEM one served me 13 years with no problems. It is just a radiator.
Any thoughts? Not a lot of info about Preludes and radiators out there.
Last edited by leftbrain99; 03-08-2010 at 11:16 AM.
I used one from radiatorbarn.com they were the cheapest and have a life time warrenty with free shipping. It's been in my car for about 2 months and works fine
I had a CXRacing radiator in my S14, after I snapped the water neck as well. All in all, it was a radiator. I honestly felt like it didn't cool as well as my OEM unit, though. My fans (Dual 12" flex-a-lite FAL-220) came on a lot more often. And it made working on the car a pain in the ass, cause the aluminum end tanks would stay hot for what seemed like DAYS.
Unless I buy used, I'm looking at $350 for a new Toyo OEM or $225 for a Mishimoto. I mostly want a radiator I can feel confident will get me another 100K+ miles at the best price. The OEM knock-offs don't really inspire that confidence from me, though I'm sure they work just as well.
Interesting about the aluminum rads taking so long to cool down, I guess not really surprising. Wouldn't covering it with a good shop blanket do the trick, though?
Well, I picked up the Mishimoto radiator this past weekend and installed it Friday night / Saturday morning. It was not difficult, though it was a tight fit with the stock fans.
The pass-side fan shroud comes in contact with the engine mount, so used a file to make clearance room. Also, the shroud butts up against part of the battery mount, so I trimmed part of the shroud there, too. I had to trim the fan blades as well. I used a pair of snippers for that. This would be a much cleaner/quicker install with the slim fan assembly. I didn't feel like spending the extra $185 bucks right now, though. Oh, and the lower hose was a PITA. The last problem was after assembly, getting the clamp back on and noticing that the clamp could not clear the fan shroud, either. So I loosened the fan shroud bolts and slid it up a bit, installed the lower hose and clamp, then repositioned the fan shroud and tightened the bolts. I learned everything the hard way. Maybe someone will read this and not have to do everything two or three times to get it right.
My only complaint with the radiator is that it was damaged out of the box. One side was pretty badly dented. I don't see any reason that it would affect performance, though and I needed to get my car running so I opted to put it in and deal with it later if it was a problem. It just surprised me because I chose Mishimoto for their lifetime, no questions asked warranty, and because they pressure test these things. If that much care is put into delivering a good product, how did I get one with such a blemish? As long as it's not leaking, though, I can deal with it.
So far it runs fine, no leaks. I have not even been able to get the fan to come on, yet. I've left the car running for over an hour. I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong with the fan control. I have to keep an eye on it.
Last edited by leftbrain99; 03-08-2010 at 11:17 AM.
I just ordered my mishimoto radiator Friday. But i got the 2 slim fans with it so i wouldnt be able to comment on space. My friend has been running a mishimoto on his 2J swapped s14 for 2 yrs now with a turbo upgrade and no problems. And thats here in TX summers.
Absolutely. I've been meaning to snap shots while it was light out, but I just ran out now with my phone. Sorry for the crappy quality and lighting. It's raining, too. Oh, and the engine bay is dirty.
But the radiator looks good, especially across from a Spoon ST bar. Pics from all angles, the two trying to show where the trim work needs to be done with stock fans - the shroud near the front engine mount and the shroud near the battery mount, and the tips of the fan blades. You can make that look nicer than I did.
Then two shots of the radiator when I unpacked it. It was damaged in packing or shipping. No problems with it and I needed to get my car running, so I didn't bother getting it replaced. I sent Mishimoto the photos and they said I could have made a warranty claim.
same this happened to me this morning
mishimoto or oem *sigh*
personally i do not like the way that aftermarket radiator sits in that 5th gen. I splurged and bought a OEM for $295. first one was damaged on delivery. majestic took it back surprisingly easy.
No problems with my Mishimoto. I still have not broken down and purchased the slim fan kit. The OEM fans needed some "modifications" to fit in the engine bay with the bigger radiator.
That said, functionally, a radiator is a radiator. I'd probably be happier with a $100 OEM knockoff than a $300 plastic radiator from Honda, but they all work the same. The knockoff might leak a few years before the OEM one does, but for a third the price... You have to weigh all the factors.
Yea.. Im not in any position to comment on Hondas vs. aftermarket. But pracitally and doing any modification to fit my current fans and aftermarket.. Was not something I want to do. I just wanna drop it in and forget it.
I kind of got stuck into replacing the radiator. I was sitting on some oem hoses for the longest time and wanted to just throw them on. My original radiator was started to get petina at the top. So when trying to slide off my the top hose the radiator neck snapped off.
Then I get a radiator from Honda with damaged cooling fins. I figured it would be alright to run, and it ended up leaking.
yeah... i didn't want to put another plastic radiator in... i haven't gotten the slim fans yet but i did order the mishimoto radiator and trans oil cooler. this still ended up a little cheaper than getting an oem from honda. the cooling system has been a problem for awhile now with hoses blowing and having them replaced. thermistat going out... mishimoto hoses and radiator is what's going in now.
Srry I know this is kind of old but I had a quick question
So my oem rad went now I need to replace it im thinking of a mishimoto but my problem is I have a 97 prelude sh 5speeds as you all know the sh has an automatic rad for atts so how could I install the mishimoto rad with atts should I run a trans cooler and if so any suggestions???
thanks ahead for any help
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