I'm thinking about flushing the cooling system in my car. I've never done anything more than just a flush with water. Is a chemical flush a good idea on a car with over 150k on it. What is a good chemical to use? Is there a best technique? Give me some help guys.
Flushing chemicals, do they work?
- Thread starter j_mac
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Depends on what you think you have in there. If you use mineral-y tap water (my grandpa sure did in Youngstown OH, tasted like it had antacid built in) an acid flush will get scale out. If you had an oil leak into your coolant you want a detergent etc.
If it's just rust and silicates, I would change water every day for a week, above freezing of course.
If it's just rust and silicates, I would change water every day for a week, above freezing of course.
Not to thread jack. But i was literally about to post a similar questions.
Back-story:
Two summers [2009] ago i was broke and had a couple belts break [acc & water pump] on my car. Needless to say it overheated. I only had enough money at the time to buy belts and not the special VW coolant. So with all my wiseness i decided to just put water in there. Well aside from how that is bad for the engine. I also forgot about it come winter and the water broke both my heater core and my water pump. Since it was my only car i got the water pump fixed. The mechanic decided to tell me "oh just the universal green stuff. All coolant is the same; it's all interchangeable", when i asked him what coolant he put in it. Well i didn't have 600-800 at the time to get the heater core replaced so the mechanic decided to put stop-leak in it. [As a side note, what mechanic does that without asking first?]. Anyways.... so for a little over a year i've had a stop-leaked heater core. I finally have enough money to replace most of my hoses as well as the heater core.
Knowing i should probably flush all the
A] Stop-leak stuff.
B] Rust that the water may have put forth.
C] Get all the green out to get it prepped for G12++ coolant.
What do you guys think i should use for this flush? Method and products. The only thing ive decided is to not run any of it through the new heatercore. Probably just fix the 2 heater hoses together.
Back-story:
Two summers [2009] ago i was broke and had a couple belts break [acc & water pump] on my car. Needless to say it overheated. I only had enough money at the time to buy belts and not the special VW coolant. So with all my wiseness i decided to just put water in there. Well aside from how that is bad for the engine. I also forgot about it come winter and the water broke both my heater core and my water pump. Since it was my only car i got the water pump fixed. The mechanic decided to tell me "oh just the universal green stuff. All coolant is the same; it's all interchangeable", when i asked him what coolant he put in it. Well i didn't have 600-800 at the time to get the heater core replaced so the mechanic decided to put stop-leak in it. [As a side note, what mechanic does that without asking first?]. Anyways.... so for a little over a year i've had a stop-leaked heater core. I finally have enough money to replace most of my hoses as well as the heater core.
Knowing i should probably flush all the
A] Stop-leak stuff.
B] Rust that the water may have put forth.
C] Get all the green out to get it prepped for G12++ coolant.
What do you guys think i should use for this flush? Method and products. The only thing ive decided is to not run any of it through the new heatercore. Probably just fix the 2 heater hoses together.
I used the Prestone flush on my 1999 Dodge pickup last summer. I purchased the truck early in the spring from an estate so I don't know the history of coolant changes (if any). The coolant looked OK in the radiator, but there was quite a bit of stuff flushed out with the treatment.
I simply followed the directions on the package of coolant flush, then when finished drained everything and added new Prestone coolant.
I simply followed the directions on the package of coolant flush, then when finished drained everything and added new Prestone coolant.
Originally Posted By: Malo83
Have good luck with the Prestone HD fush, drain the radiator and add 2 bottles of flush and top off with water, drive the truck as usual for a week and flush the system, inside of the radiator looks new
I was thinking about this idea too.....i.e.: drain out the old coolant as much as possible. Plug the rad up, add radiator flush, top off with distilled water completely.....and then drive the car to and from work for a week or so.....mind you, it's only about a 9 mile trip to, and then 9 miles or so back home....so the car does make it to it's closed loop on the high way, but only for maybe 5 minutes....(9-12 min. drive usually, majority interstate 75+ mph hehehe).
After a couple days/week, drain the flush out, then run for a day or two with straight water.....
Mind you, this won't work in all areas.....living in Florida, we don't see horribly cold weather, so I don't need the whole "freeze protection" of the AF....
Have good luck with the Prestone HD fush, drain the radiator and add 2 bottles of flush and top off with water, drive the truck as usual for a week and flush the system, inside of the radiator looks new
I was thinking about this idea too.....i.e.: drain out the old coolant as much as possible. Plug the rad up, add radiator flush, top off with distilled water completely.....and then drive the car to and from work for a week or so.....mind you, it's only about a 9 mile trip to, and then 9 miles or so back home....so the car does make it to it's closed loop on the high way, but only for maybe 5 minutes....(9-12 min. drive usually, majority interstate 75+ mph hehehe).
After a couple days/week, drain the flush out, then run for a day or two with straight water.....
Mind you, this won't work in all areas.....living in Florida, we don't see horribly cold weather, so I don't need the whole "freeze protection" of the AF....
Originally Posted By: j_mac
I'm thinking about flushing the cooling system in my car. I've never done anything more than just a flush with water. Is a chemical flush a good idea on a car with over 150k on it. What is a good chemical to use? Is there a best technique? Give me some help guys.
If you have flushed with distilled water, then you may not need a chemical flush. If you flushed with tap water, then you may have scale and buildup that needs to be broken down by a chemical. At that mileage, I would suggest a slow cleaner of the type Malo 83 suggested. I used a Zerex cleaner on my '99 Crown Vic with 180,000 miles and followed the instructions to leave it in the system for 3-6 operational hours til flushing out the system with distilled water. Worked OK, got out some gritty build up.
I'm thinking about flushing the cooling system in my car. I've never done anything more than just a flush with water. Is a chemical flush a good idea on a car with over 150k on it. What is a good chemical to use? Is there a best technique? Give me some help guys.
If you have flushed with distilled water, then you may not need a chemical flush. If you flushed with tap water, then you may have scale and buildup that needs to be broken down by a chemical. At that mileage, I would suggest a slow cleaner of the type Malo 83 suggested. I used a Zerex cleaner on my '99 Crown Vic with 180,000 miles and followed the instructions to leave it in the system for 3-6 operational hours til flushing out the system with distilled water. Worked OK, got out some gritty build up.
I use Mercedes Benz Citric Acid Powder flush. That stuff will eat all the rust out of your cooling system. Too bad a bottle costs $30 dollars for 1.5 lbs.
I drained radiator then added a gallon of white vinegar then topped off with distilled water..drove around with heater on for 15 minutes or san then drained and flushed with distilled water until I could see clear, replaced with Prestone and it looks good.
Originally Posted By: Shup1
I drained radiator then added a gallon of white vinegar then topped off with distilled water..drove around with heater on for 15 minutes or san then drained and flushed with distilled water until I could see clear, replaced with Prestone and it looks good.
I might try that.
If you can get a garden hose and take off the lower hose, not sure if it will flow through the block or not but iirc ou WANT to fluch out the blcok too.. two things:
1) You will be AMAZED at how dirty the radiator was, do it "until the water runs clear"
2) After the waterr runs clear, as it will come out dirty for 3-5 minutes, even at full blast on hose (MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COOL so you dont run COLD garden hose water through the engine, just a thought!!) .. then, debate using a chemical flush since you just made the water run clear and you should be good to go.
did this on a high-mileage car, wanting to do it on mine.. but no garden hose, only a siphon and a garden hose will do it the ame, or better, IMHO.
(MUUCH faster too. "Until the water runs clear" is GREAT qway to get it clean!)
I drained radiator then added a gallon of white vinegar then topped off with distilled water..drove around with heater on for 15 minutes or san then drained and flushed with distilled water until I could see clear, replaced with Prestone and it looks good.
I might try that.
If you can get a garden hose and take off the lower hose, not sure if it will flow through the block or not but iirc ou WANT to fluch out the blcok too.. two things:
1) You will be AMAZED at how dirty the radiator was, do it "until the water runs clear"
2) After the waterr runs clear, as it will come out dirty for 3-5 minutes, even at full blast on hose (MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COOL so you dont run COLD garden hose water through the engine, just a thought!!) .. then, debate using a chemical flush since you just made the water run clear and you should be good to go.
did this on a high-mileage car, wanting to do it on mine.. but no garden hose, only a siphon and a garden hose will do it the ame, or better, IMHO.
^ If the engine is cold, the thermostat will be closed and nothing will be flowing through the radiator. You'd have to remove the thermostat temporarily.
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Instead of bothering with a flush, just add a dose of RMI-25 now, and at every coolant drain/refill.
Other than Amazon and RMI Source, I can't find this RMI-25 stuff anywhere.
Instead of bothering with a flush, just add a dose of RMI-25 now, and at every coolant drain/refill.
Other than Amazon and RMI Source, I can't find this RMI-25 stuff anywhere.
Another question, how would one go about removing "bars leaks radiator stop leak heavy-duty" from cooling system? Guessing that's that was in it before both the radiator and tstat were replaced recently by po. So the coolant is decently clean, but this glue like stuff is on the walls of everything. Just for the record I would never use this stuff as I would just fix the leak or issue. I nearly had a heartattack when I seen the over flow tank. Black sludge, you could get out with your finger. After removing the tank, now it's mint but you can't put BB's and dawn in the cooling system. This was on the 90k mile ciera. craigslist special. :-/
Non-foaming dishwasher detergent?
Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
Non-foaming dishwasher detergent?
Not a good choice...that stuff is VERY hard on aluminum!
Non-foaming dishwasher detergent?
Not a good choice...that stuff is VERY hard on aluminum!
It is a GM-recommended procedure.
I used Prestone flush in my 93 BMW. It had about 240,000 miles on its original heater core, and it just never got very warm at the vents. I had changed the coolant at regular intervals and the thermostat a few times in the course of owning the car for a long time, but the heat always seemed weak.
I flushed with Prestone for a week or so, then flushed with water, then filled with OEM coolant.
Had FAR better heat after.
In retrospect I'd say the heater core had some gunk in it.
Wish I had flushed about 5 years before I did!
I flushed with Prestone for a week or so, then flushed with water, then filled with OEM coolant.
Had FAR better heat after.
In retrospect I'd say the heater core had some gunk in it.
Wish I had flushed about 5 years before I did!
I honestly flushed out a friends 98 civic HX with the Cascade dishwashing detergent and hot water, and it came out really clean, without problems. Thanks to everyone here on using that in cooling systems. I plan to do this on my civic lx this late spring.
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