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On the 5th-gen CR-V this is one of the friendlier jobs under the car. Drop the plastic under-engine shield with a 10 mm socket and a trim tool, turn the plastic petcock at the lower driver-side corner of the radiator by hand, and about 3.5 L comes out. There is no bleed screw and no special procedure — you refill through the radiator neck with a no-spill funnel and idle it with the heater on full until the cooling fan cycles twice.
The thing people get wrong is treating a radiator drain as a full coolant change. Roughly 40% of the coolant stays in the block, heater core and (on the turbo) the turbo lines. The 2.4 L has a block drain bolt that gets most of the rest out; the 1.5 L turbo does not, so if the old coolant is dirty you either do two drains a week apart or have it machine-exchanged. The other common mistake is cranking the petcock shut with pliers and cracking it.
| Item | Type | Product search |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel chocks Keeps the car from moving while the front is raised. | Safety | search retailer |
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum Raises the front end to reach the underbody splash shield and drain. | Required | search retailer |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair, under front subframe jack points Supports the vehicle while you work underneath. | Safety | search retailer |
| Socket wrench 3/8 in drive ratchet Drives the splash shield and block drain sockets. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket 10 mm 6-point, 3/8 in drive Removes the under-engine splash shield bolts. | Required | search retailer |
| Clip / trim removal tool Plastic pry tool set Pops the plastic push-rivets holding the splash shield without breaking them. | Required | search retailer |
| Drain pan 6 L / 6 qt low-profile Catches coolant from the radiator petcock. | Required | search retailer |
| Needle-nose pliers Handy for the reservoir hose clamp and stubborn petcock tab. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Socket 14 mm 6-point, 3/8 in drive (2.4 K24W block drain) Opens the engine block drain bolt on 2.4 L models for a fuller change — verify size on your engine before buying. | Recommended | search retailer |
| No-spill coolant funnel kit Universal radiator neck adapter set Lets air burp out of the radiator neck without spilling or airlocking the system. | Required | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 5-60 Nm range Sets the splash shield and block drain bolts without stripping aluminum or plastic. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Turkey baster or fluid syringe Empties the old coolant out of the overflow reservoir. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Infrared thermometer or OBD2 scan tool Reads ECT live data Confirms the thermostat opened and the fan cycled so the system is fully bled. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Honda Type 2 coolant Blue premixed 50/50, 2 x 1 US gal is plenty Correct low-silicate, phosphate-free formula for Honda aluminum engines; do not use green IAT. | Parts | search retailer |
| Distilled water 1 gal For flushing and rinsing spills; never use tap water in the system. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Radiator drain plug / O-ring Honda radiator petcock assembly Cheap insurance — the plastic petcock is brittle and often weeps or snaps after years. | Parts | search retailer |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Coolant is toxic and hot coolant can scald. | Safety | search retailer |
| Shop rags / absorbent pads Coolant spills onto the subframe and crossmember during draining. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Coolant disposal jug Sealable 4-6 L container Old coolant must go to a recycling center, not a drain. | Consumables | search retailer |
1.5 L turbo (L15BE): radiator petcock and 10 mm shield bolts only, no accessible block drain, so a single drain is partial. 2.4 L K24W: same radiator drain plus a block drain bolt at the rear of the block for a more complete change — confirm the head size (commonly 14 mm) and its torque in the manual. 2020-2022 Hybrid (LFA 2.0): the engine loop drains the same way, but there is a second PCU/inverter loop with its own reservoir and electric pump that is filled and bled separately, usually with the Honda diagnostic tool.
| Under-engine splash shield bolts (10 mm head) | about 9 Nm (7 ft-lb) — snug only, they thread into clips |
| Radiator drain plug (petcock) | Hand-tight only, do not use a tool |
| Engine block drain bolt (2.4 L K24W) | verify in the service manual |
| Radiator cap | Hand-tight to the stop |
Honda Type 2 blue premixed 50/50 long-life coolant. It is phosphate-free and silicate-free for Honda's aluminum engines and plastic radiator end tanks; universal green or the wrong OAT can shorten water pump seal life.
Total system capacity is roughly 5 to 6 L depending on engine, but a radiator-only drain takes back only about 3.5 L. Buy two gallons of premix so you have enough to top off later, and verify the exact capacity in the service manual.
At the lower driver-side corner of the radiator, reachable once the under-engine splash shield is off. It is a plastic petcock you turn counter-clockwise by hand two or three turns — never with a wrench.
Leave a no-spill funnel on the radiator neck full of coolant, set the heater to max heat, and idle the engine until the radiator fan cycles on and off twice, topping up as the level drops. Then cap it, fill the reservoir to MAX and recheck cold the next day.