The 1989 model year was the second year of the fourth generation of the popular compact vehicle. The 1989 Civic came fitted with two engine sizes: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder. The 1.5-liter engine cranked out 62 to 92 horsepower, and the 1.6-liter engine -- only available in Si models -- produced 108 horsepower. The cooling system on the 1989 Civic used a single fan mounted behind the radiator to lower the temperature of the coolant. This process keeps the engine's temperature within a safe range. The fan motor is included as a part of the entire fan assembly, and you need to replace the entire assembly when this motor fails.
Instructions
- 1
Raise the front of the Civic and position jack stands under the Civic's subframe. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Place a drain pan under the radiator drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. Remove the radiator drain plug, using a ratchet and socket, and allow the coolant to drain into the drain pan.
2Reinstall the drain plug once the coolant stops flowing from the radiator. Tighten the radiator drain plug with a ratchet and socket.
3Raise the Civic off the jack stands, with a floor jack, and remove the jack stands from under the vehicle. Lower the car to the ground.
4Loosen the hose clamp on the radiator side of the upper radiator hose with a Phillips screwdriver. Pull the upper radiator hose from the radiator with a slight wiggling motion.
5Unplug the wiring harness plugging into the rear of the radiator fan assembly by pressing the locking button and pulling the harness from the fan assembly wiring.
6Remove the two bolts located on top of the radiator fan with a ratchet and socket. Pull the radiator fan from the engine compartment -- notice the bottom of the fan sits on two pins on the lower radiator support beam.
7Set a new fan assembly on in the engine compartment so that the notches on the bottom of the fan rest on the pins on the lower radiator support beam. Tighten the two radiator fan bolts to 7 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and socket.
8Plug the wiring harness into the receptacle on the fan assembly.
9Reattach the upper radiator hose to the radiator and tighten the hose clamp with a Phillips screwdriver.
10Start the Civic's engine and fill the radiator with 50-50 premixed ethylene glycol-based (green) coolant until the level reaches the bottom of the radiator filler neck.
11Allow the engine to reach operating temperature -- about halfway up the temperature gauge on the dashboard. Add 50-50 ethylene glycol-based (green) coolant each time the coolant level drops -- the level drops as air bleeds from the system. Civics equipped with a manual transmission have a coolant capacity of one gallon, and automatic-equipped Civics have a 1.1-gallon capacity.
12Tighten the radiator cap and shut the engine down once the coolant level remains steady.
13Take the old coolant to a used automotive fluid recycling center. Many auto parts stores take old fluids free of charge.
