Flush and Change Coolant

[Tom Lopez]

Once one has decided on the type of coolant to use which is the best method to accomplish the flush and change ? I have view the procedures on:

Oemy's Web Site - Tech Tips .

Any other tips, comments, and/or recommendations for the procedure?

[onlakegaston]

I followed those procedures and it worked well for me. Some folks pull the bottom radiator hose so they don't have to worry about messing up the drain plug. I used the 1/4 socket extension and had no problems.

Good Luck,
Jim

[Tom Lopez]

Originally Posted by onlakegaston

I followed those procedures and it worked well for me. Some folks pull the bottom radiator hose so they don't have to worry about messing up the drain plug. I used the 1/4 socket extension and had no problems.

Good Luck,
Jim

So you used the radiator drain plug method. Did you use just tap water or distilled water to flush ?

Once you were ready to refill with coolant how did you refill and what brand of coolant did you use?

[onlakegaston]

Tom, Yes I used the drain plug method. I did a 50/50 mix of Dex-cool and distilled water after I flushed with regular tap water. I know all of tap water was not flushed out so I started with 1 gallon of undiluted Dex-cool then proceeded with the 50/50 mix. In all I used about 3 gallons of Dex-cool. I used a funnel and hose to fill radiator. Placed funnel in one of the "slats" on my "hood" while open, ran the hose to radiator and poured solution into funnel - the same way I do when changing oil.

Jim

[Tom Lopez]

Oemy's Web Site -Tech Tips shows:

"How To: Add Ant-freeze
Attach the female hose connect to one end of the 1/2" clear tube and attach the oil filler adapter to the other end of the clear tube.
Open the jug of anti-freeze and attach the oil filler adapter to the jug of ant-freeze.
Remove the water hose from the Flushing TEE and attach the female hose adapter to the Flushing TEE.
Now tip the jug of anti-freeze up and squeeze it. This will force the anti-freeze into the system and the displaced water will run out of the radiator into the bucket."

My question here is, if I used tap water to flush the system and I use this method, will most or all of the tap water be forced out of the system and only the new 50/50 coolant be left? Is that even possible, I hope so because I kind of like this method to refill the system.

[WeatherTodd]

personally I would mixup the coolant prior to the flush. I prefer a leaner mixture than 50/50. My coach wont see freezing temps so I mix it at 30% glycol & the rest water & coolant additive like MoCool. I would not suggest Redline or Royal purple products. :(

I used to be adamant about distilled water but its not really important. Actually the minerals in tap water are preferred. Something about distilled water causing leeching in aluminum blocks/cooling systems.

[Tom Lopez]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and comments. I have decided to drop the lower radiator hose and drain system. Then refill through the radiator cap fill with a 50/50 prestone dexcool coolant. I will accomplish this in a coupe of weeks and post here how it went and if I had any problems or hopefully how easy it was to change the coolant. First I think I will find the radiator cap part number so I can also replace it at the same time.

[Tom Lopez]

Well, I accomplished the coolant flush and change yesterday. It was an all day affair. First was to determine which would be the best way to drain the old fluid. I examined the drain plug on the left bottom of the radiator but I could not figure out how to turn it. Mine does not look like any of the ones discussed on this forum. Therefore not wanting to buy a new radiator I choose to disconnect the bottom radiator hose from the bottom of the radiator. Was trying very hard to capture all the fluid and was doing pretty good until my hand slipped and you can guess what happened next. I got a dexcool hair wash and bath. My idea to measure the amount taken out and also not make a mess just ended up all over me. So I wiped off and continued to flush and drain. I reattached hose to radiator and then filled with tap water, ran engine up to 190 let cool and then flushed again. Did it one more time but this time I drove it 5 miles and the temp went up to 200/204. Let it cool down and drain again. I filled it this time with 8 quarts of Prestone dexcool and distilled water 50/50 mix, followed with 4 quarts of non diluted dexcool to mix with tap water that remained in system. Well that is all I could get into the system so now I drive MH to thoroughly mix everything. Temps ran 198/200. It did go a little higher but cooled back to my normal of 198 quickly. Only problem is I am thinking that I only got 8 quarts of pure dexcool into a system that should hold 23 1/2 quarts of 50/50 mix. I get my antifreeze checker and it only shows the freeze level down to -10 degrees. The new blend of 50/50 shows the freeze down to -35 so I think I need more pure dexcool in system. I siphon 2 1/2 quarts of the fluid now in system from the radiator and refill it with pure dexcool and also fill the refill bottle to half way between the hot level and the cold level also with pure dexcool. I will run it later and see if I now have the mixture correct.

This morning I check the fill bottle and I see that the radiator has sucked some of the pure dexcool into itself and the level of the bottle is at the correct level. I think I will continue to drive the MH a few more times and then check for correct mix of 50/50. I hope I got it right.

That was all the fun I could handle in one day, don't want to do it again.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by WeatherTodd

personally I would mixup the coolant prior to the flush. I prefer a leaner mixture than 50/50. My coach wont see freezing temps so I mix it at 30% glycol & the rest water & coolant additive like MoCool. I would not suggest Redline or Royal purple products. :(

I used to be adamant about distilled water but its not really important. Actually the minerals in tap water are preferred. Something about distilled water causing leeching in aluminum blocks/cooling systems.

BS. Use distilled water. Ask any aluminum radiator maker. Call Tom DeWitt. He makes aftermarket aluminum radiators for Corvettes. He doesn't care what antifreeze you use but says always use distilled water.

And, unless you know you've gotten ALL of the water out of the block, then using a 50/50 mixture will result in less than a 50/50 mixture overall.

Nothing wrong with Redlines additive. It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it sticks to the passage walls better.

[Arch Hoagland]

"The new blend of 50/50 shows the freeze down to -35 so I think I need more pure dexcool in system."

How cold does it get where you live? If it gets that cold I'd suggest moving.

[Tom Lopez]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

BS. Use distilled water. Ask any aluminum radiator maker. Call Tom DeWitt. He makes aftermarket aluminum radiators for Corvettes. He doesn't care what antifreeze you use but says always use distilled water.

And, unless you know you've gotten ALL of the water out of the block, then using a 50/50 mixture will result in less than a 50/50 mixture overall.

Nothing wrong with Redlines additive. It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it sticks to the passage walls better.

Well then, I guess I've got a problem ! I could not get all the tap water out of the system prior to inserting the dexcool and the distilled water mixture. So with this bad so called tap water left in the system I figured that my mix was less than 50/50 that's why I was trying to adjust it by adding the undiluted dexcool to increase the percentage of mix and I will get it to the proper 50/50 mix. I just won't have a mix with just distilled water and dexcool. Not wanting to get another dexcool bath and have that much fun again the MH is going to have to live or die with this mixture of bad water, distilled water, and dexcool. If it dies then I'll buy another one.
Does anyone think I got a small problem, big problem, or is MH going to die?? Should I really just drain and start all over?

[Tom Lopez]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

"The new blend of 50/50 shows the freeze down to -35 so I think I need more pure dexcool in system."

How cold does it get where you live? If it gets that cold I'd suggest moving.

It can get really cold but then I just find things to do inside where it is warm and cozy. When it gets cold I think about moving but then it gets warm and the thought quickly passes until it gets cold again. I guess it hasn't gotten bad enough yet. I did like the Southern California tempeture when I was there 28 years ago. I could water ski in the morning, trout fish in afternoon, and then snow ski in the evening. I just hated the traffic.

[WeatherTodd]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

BS. Use distilled water. Ask any aluminum radiator maker. Call Tom DeWitt. He makes aftermarket aluminum radiators for Corvettes. He doesn't care what antifreeze you use but says always use distilled water.

And, unless you know you've gotten ALL of the water out of the block, then using a 50/50 mixture will result in less than a 50/50 mixture overall.

Nothing wrong with Redlines additive. It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it sticks to the passage walls better.

All due respect... you dont have the actual data & information I experienced with my race vehicles. Distilled water causes leaching in aluminum engines/coolant components. Been proven in 2 recent studies as well as evidenced in 3 of my race bikes that have been using distilled water exclusively.

Ive been in the "modification" game a long time. And redlines Water Wetter is JUNK. Wait til it coagulates and causes "issues" in a system. Or you can take advice from someone thats already seen the damage that junk causes. I have nothing to sell here except what my personal findings are.

And yes when I drain a cooling system... I know how to evac it properly. I dont need to ask anyone anything because Ive been experimenting with coolants & operating temps for years.

[WeatherTodd]

Originally Posted by Tom Lopez

Well then, I guess I've got a problem ! I could not get all the tap water out of the system prior to inserting the dexcool and the distilled water mixture. So with this bad so called tap water left in the system I figured that my mix was less than 50/50 that's why I was trying to adjust it by adding the undiluted dexcool to increase the percentage of mix and I will get it to the proper 50/50 mix. I just won't have a mix with just distilled water and dexcool. Not wanting to get another dexcool bath and have that much fun again the MH is going to have to live or die with this mixture of bad water, distilled water, and dexcool. If it dies then I'll buy another one.
Does anyone think I got a small problem, big problem, or is MH going to die?? Should I really just drain and start all over?

its not an issue. even with hard water ... the glycol will keep any galvanic issues at bay. Only problem would be if your system had a leak that allowed fresh or compressed air in. I dont stress about distilled or pure anymore. Funny the looks you get from folks unaware of using tap water.
Id bet if you did a chemical analysis of glycol and youll find that the manufacturer is using tap water in their 50/50 formulas.