Spectra Premium CU1290 Complete Radiator

This was actually a good buy

Perfect fit for a 1993 Del Sol SI D16Z6 with a manual transmission. I was initially concerned that I would have to buy threaded caps for the transmission cooler ports and then it dawned on me that there is no pressure on those lines anyway so the supplied rubber caps will be just fine. -1 star because of the packing where they put all the hardware in a bag on top of the fins which caused some minor damage. Only a handful of fins were bent in a small area, so not enough to affect cooling, but some better thought could have been put into the way they boxed it up.

This radiator is very close to being identical to the original.I've only put about 20 miles on it since installing, but so far no leaks.It was packaged well and was delivered without any damage.Do like I did and take the lower radiator hose off from the thermostat housing...makes the job a lot easier.It was easy to change...the only issues I ran into were the lower fan shroud bolts broke off in my old radiator, and as many have noted, the bolts that this replacement radiator ships with are worthless since they're too long.I tried to figure out if I could use the black pieces to make the bolts work in some way, but gave up.I put the two good upper bolts into the less accessible lower positions, and used zip-ties in the top holes until I can get replacements at the local orange home improvement store. If anyone needs specs on replacement bolts, they're M6-1.0 X 16mm.As others have noted, although pictured with one, this radiator doesn't include a cap. It's not a big deal...my original cap is probably better than what they'd supply anyways.My only real complaint so far (other than the useless bolts) is that the neck of the radiator doesn't allow the tabs on my cap to be straight (aligned horizontally to the car) when fully tightened. If you're OCD about mechanical things like me, that's irritating. You've got to wonder why Spectra couldn't get this detail correct.

My old radiator burst just under the fill neck and I replaced it with this one. The fit was good, installation went fine, no leaks from the core. Then I had problems: fluid leaking out of the radiator cap, hose to the cabin heater core popping off, heater return hose leaking, upper hose bursting, and even without obvious problems like those, I would have have to top it off every couple of drives. For some part I suspect fluid might have been leaking onto the hot engine somewhere, so the evidence was literally evaporating. Except for the more catastrophic events, I never found fluid on the ground under the car.I finally noticed that the overflow spout was a blind hole. There was no path for fluid to pass to the overflow tank. Putting it all together, the problem was the system was over pressurizing.I attempted to drill out the spout by hand as I could not fit my drill with the radiator installed and ended up drilling too far, through the seating surface for the lower gasket on the cap. (I turned a drill bit with a pair of pliers while pushing with my hand and was so focused on that process that I didn't realize how far I had gone.) Of course, now the pathway was open, but it was always open so the system cannot pressurize, which you also don't want. I then used gas tank patch to rebuild the seating surface just to confirm that the problem of loosing coolant went away, which it has.I'm debating whether to buy this one again. Despite the problem with the overflow spout, I know it fits properly and otherwise it seems like a good product. Even if the next one has the same problem with the blind overflow spout, I could drill it more carefully this time as I would do so before installing it and would have more control. I would feel even better if the seller told us we would have to do this. Comparing prices and with all else equal, I might like to save $15 off the nearest competitor if the only difference was I had to drill this hole.Regardless, I wanted to leave this review in case I could get a response from the seller to confirm, and to share my experience with other purchasers. I noticed one other reviewer specifically mentioned this problem, but I wonder if others who are reporting leaks from the cap might have the same problem. Are you adding fluid regularly? Do you smell coolant? Does it seem like your system is over pressurizing?UPDATE January 13, 2023 - The lower joint between the plastic and aluminum has failed. I hadn’t driven it in awhile and drove it after jumping the dead battery. Not sure whether it failed at that moment or had already failed and drained all fluid without me noticing. I suspect the former as the temperature gauge appeared normal until after about 10 minutes of driving.

Ordered this for a 98 LX that my friends son owns. His original radiator had failed where the end caps meet the core. I installed this one in less than 20 minutes. Perfect fit!The following info is for the manual transmission the auto has two transmission fluid cooling lines that need to be disconnected. Also iif your hoses are more than a couple years old you should replace them in this process along with the thermostat. Oh and one more thing don't leave any antifreeze on the ground as pets find it tasty and it can kill them.Couple of tips for the do it yourself crowd. Pull the overflow bottles hose off of the nipple just under the radiator cap. Now pull the plastic overflow tank up and out of the way it might be a bit stubborn but it's not affixed with any screws and should slide out of its mount. Disconnect the top hose at the radiator and losen the connection on the same hose at the moter so it can be rotated out of the way. Now disconnect the bottom hose at the motor not the radiator leave that connection alone. Unplug the fan connector on the upper left and then loosen the hold down clamp top center. The whole unit fan assembly and all should now lift right out. Lay it on the ground next to the new unit and transfer the fan, rubber ISO mounts and bottom hose over using the old unit as a template. Reverse the steps for assembly and fill with a 50/50 mix of antifreeze. Fill the plastic overflow tank to the cold level indicated on the side of the tank. Start the car and let it reach operating temperature (the fan comes on) and then turn it off and let it cool completely before removing the cap to check the fluid level. NEVER take the radiator cap off of a warm engine.

I use this radiator in my car. but it didn't arrived complete as it is suppose to be. as it was on the list when I order it, this should come with a radiator cap. but I didn't get it. And the worst is I order it in June 8th 2020, and I got it in July 2nd. the 2 bolts that come with it was too long and I can't use it. I have to use my old cap which still holding 14 psi pressure, and buy the new bolt of the right size for the shroud and fan.

Great product, paid 24$ shippping, got item less than 20 hours, super happy because i needed the radiator ASAP for a great price 73$ + 24$. The radiator fit perfectly in my 94 manual civic. The only thing shocked me was the bolts were lengthy, i had to rruse the old bolts from the old radiator to fit with the new nuts that came with the package. : ) my only concern is instead of buying from a third party distributor i rather buy the products packed and ship directly from the amazon warehouse for extra liability purpose.

Replaces the cracked radiator in a Civic. No adapters needed. Great product, doing it's job just fine. No leaks and defects noticed. Comparable to buying brand new at Honda. If I had to buy another radiator I would choose this brand for sure. Shipping was super quick and the packaging was secure. No issues. Would recommend to anyone.

This is not a good product. The rad piping is too small in diameter for stock hoses. So, it will leak for sure. Even with clamping. Now I have to modify this. Or return this as defective. Not impressed at all. Its advertised as OEM replacement.

It fits perfectly.