• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

My Radiator vs "The Winter"

A

ajoliver2010

New member
I have a 97 se with 110k. I have never touched the coolant ever. I had the car for about 3 years so far. Opened the cap one day and discovered that the imfamous brown sludge was on the bottom of the cap and at the top of the filler neck. I just need instructions on how to drain & flush my baby because i have no confidence in believing that it will last another tough winter we havent seen yet. I was thinking of buying a radiator flush cleaner. What do you guys think? Thank you
 


Also a side note: the coolant is the only thing im nervous about touching but i'd rather do it myself and save $$$ if you know what i mean
 
there is a couple threads on how to do this. i myself need to do it on mine, but the coolant in my engine in green but reservoir and rad is brown sludgy dex.
 
In my experience from having done this...

With the time, energy, and chemicals it takes to do this yourself...

Take it in and get it professionally done.
 
To nuke the entire site from orbit 'cause it's the only way to be sure:

1) Replace the radiator, hoses, and coolant bottle. Don't be surprised if the heater core springs a leak in the future and needs replaced too.

1a) Do a LIM gasket as even if you have an aluminum one. Dexcool eats aluminum.

2) Backflush the block. Put a hose in one end, turn it on, go get a burger, come back half an hour later. You'll never get 100% of it out, but the block is made of iron, dexcool doesn't eat that.

3) Refill with green coolant. Never look back.
 
dex coolant dont eat al gaskets or the plastic gaskets, but it does clog sh it up.


how to flush the coolant.


remove the t stat, put the t stat housing back on, take the upper hose off the radiator, then push it down to the ground to a bucket or let it fly.


get your garden hose out, put it in the rad turn it on, then fire up the car, let it run till clear water pumps out the top hose.


then turn the hose off, run the car till no more water comes out the upper hose. then turn it off.


put your t stat back in, with new gasket, the upper hose back on.


now take 1 gallon of full strength green antifreeze, not the 50/50 crap. ( parts store cheap green is fine to use) dump the whole gallon in the radiator, fire up the car, fill the rad with hose water till its full. top as needed till its ready to be bled of air. it will burp and take coolant as the water in the block warms up the t stat opens up for a few seconds till cold coolant hits it and it shuts again.


now to bleed the air out, let it idle rad cap off till the fans turn on, (when the fans are on the temp is over 195 deg, the t stat is wide open) then open the bleeder screw on top the t stat housing a few turns till a steady stream of coolant comes out the hole, shut the screw, top off the rad. cap it.


done.
 


+1 to what Scottydogs said. I'd only add to do a chemical flush with something like this after the garden hose flush. Then, repeat the garden hose to flush out the flush chems. I also did a very specific flush of the heater core since it was easy to get to.
http://www.prestone.com/products/print/424?popup=1

I like this because I didn't need to drive around for 6+ hours for it to do it's job. I was surprised at how much it really cleaned out too. I had done water flushes in the past, but used this to make a clean switch to green coolant.

Dexcool is fine if maintained. I switched to green because I was tired of buying specific, expensive coolant for one car. I have a Dodge truck that I was also going to switch as I can only fine the Dodge HOAT coolant at the dealers.
 
I emptied my rad, ran water, emptied, filled w/distilled water and TWO cans of chemical flush for a week, ran the garden hose until everything was clean water.

Finished off with green and distilled water.

I don't recommend filling with tap water (unless you think your cooling system needs chlorine and fluoride).

Go to any gas station or grocery store. They'll have it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 


its the minerals that are said to be the issue with tap water. i for one have never bought distilled water, i also never plan to either. tap water for life.:th_mischievious:
 
Scottydoggs said:
its the minerals that are said to be the issue with tap water. i for one have never bought distilled water, i also never plan to either. tap water for life.:th_mischievious:
Click to expand...

So it IS your fault that my fuel rail got damaged!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 
I like the idea of tap water and coolant. Which coolant is the plain green one since the 50/50 mix is bad?? I thought 50/50 would be the better choice since you dont need to add water 😨
 
50/50 is pre mixed and they charge like 16 a gallon, ( you'll need 3 gallons or more, so 16 X 3) where the straight antifreeze is 12 to 14 bucks, the one gallon is more then enough for a 3800.
 


If you have driven your car for three years without doing any cooling-system maintenance, might the previous owner have done the same? Do yourself and the environment a huge favor, especially if you're just going to let that old coolant run down your driveway into the gutter. Have it done.

Call around and find a smaller shop that has a radiator flushing rig that can back-flush. Have them flush with water only the first time. Usually they want to "push" the old coolant out with the new 50/50 mix. They might charge $10 more than their regular price to do this.

If you are planning to let this go for another three years, specify that you want long/extended-life coolant (usually yellow). For better results, you should consider doing it again next fall. If so, green would be OK this time, and prolly a little cheaper. Bring along two gallons of distilled water (no calcium -- less than $2 each at Walmart) and ask them to use that for the final fill.

To really take advantage of the back flushing, before you go remove the old thermostat, RTV the elbow joint and re-assemble. You will loose enough coolant to be able to add a small jug (or two) of radiator cleaner/flush. Remove the overflow jug, slosh around some of the cleaner with a little tap water, stand it up somewhere while you do the stat, rinse it out well or power wash the inside, and re-install. Use plain tap water to top up the radiator, and to fill the overflow to the line. Drive for the amount of time/miles it says on the flush jug, with the heater on max. When the shop does the water-only flush, that will push out the cleaner.

When the flush-and-fill is done, go home and let it cool down, break the elbow connection, clean off the RTV, and install a new stat and gasket. Top up radiator and overflow with 50/50 or a little stronger. Run it up to temp, bleed if necessary, and check the overflow tank.

I had this done at a smaller independent shop in southeastern Wisconsin for $59 -- worth every penny. I'd advise you to look for one, rather go somewhere like Car-X or Firestone. They'd want to do a drain (not flush) and fill for $159.
 
dont follow most of what this guy said, his flush is crap, rtv the elbow, you nuts?

the best way i know to flush your system.



how to flush the coolant.


remove the t stat, put the t stat housing back on, take the upper hose off the radiator, then push it down to the ground to a bucket or let it fly.


get your garden hose out, put it in the rad turn it on, then fire up the car, let it run till clear water pumps out the top hose.


then turn the hose off, run the car till no more water comes out the upper hose. then turn it off.


put your t stat back in, with new gasket, the upper hose back on.


now take 1 gallon of full strength green antifreeze, not the 50/50 crap. ( parts store cheap green is fine to use) dump the whole gallon in the radiator, fire up the car, fill the rad with hose water till its full. top as needed till its ready to be bled of air. it will burp and take coolant as the water in the block warms up the t stat opens up for a few seconds till cold coolant hits it and it shuts again.


now to bleed the air out, let it idle rad cap off till the fans turn on, (when the fans are on the temp is over 195 deg, the t stat is wide open) then open the bleeder screw on top the t stat housing a few turns till a steady stream of coolant comes out the hole, shut the screw, top off the rad. cap it.


done.


if you want to add a flush, pull the lower hose dump some coolant, then put the hose back and top it off, drive for a while. then do as posted above.


my way cost 14 bucks for a gallon of new coolant and 2 bucks for a t stat gasket, 50 something at a shop, f that crap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top