radiator flush - READ ONLY

45 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2001 at 6:17 AM

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#1 of 45 coolant boneheads by pronigier Sep 19, 2001 (12:32 am)
Most shops seem to do a drain and fill, even the dealer. One independant said with confidence " yes sir on that car its a drain and fill" Like a Toyota has unique ability to clean it own coolant while you drive. How do they get away with that ? I have even heard that some shops will put a chemical in and then just do a drain and fill. Leaving most of the chemical still in the system. They might charge 69 dollars for changing the coolant but all they do is drain and fill. Drain and fill is easier than an oil change I would have done it myself if all they were going to do drain the radiator.
#2 of 45 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 19, 2001 (7:30 am)
Well the idea is to remove sediment and refresh the coolant. It's not supposed to unclog a clogged radiator. If your radiator is clogged, you are beyond "a flush". It's time to pull it and clean it. So drain and fill is a preventative meassure, like an oil change. The only reason you might not want to do it yourself is that coolant is messy, dangerous to animals if spilled, and it's a hassle to dispose of (in California, you cannot throw it in a dumpster ). And sometimes it's HOT, too. But if you're willing to endure all this to save $50, more power to you!
#3 of 45 drain & flush by joe3891 Sep 20, 2001 (8:16 am)
The proper way to replace coolant is to drain & flush several times with plain water, because all the old coolant will not drain out, even if you pull the block drains, which you should.
#4 of 45 Plain water not good enough by q45man Sep 20, 2001 (12:39 pm)
Your car comes from the factory with deionized or distilled water, using tap water to dilute AF is risky just because you can drink it don't think it's good enough for cars!.....less than 1 in 100 dealers use distilled water for flushes or fills....customers won't pay and it adds to much life to components.
#5 of 45 Water Quality by spokane Sep 20, 2001 (7:46 pm)
Q45man, I agree that demineralized water in the coolant is much better than the city water in many areas but had not heard the recommendation than flushing be done with it. Since flushing can (and should) use quite a bit of water, and does not remain in the system long enough to react, don't you consider city water generally suitable for flushing even though a small amount of it will remain in the system? Too, haven't you found demineralized water to be preferable to distilled water? Separately, I have seen a number of write-ups, even in Popular Mechanics, that don't make reference to the block drain. I agree with joe3891 that the block and radiator drains should both be used but, apparently, many folks don't seem to agree. Disposal of used coolant is a serious issue but waste-water treatment engineers have pointed out that modest amounts of ethylene glycol will enhance the biological treatment process. Accordingly, some municipalities do specifically allow (or even encourage) sewering of this material. Be careful, of course, some may also disallow it.
#6 of 45 The ultimate cleanout by jlflemmons Sep 21, 2001 (5:46 pm)
On my Safari van with rear heater, I got underneath and first drained the radiator and refilled with "soft" water. For those of you who don't live in central Texas with its super high calcium carbonate (read: disolved limestone)water, most of us have water softeners on our house plumbing. Then I removed the feed and return lines to the rear heater core. I put a hose from the softener to the return side and a hose to the sewer cleanout on the feed side. Ran the van for about 30 minutes with the water flowing through everything but the rear heater core, which was drained. Lots of crud came out of the hose even though the system had been drained and filled regularly. When the line to the sewer flowed clear for several minutes, I shut down the water, drained off about two gallons and added antifreeze to bring the total up to a 50/50 mix. That should do it!
#7 of 45 GM on water by joe3891 Sep 22, 2001 (8:40 am)
GM states that if the water is good enough to drink its good to mix with coolant,its worked for me since 1956.
#8 of 45 by sdayalani Sep 27, 2001 (5:46 pm)
havoline manufactures extended life coolants that are premixed with 50% water. that should take the guesswork out of what kind of water to use (or not use).
#9 of 45 50-50 by joe3891 Sep 28, 2001 (8:32 am)
Mixed costs too much.
#10 of 45 50-50 by gsleve Sep 28, 2001 (12:34 pm)
buy distilled water and mix you'll be fine

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