Best coolant flush method?
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Kestas
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It's been discussed before in depth. A search will give you the information.
Do NOT have the engine running when you drain the radiator, the block, or both. There's no reason to and there could be dire consequences if you have the engine running.
I've always had the engine running while the radiator drain is open and have never had a problem. I don't see where it could be as long as you were keeping it full. And I would think it could just as easily hit an air pocket once you closed the radiator drain and then started the engine.
If with a little ball tester the low point is below -30 and looks clear green ,then I leave it when it time to replace a hose then drain it all out and put in a 50/50 mix.I once had an old toyota with the original antifreeze in it for 8 years.
Seems like a waste of coolant. Why would this be in any way better than the first fill being just distilled water? You can adjust the volume of coolant in the second fill to get 50/50.
Yeah, that got me too. Some folks want a maximum flush I guess. I did the 4 or 5 drain and fills warmup cycles on mine (car had about 600 miles on it brand new when I did it), and then filled it with G-05. Mine only holds 6 quarts total, so I'm at 66/33 ratio, but that's ok. Cooling systems are apparently very, very good these days, even with the wafer-thin radiators. I got into some hellish traffic jams this summer at 100 degrees and the needle never budged off the norm. I have to admit, I rarely see a car pulled over steaming even in the high heat. I was surprised to see this thing only runs a 180-degree thermostat. I thought 195 was the norm.
I installed a flushing T on the heater hose that supplies the heater (the one from the top of the engine). I leave the rad cap on and pull off the upper rad hose so the water flushes backwards through the rad and out the inlet. I connect an old piece of fire hose to the inlet to carry away the old #@$%!. To make sure it flows backwards through the block, I put a small clamp on the heater hose so the water can go only to the block, then I clamp it on the other side to get the heater flushed.
Once clean, I pull the bottom hose and let the water drain out.
Then I put the hoses on and pour in 2 jugs of coolant, then top off with distilled water until it just dribbles out of the heater hose flushing T. Then run it and it's good.
It's shocking how much #@$%! comes out when I do the first flush on a new vehicle, not much there on later flushes.
Once clean, I pull the bottom hose and let the water drain out.
Then I put the hoses on and pour in 2 jugs of coolant, then top off with distilled water until it just dribbles out of the heater hose flushing T. Then run it and it's good.
It's shocking how much #@$%! comes out when I do the first flush on a new vehicle, not much there on later flushes.
I drain the radiator, add in a flush and refill with tap water, run the engine for 15-20 minutes (that should allow enough time for it to circulate at operating temperature) with the heater on high. Drain the radiator, remove the top hose, refill the radiator with distilled water, run the engine with the heater on high, and continue adding distiled water until clear water comes out of the water outlet. Then drain the radiator, add in enough coolant to give a 50/50 mixture. After that I let it sit with the radiator cap off overnight, top off, drive and top off as necessary, continue that until no more coolant loss occurs.
if you remove the block caps and every other conceivable plug, what happens to all the coolant you are flushing out??? can't picture containing all that....thus the reason this is ONE thing i trust to a fast lube joint.
That is exactly what I do too except the tap water part.
Take off the upper radiator hose, keep running the car while filling the radiator with distilled water till clear water comes out of the upper hose (no tap water). By then the block with half the capacity has distilled water, drain the radiator and put in 100% coolant and then keep running the car for 30 minutes with raditor cap off and overflow tube plugged. All air pockets are out in 30 minutes...
Does anyone reverse flush the block or heater core with a garden hose? I have heard of people doing this to remove sediment and rust from the pressurized water.
I dont like the idea of all that tap water in there though, but I guess then you could start the regular flushing with distilled water?
I dont like the idea of all that tap water in there though, but I guess then you could start the regular flushing with distilled water?
If you have a plug in your heater core....this may be the only way to free it from the cooling system. I never used this method but know of people who have done it with success to free up a "Glob" of sediment that was blocking the heater in winter.
You have to cut both heater hoses to try and free up the plug from each direction which means that to be safe....replace both heater hoses after the plug is free. Run plenty of flushes of distilled water through your system to make sure that the tap water has been removed. It might take 3 or 4 fill and drains of Distilled water...and on the last one make sure to open the engine block drain to get the distilled water out of the engine.
I would only use this if there is a plug of sediment in the system or heater core since the labor to replace the heater hoses takes time. Especially, if you have a difficult or inaccessible location of the heater hose from the block to the heater core.
You have to cut both heater hoses to try and free up the plug from each direction which means that to be safe....replace both heater hoses after the plug is free. Run plenty of flushes of distilled water through your system to make sure that the tap water has been removed. It might take 3 or 4 fill and drains of Distilled water...and on the last one make sure to open the engine block drain to get the distilled water out of the engine.
I would only use this if there is a plug of sediment in the system or heater core since the labor to replace the heater hoses takes time. Especially, if you have a difficult or inaccessible location of the heater hose from the block to the heater core.
I replaced my cooling system and timing chain last autumn.
I found the correct fittings to hook a garden hose so I could flush the heater core from one direction, then the other, back and forth a few times.
I then used lung power to push out all the tap water from the heater core.
My heater worked good before, and good after, but the two 5 gallon buckets I used to catch the flushings had a considerable amount of dark yellow coolant and debris, considerably darker than the coolant which I drained from the radiator petcock and block.
I found the correct fittings to hook a garden hose so I could flush the heater core from one direction, then the other, back and forth a few times.
I then used lung power to push out all the tap water from the heater core.
My heater worked good before, and good after, but the two 5 gallon buckets I used to catch the flushings had a considerable amount of dark yellow coolant and debris, considerably darker than the coolant which I drained from the radiator petcock and block.
I do a drain and refill with 50/50 mix of antifreeze and distilled water. If the vehicle has extra drains or vents on the engine I open those to get a more complete drain.
I would never use a water hose to flush or fill up with a hose because it is too hard to drain 100% back out. If you use a hose you are going to have an uncertain mix plus some raw water in the system.
I would never use a water hose to flush or fill up with a hose because it is too hard to drain 100% back out. If you use a hose you are going to have an uncertain mix plus some raw water in the system.
Question, I noticed many people talk about a 50/50 mix and fill upwith water too. If that is the case , you can't use the 50/50 mix since there will be too much water in the coolant mixture.
What do you think of this?
I was in Advance Auto or Napa the other day. I've been in all of them over the last month. A guy in front of me in line was trying to get some stuff to correct, what I assumed to be, a head gasket and was explaining that he was going to put some Dial/Dawn soap in the coolant system to "clean" up. I'd never heard of this.
I was in Advance Auto or Napa the other day. I've been in all of them over the last month. A guy in front of me in line was trying to get some stuff to correct, what I assumed to be, a head gasket and was explaining that he was going to put some Dial/Dawn soap in the coolant system to "clean" up. I'd never heard of this.
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