How to Check Coolant 2003-11 Honda Element

Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. We've been selling auto parts for over thirty years!

Hey everyone. Sue here at 1A Auto, and today we're going to be looking at a 2006 Honda Element. We're going to be checking all the fluids, and the fluids that go in the vehicle by the manufacturer's specifications.

Your radiator cap is located here, that's where the radiator fluid is inside the radiator, but there's an overflow tank which is right here. So if the engine's hot, this is where you're looking. You're not going to open that radiator cap, you're going to open up this overflow cover. And this hose goes all the way down, but if you look on the side of the tank. You might not be able to see it, but there's a 'Max' line, and way down there, there's a 'Minimal'.

So what I like to do is use a flashlight. Take a flashlight and get it down into this area and it will show me the fluid level, and I know that when it's down at the bottom, at that bottom line, that's where it should be when this car is cold. When it's hot, after I've been running it for a couple of hours, it'll rise up to the higher level. And that's where you want it to be. If you've been driving your car for a couple of hours and you come out here and look in that tank and it's down to 'Minimal', you're low on fluid. You can top it off right in there. Fill it up to the high line, because it's hot.

If you ever want to check your radiator, only time to open this is after the car has been sitting. I like to say first thing in the morning, before you even start it. You know there's no pressure in it, it's not hot. Push down, turn counter clockwise, take your cover off, and there's your fluid. This is full. To replace it, you just place it down, it's got those two lock ears on it, you have one ear there, one ear there. Place it, line it up, twist it clockwise.

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