The Honda CR-V is a fantastic car. Whether you have a 2.0L B20 as offered in the 1997-1991 CR-V, K24A1 engine from the 2002-2006 CR-V, or K24Z1 from 2007-2009, you have a car with a fantastic drivetrain. What many customers find themselves frustrated with is the cooling system.
You see, the CR-V shipped with a radiator that is small. It does an adequate job of cooling but it works very, very hard. Not only does it have to cool the engine, but it has to cool the transmission as well – and many people pull small boats and trailers with their CR-V, which the vehicle wasn’t designed for.
The most common place a CR-V radiator fails is on the tanks. Located at the top and bottom of the radiator itself, the tanks are typically made of plastic. Plastic is definitely able to do the job, but it just doesn’t handle heat over time as well as metal. Further, when you use a plastic tank against aluminum, you have to seal and crimp the tank to the core. This just provides an area for the radiator to leak at some point in the future.
The answer to this problem is an all aluminum radiator. Let me say one thing before I go any further. You don’t need an aluminum radiator. Plastic tank, aluminum core radiators do the job fine, and the failures are very small. But that said, I almost never see failures on all aluminum radiators.
So what makes an all aluminum radiator better?
First, the all aluminum radiator has the tank welded to the core. Solid metal, not a sealer, prevents leaks. Secondly, aluminum is a lot stronger than plastic, meaning that the chance of the tank cracking is minimalized.
You might expect to pay more for something this much better, but the price differences are usually minimal. For example for a 1997-2001 CR-V radiator, one online retailer currently has about a $21.77 difference. That is money well spent!
Tags: adequate job, aluminum core, aluminum radiator, aluminum radiators, cooling system, cracking, drivetrain, engine, honda cr v, leaks, online retailer, plastic tank, price differences, radiator, radiators, small boats, top and bottom, transmission, vehicle