Good Cooling System Tech Articles.

[Mickey_M]

Up to a point I agree. The kind of debris that you can get out from a flush is normally not a problem - for example, the debris sitting at the bottom of the engine block and radiator just sits there.

For the stuff that causes problems you've got to remove the radiator and have it commercially cleaned.

The exceptions include:

- a system where a coolant failure was occuring. You want to get out the contaminants, rust, and loose crud.

- a system where you're changing from coolant A to coolant B, including retrofitting an older car with an extended life coolant.


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[TallPaul]

Cooling System Tech Articles

Especially interesting is the one on flushes. It says flushes are a waste of money, just drain and refill every 2 to 3 years.

 

[Greaser]

Thats all I do every couple of years...pull the bottom hose drain & fill .

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Greaser:
Thats all I do every couple of years...pull the bottom hose drain & fill .

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Me too. My car does have a block drain but it is so corroded/rusted in place, it'll never come lose.

 

[Greaser]

quote:

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Originally posted by Drew99GT:

quote:

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Originally posted by Greaser:
Thats all I do every couple of years...pull the bottom hose drain & fill .

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Me too. My car does have a block drain but it is so corroded/rusted in place, it'll never come lose.

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My experiance with plastic petcocks is that they snap off requiring a new rad...lotsa fun..pull a hose it's fool proof

 

[TheTanSedan]

Once it was "if I can't get to them" I'd have a real mechanic remove the engine block drains. Nowadays, I'm happy to "pay" for this small service as the shop I deal with has yet to charge me for it on three different vehicles. All were being serviced for coolant-related items, and the "trouble" was seen as being minimal.

The advantage is that one really can get all the junk out of the block (especially on a V8 or big 6) along with a backflush.

The past few years have seen me self-service the cooling system (drain, add cleaner, drive a few hundred miles; refill with distilled or deionized water) and then take to mechanic to power backflush and do other work as warranted based on time/miles; much shorter intervals than others seem to do.

The ARROWHEAD site is a good source. There are some old threads around here (Member #1, Bob Winters, especially) detailing the use of pH strips to help in determining coolant condition.

Just a 1/16" mineral/hard buildup on internal surfaces reduces cooling by 40%. pH strips a big help.

As we see severe service on our cooling systems in Dallas, an annual flush/fill (including removal of block drains) doesn't at all seem overkill to me anymore than going two seasons maximum on coolant hoses. Its cheap insurance considering what a damaged cooling system can do to a motor.

My old '71 Chrysler was stuck with the non-HD/AC radiator when I got it and I moved the thermostat up to 195F from stock 185F and never came close to overheating with AC in stop-and-go 100F traffic. OEM radiator and hoses lasted 17 years, and, by the time I got it, the car was 24-yrs old with a seven year old radiator. Had but two radiators in the 34 years it was in our family, and the second finally failed about a year before I let it go. So, seventeen years per radiator, all in AZ or TX.

Had annual flushes after the first year when I went after cooling system cleaning with a vengeance, and using methods I'd not ever recommend (though it sure got cleaned out.) Getting block drains out was a chore, but helped get a lot of crud out.

 

[TallPaul]

Well that's strange. It their article, "Overheating Causes and Cures," under the section, "Common Overheating Problems," they state (yellow rectangle):

quote:

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Coolant should be changed at least every two years or 30,000 miles or it will lose its effectiveness... Also, the system needs to be flushed when the coolant is changed.

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So do you flush or not?

 

[OdinsRage]

i ran my engine with no t-stat with a hose in the fill hole and petcock loose, and ran car w heater on until it came out clear, worked good! The new G-05 had no green tinge, i think i got it all out

the 96 vette was another chore... took long (didnt take t-stat out, but got it 99 percent clear, i think maybe 100 percent, just re-filled w dex cool.

 

[Drew99GT]

Odins, that is the bomb diggity way to flush a cooling system!

 

[LubeOiler]

Odins, that is the bomb diggity way to flush a cooling system! : So is it a good way or like the Prestone flush kit with their T they give you to hook the hose to.I bought the kit but to hard to get it installed in most cars. A little off topic but I wondered how long can you run a engine hot till the head gasket blows out. My son drove my truck 100 miles on the turnpike near the H mark.The Prestone 50/50 shows at least 260 degrees before boiling. The good thing is the cooling system did not use(loose) any fluid.I am almost sure it had a small leak in the heater core and the barrs leak fixed it. I flushed the radiator out after the bars treatment the next day. I did run it for 35 min. with heater wide open first. Refilled with Prestone 50/50. So the leak is stopped but I wonder if I will end up replacing the radiator.