I'd like to drain the coolant out of my 96 Accord radiator and the engine block. How many gallons of coolant do I need for this job?

I was thinking of getting 3 gallons of the store brand stuff. Doesn't seem like I need Honda antifreeze for this.

 

Pretty sure it's less than 2 gallons total. So you'll need 1 gallon of normal stuff or 2 gallons of "pre-mix 50/50" stuff.

 

Every year I have to flush the coolant out of my 94 LX race car. In the fall I drain the radiator and it takes 1 gallon of coolant to refill...

YMMV

 

I have a 97 Accord, and according to the Honda maintenance manual for the 94-97 model years it lists the coolant change capacity including engine, radiator, reservoir and heater core as follows:

MT-2.9 quarts
AT-2.7 quarts.

Does not seem like much to me, as 2.9 quarts is almost 3/4 of a gallon. As JB mentioned maybe you just buy 2 gallons and if you only use 1, return the other for a refund.

Hope this helps!

 

Wow, that's smaller than I thought. I had a 1998 so it's the next generation, but I didn't realize it was that much different.

For 1998 the total capacity was about 6 or 7 quarts. Drain/fill was probably about 4 or 5 quarts if you don't remove the drain bolt in the back side of the block.

 

Cooling capacity (including engine, heater, cooling line, and reservoir):

MT - 7.4 U.S. quarts for overhaul; 5.7 U.S. quarts for coolant change

AT - 7.3 U.S. quarts for overhaul; 5.6 U.S. quarts for coolant change

 

RB,

You are correct, and very sorry for any confusion. My numbers were listed under the radiator replacement section, which also includes the reservoir. I went back to the manual coolant section and it lists "total system capacity" at 7.4 quarts (MT) and 7.3 quarts (AT), as you mentioned in your reply.

Thanks for the clarification,

Have a great weekend!!

 

So I guess that means I only need 2 gallons. Nice!