Is there a simple way to do this without bringing it to the dealer.What do I do.


Thanks

 

What I did was, with my engine cold, I loosened the bottom hose to drain most of the fluid. Put the hose back on. I then filled the radiator with some flush and water and ran it for around 10 minutes. Then after it cooled loosened the bottom hose again to drain. I then left the bottom hose off and put a garden hose in the fill hole and started the engine. After about 10 minutes, watching the temp gauge, I turned the motor off and let the rad. drain again. Then I put the hose back and filled the rad. with a 50/50 mix. Done! I just followed the direction on the flush kit I think. It was 3 years ago. It also told how to avoid air pockets that can cause overheating. Oh yea. I drained all the coolant in a shallow plastic pool to avoid killing my dogs and all other wildlife. LOL. Then took it to a shop for a small disposal fee.

 

FYI, there should be a small plastic drain plug on the bottom passengers side of the radiator. At least there is on mine.

 

And I usually drill a tiny hole in the (get a new one) thermostat to avoid the air pocket syndrome (which will send the temp gauge wayyy into the red if you get an air pocket).

Replace the hoses if they're at all old.

All can be done with screwdrivers and a socket set, and a gasket scraper.

If you have a TPI, you might have to remove the throttle body to get the thermostat housing, so be gentle with the tb gasket. Also, inspect the small coolant hoses that go to the throttle body, and replace if they're cracked or leaking.

 

i drained my radiator into a bucket of some sort using the drain plug in the radiator. than i spliced a T intersection fitting into a line in the engine(cant remember which one). removed the thermostat and housing. than i stuck a garden hose into the radiator and turned it on high and let it run for like 10 minutes(the hose not the car). i dont reccomend running the car while flushing the coolant it is very bad for the engine. after about 10 minutes of running water through the system i drained the radiator(you can also remove the lower radiator hose from the water pump to drain the block but i didnt. if i were to do it again i would as tap water is horrible for a coolant system). i than filled the system with 50/50 mix,put the cap back on the T fitting(you can leave it in) and than i was done. you also dont have to worry about air pockets in our cars because the radiator is at the same hight as the coolant and through normal operation they will leave the block through the coolant overflow tank. the cars you have to worry about air pockets on are cars that the radiator is at a lower level than the engine, ie most if not all new cars.

 

Why? I usually open the radiator drain plug and stick a hose in the top and let it run for a few minutes. Then I let the radiator drain and fill with coolant and water at somewhere around a 50/50 ratio (Its not nearly as important as some people seem to think). I've done this with no ill affect on several engines. Also, I've never had problems with air pockets. If you want to be sure just park your car on a slope with the nose facing uphill but as long as the nose isn't facing downhill you should be fine.

 

You are suppose to use Distilled Water . Garden hose water will make the inside of radiator rust faster . Dee Dee Dee

 

because the engine is running while not being cooled. the water is running so fast that the heat from the engine is just getting soaked up by the block and not by the coolant. it can lead to a whole mess of things. im not saying your engine will blow up running a few minutes like this. im just saying that it is not a recommended practice. the other reason is its just not neccesary. the force of the garden hose will evac the system withought the help of the water pump.

yes ONLY use distilled water when refilling the coolant.

again not neccesary our cars "burp" themselves due to the positioning of the radiator in relation to the engine.

 

The thermostat will make sure that the water doesn't move too fast, if that is even possible.

I find that when I try to it this way the coolant from the engine stays in the engine due to the thermostat and the water from the hose just runs through the radiator.


Yeah, I'd recommend that too, but its your iron block and heads that will rust. Your aluminum radiator will be fine. Also antifreeze/coolant should help prevent this corrosion. Its pretty much the only reason I use it in Florida considering water actually has better heat transfer properties and I don't have to worry about freezing.



Yeah, its true

 

i remove the thermostat when flushing coolant. so thats why the garden hose is enough to flush the system.

 

Thats really not viable with a TPI engine, but I can see that being a good idea on TBI or carbed.