coolant flush - i was reading an article at work on wednesday about the percentages of cars that come into work shops that complain of over heating n if ne has ever had a car that has overheated would know how frustrating it is to have this happen to you. so i thought i would put an technical to show people who dont know how 2 do a collant flush how do do 1.

This is my engine bay its really dirty. rember to turn your aircon/heater to full hot. ...



This is the hose that i removed i found this 1 at the back of the block on the right hand side if ur lookin from the front normaly i would use a heater hose but my heater is disconnected atm as it was leaking onto the ecu (not good) so this hose links to outlets together its prob the hose 2 bypass the heater but i dont know. i removed it by undoing the squezze clip with the pointy nose pliers, these r realy annoying to get undone.



After u pull the hose off take off the radiator cap n shove the hose in there until water comes out of the hose that u pulled off is clear, then shove the hose gently into the hose u pulled off hte block n wait until the ohter outlets pour out clean water. if your old coolant looks like this it means that you were ova due for a flush as i was



Once this is done mix up ur coolant i used repco coolant that i got from work n i mixed it up as a 50/50 as its a concertrate (plase dont skimp on coolant go a respectated brand- head gaskets cost alot to repair) next poor the coolant into the radiator until it flows coolant out of the hose u pulled out of the block.



Next u reatach the hose and pour the rest of the coolant into the radaitor until full. then turn your engine on, keep an eye on the coolant level. what u have to wait for now is the thermosat to come on this takes a while so in the mean time pull your radiator resavour out and clean that.

*edit*

Bleed out any air from the cooling system - on most cars they have a bleeder screw at places where the air can get caught, make sure you undo it and leave it undone until the water starts pouring out in a stream. Also a good trick is to jam a bit of wire or something under the radiator cap so that it forces open the line to the overflow bottle. That way it just replaces the air with coolant once it starts to come through. Just remember to keep filling up the overflow and take the wire out before you drive off. Make sure you give the hoses a good squeeze to feel for air bubbles and try and squeeze the air bubbles to the top. your hoses should be nice and hard once the water heats up.

*end edit*



Once the thermostat has come on top up the coolant levels and put the radiator cap back on, to see if the thermostat has open ull see the coolant flowing round as if its a little river i know its a bad descripition but ull know when u see it. now you have to wait for the thermo fan to come on.



Once the thermo fan has come on u can hose the spilt coolant away n close your bonet its a good habit to check that ALL the caps r tight even if u didnt touch them n if ur radiator cap has cracks in it replace it and iff ur water hoses have "swollen" relace them as well if you own a comodore or simular car u can buy a kit that has all ur heater, radiator and a new thermstat in it. the next day just recheck ur coolant levels to make sure that the hasnt leaked a bit n check the hose.



Then after uve done this u shouldnt really heat up to much. all ready for summer



It is recommened to change ur coolant every two years but i try to make it a habit to do it every 6 months i dont know why but it peace of mind.

nice artical ill remember that
cheers really good read

sweeto nice article

that coolant looks phat

Not a bad story dude...... only thing i would add is that a good idea is often do a flush with that radiator flush you can get, it takes a little longer because you have to pretty much do the process you have described twice and most products require at least 20-30 mins engine running time with the radiator flush in there, just think of it as a chance to duck down to the bottle-o to pick up some 'after engine work' beers.
Then after that you flush it out and basically follow the steps above.

It will free up all the little bits of crap and rust that can build up on the inside of the cooling system, end result more efficient cooling.

The gear is not dear and you will find it most times on the shelf next to the coolant.

worth a go I think

nice tech article mate

DID YOU EVEN BLEED THE AIR? I know on most cars they have a bleeder screw at places where the air can get caught, make sure you undo it and leave it undone until the water starts pouring out in a stream. Also a good trick is to jam a bit of wire or something under the radiator cap so that it forces open the line to the overflow bottle. That way it just replaces the air with coolant once it starts to come through. Just remember to keep filling up the overflow and take the wire out before you drive off. Make sure you give the hoses a good squeeze to feel for air bubbles and try and squeeze the air bubbles to the top. your hoses should be nice and hard once the water heats up.

don't be too keen in using radiator flush as once everything is free and floating around....crap gets stuck in the cores of radiator and causes big drama's. this is from experience. Radiator places say the only way that stuff is useful is if you have decent presure to blast out crap from radiator.

I am sorry if I missed it, but is this flushing the fluids that are in the block as well? I probably missed it because I am unfamiliar with this motor. I know with mine I disconnect the top radiator hose and run the engine and keep filling the radiator up with fresh water until the water that comes out is clean.

Then I do what you did.

I just replaced two heater hoses on my prelude this morning, it's the first time I've done it and it was piss easy. I just filled it up with bottled water until the weekend, when I will replace the 2 radiator hoses as well and then fill er up with coolant.

hey, nice article, however...

"then shove the hose gently into the hose"

i never thought the words shove and gently could be used together! hahaha.

as 70XIN said that coolant is sick

ok mate... i have found your article to be misleading,
if i was to do this your way, it would probly crack tha head or fuk ya water pump...

also by doin it your way when u put the hose bak on and drive the car the dirty coolent is still goin to be there.....


i feel you should resarch your topic a bit more next time mate.......


also to n e 1 trying to do this... plz keep in mind that all coolants are different.... and if you mix 2 types of coolants u could end up with electronic pulses in your radiator causing corrosion....... which means big $$$

also replacing the thermostat helps alot when doin this (betta to be safe then sorry)....

the only coolant that would have been removed in your article would be the coolant from tha radiator to the hose u took off the bak of the engine.....

the head is still gonna have dirty water in it....

keep up the articles... just a bit more thought and knowledge

gaza

was a tap water hose used? the chemcials & additives in tap water can cause corrosion i hear. maybe different states have different tap waters..

thats correct .. i know i am spoiling my car but i always fill it up with bottled water only , and the funky green stuff!!!

may as well take out the radiator and reverse flush it while you at it

Prestone makes a "Flush 'N Fill Kit". It comes with three Ts (you use the one that best fits your hoses), two hose clamps, and a deflector tube. It costs about $4.00.
I just did it, for the first time, to my mom's 98 Blazer. Worked like a charm and was pretty easy.
My only issue with this method that I found online, is that it says to "...fill with straight coolant, this, along with the water left in the system from the flush, will provide the 50/50 mix..." <-My problem being, my Subaru WRX says to use distilled (soft) water, so, I guess, once you flush it, you can do a "final flush" by dumping a gallon of distilled water in before the coolant!
There are much more detailed DIYs on the web, as well as on the back of the Prestone package for this kit. But, in a nutshell (ok, a large nutshell):
1) Cut the hose that comes out of your firewall and leads to the block (usually the bottom of the two hoses coming out)
2) Slide the provided clamps on each end of the hose you cut
3) Slip the connector T (one of the three will fit) onto each cut hose end
4) Tighten the clamps (not TOO much)
5) Connect "back flow coupler" (your garden hose attaches to this)
6) Connect garden hose
7) Start engine, turn on Heat full blast
8) Turn on garden hose full blast
9) I forgot to mention you should have snapped the "splash deflector tube" into the radiator opening (where your cap usually goes silly)
10) Connect a scrap piece of garden hose to the deflector tube (coolant will rush out)
11) Let the engine and hose run like this for 5 minutes, or until you see clear water coming out of the scrap piece of hose
12) Turn off engine
13) Turn off hose
14) Remove garden hose from the T fitting
15) Open radiator drain plug (petcock) - carefully, these are sometimes plastic, and if an older vehicle, can cause headaches
16) After radiator is drained, drain coolant reservoir if this applies to you
17) Close radiator petcock/drain plug
18) Start pouring in your antifreeze (dont be lazy, reference your owner's manual, or just call a local dealership of your car brand, and ask what kind it takes, or do what i do, spend the $15.00 and buy the oem brand))
19) Slowly pour (dont cause airbubbles) the coolant into the radiator until it starts flowing out of that T connector
20) Put the cap (that came with the kit) on the T connector tightly
21) Tighten the radiator cap, make sure everything is closed
22) Take for a test drive
23) Come home, let 'er cool down, check coolant level
24) DONE
***********Disclaimer:
I am not a mechanic - (but after the alternator swap, serpentine belt, battery, coolant flush, etc. in this P.O.S. Blazer, I almost am!) - so don't just follow these directions thinking they directly apply to your vehicle. Also, don't dump this crap in the sewer, or let run into the street, aside from poisoning furry creatures, it will get into the water supply and your offspring will glow green (or red, or yellow, etc.)! ***************

haha my coolant looks like shit compared to urs, nice article tho

cheers

all i can say is that i work in a radiator shop and i would not let you flush my engine. to do it "AT HOME" the easiest way is firstlty remove thermostat. then just remove hose from top spout and hose clamp your garden hose in, also works good if you can clamp a airgun in to give good bursts of air through tghe system. then turn heater on and turn tap on until it flushes right through hole block and back out. turn water of and if you have air hooked up blast it through to remove all water. that halps to remove most risks of geatting airlocks. if you do not have air then undo the lowest water port in the engine. most engines have a drain bung in the block. then turn water back on until it comes out clean through hole. turn of let water drain do everything back up and refil with correct fluids. to help prevent airlocks undo hose where thermostat is and make sure there is plenty of water there and no air.