Originally Posted by v.tew

The short: It's in and not leaking.

The long: The new radiator came new ATF fixtures that I had to bolt on to the radiator. I used those, but they leaked because I didn't tighten them enough. I pulled the radiator (again, always got to do things twice) and tightened them up with a bigger crescent.

Too big, in fact. One of them tore, if you can believe it. Luckily it didn't strip the male half sticking out of the radiator. At that point, I replaced them with the ATF fixtures from the old radiator.

The new ones were wimpy, like a thin bolt with a small cone on top of it. And the pipe seemed grainy and thin. (I'll get post some pictures later this week.) The old ones, which I think came off a Honda radiator, were beefier. The bolt was thicker and it became the cone. They were much easier to tighten and instilled much more confidence that they were going to hold.

I'll bet the Honda radiator (from hondapartsnow.com for $233) will have the ATF fixtures installed and tightened to spec. The Spectra Premium I got from AutoZone (for $128) didn't. Might with worth the extra money just for that.

Anyhoo, it's all back together for tomorrow (which was the goal.) Thanks for all the help.

--
Tim


PS: Here's some info I got from Spectrum Premium on installing the ATF hose barbs:

• Reasonable torque spec is between 15-20 foot/pounds
• When installing the fittings on the cooler, use thread sealant like those from Permatex or Kleen flow (tape or liquid)
• Look closely, if it is leaking around the fitting nut, remove it from radiator and look at the flare for any wrinkle. If there's a wrinkle, get another accesory pack (ACPK235) through the dealer that you bought the radiator.