I can't locate my Owner's Manual, and searches are not turning up anything.

What is the total coolant capacity of the 2nd Gen. Fit? It's time for me to replace the coolant.

Thanks.

P.S. Is there a DIY for coolant replacement?


EDIT: 3.8 US qt, 3.2 Imp qt?

 

I drained the radiator, over-flow tank, and engine drain plug...used just over a gallon of mixed coolant.

 

Where is the engine drain plug? Was it difficult to remove?


EDIT: Here? http://hondafitjazz.com/manual3/ under Coolant Replacement.

 

Job complete. I never found the coolant drain plug on the engine or a bleeder valve, so here's what I did.

Opened the radiator petcock and drained coolant. Also emptied coolant reservoir.
Replaced with distilled water. Reservoir and radiator took less than 1 gallon.
Ran engine for three on-off cycles of the radiator fan and drained reservoir and radiator of distilled water.
Refilled with Honda Type 2 Coolant. Took less than a gallon.

The next morning, the engine had sucked approx. 3/4 of the coolant out of the coolant reservoir, which was about what I expected. Topped off reservoir.

If I figure out where the coolant drain plug on the engine is, I'll drain from there as well next time.

 

Here is the issue of using distilled water and then using the Honda pre-mixed coolant. Since you didn't open the engine coolant drain plug, you left in a fair amount of distilled water. And since the Honda coolant is already pre-mixed at 50/50...you're now putting that into a system that contains some water. End result is a system that has less than a 50/50 mix.

Don't flush the system with water if you're not going to drain the entire system.

 

Good point, Spacecoast. That was the trade-off I made at the time. At my next oil change, I may try to bring up the ratio by draining the radiator again and refilling with coolant mix. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on the freezing-overheating.


P.S. So, show me where the engine drain plug is why don't you?

 

i use a spill-free funnel by lisle. u can burp the system right then and there so dat u dont have to keep adding coolant later.

as far as that little amount of coolant left in the block, i dont care. i only drain the radiator and the reservoir.

 

I drained my rad, refilled with distilled water and opened the heater, let it run for 30 minutes until good and hot, drained, refilled again with distilled water and repeated the process. Next, knowing there was water only left in the system I added 3 litres of concentrated Asian rated long life coolant giving me approx. a 60/40 mix, drained the overflow tank, washed it and put a mix into that , ran for20 minutes to burp the rad and then put the cap back on. Done. It took 2 hours but it saved a lot of shop money.

 

You're much better off just removing the block drain bolt, removing all system coolant, and then filling with either a 50/50 premix, or you own coolant/distilled water mix. I think you are guessing as to what amount of water was left over in the system. You may have too strong of a coolant mix.

 

My drain on the block was replaced with a Honda Block Heater so draining the block is not possible and after the first drain and two flushes with two gallons of distilled water whatever was left in the system was very diluted - like cheap whiskey at an all - inclusive Mexican resort. Maybe not perfect but affordable.

 

I do as classics does, only with distilled water and Honda premix, which means my final coolant mix is probably a little on the diluted side. If I could find the block bolt, I might consider opening it. On the other hand, I've ripped the heads off of bolts like those . . . I don't need the aggravation, know what I mean?

 

The coolant drain plug is on the backside of the block on the Gen2s and, in my experience, was so difficult to access that I left it alone. You can't see it from any angle without removing the upper and lower cowls as if you are preparing to work your spark plugs. Doing that, you can see it from above and can probably work it. But removing the cowls is a pain and you'll likely break a bunch of the cowl mounting clips in the process.

You can feel the drain plug from below, but getting a breaker bar on it from below will be difficult (assuming the wrench is set on the right bolt, which you can't see) and getting a torque wrench properly set upon the bolt from below with an unencumbered swing might be impossible.

Having written this, I'm no mechanic and others have somehow eased through it. For me, accessing and removing the plug to drain a small amount of coolant from the block isn't worth the effort unless perhaps you are working your spark plugs too. Here's its location:








Honda Fit Gen2 Coolant Drain Plug Location

 

Thanks, Alco. I agree. These block drain bolts are inevitably too difficult to deal with.

Honda did the same thing to us with the MT transmission drain and fill. If you are using pneumatic wrenches, you may be able to do the job. I do my MT fluids with hand tools, and, I gotta tell ya, I can barely reach the bolts. It really sucks. [You listening, Honda? I said it sucks.]

 

[QUOTE=Mister Coffee;1318177]I can't locate my Owner's Manual, and searches are not turning up anything.

What is the total coolant capacity of the 2nd Gen. Fit? It's time for me to replace the coolant.

Thanks.

P.S. Is there a DIY for coolant replacement?

1 Gal is more than enough. I use Evans waterless coolant. Drain the system and unhook rad hose, put mouth on radiator openng, blow air until more old cooland comes out. Do not use any water or flush. Refill with the Evans. Best heat protection you can get and zero corrosion. No more replaing radiators and pumps and heater cores. All Honda;s run hot. Jay Leno's garage turned me on to this. The Evans cooland can also be re-used. It will last 10 years easy.


EDIT: 3.8 US qt, 3.2 Imp qt?[/QUO1 Gal is more than enough. I use Evans waterless coolant. Drain the system and unhook rad hose, put mouth on radiator openng, blow air until more old cooland comes out. Do not use any water or flush. Refill with the Evans. Best heat protection you can get and zero corrosion. No more replaing radiators and pumps and heater cores. All Honda;s run hot. Jay Leno's garage turned me on to this. The Evans cooland can also be re-used. It will last 10 years easy.

 

[QUOTE=Mister Coffee;1318177]I can't locate my Owner's Manual, and searches are not turning up anything.

What is the total coolant capacity of the 2nd Gen. Fit? It's time for me to replace the coolant.

Thanks.

P.S. Is there a DIY for coolant replacement?

1 Gal is more than enough. I use Evans waterless coolant. Drain the system and unhook rad hose, put mouth on radiator openng, blow air until more old cooland comes out. Do not use any water or flush. Refill with the Evans. Best heat protection you can get and zero corrosion. No more replaing radiators and pumps and heater cores. All Honda;s run hot. Jay Leno's garage turned me on to this. The Evans cooland can also be re-used. It will last 10 years easy.


EDIT: 3.8 US qt, 3.2 Imp qt?[/QUO1 Gal is more than enough. I use Evans waterless coolant. Drain the system and unhook rad hose, put mouth on radiator openng, blow air until more old cooland comes out. Do not use any water or flush. Refill with the Evans. Best heat protection you can get and zero corrosion. No more replaing radiators and pumps and heater cores. All Honda;s run hot. Jay Leno's garage turned me on to this. The Evans cooland can also be re-used. It will last 10 years easy.

 

1 Gal is more than enough. I use Evans waterless coolant. Drain the system and unhook rad hose, put mouth on radiator openng, blow air until more old cooland comes out. Do not use any water or flush. Refill with the Evans. Best heat protection you can get and zero corrosion. No more replaing radiators and pumps and heater cores. All Honda;s run hot. Jay Leno's garage turned me on to this. The Evans cooland can also be re-used. It will last 10 years easy.

No need to use rear drain plug. I never fuck with it. I drain the radior pleg at bottom. Blow air in with mouth with top or bottom hose lose. Get as much old coolant out as you can. Then fill with Evans. Now your FIT will run nice and cool. No more blown head gaskets. No more bad heater cores.