Alrighty... So I've completed my first oil change, and installed a strut tower brace today on my Camry...yay me! I think that the next step of my DIY crash course will be to do a coolant flush.
What exactly does a complete coolant flush entail? Is it even possible to do a complete flush at home? And what's up with the red fluid/green fluid debate? I think I have the red fluid now (but I'll have to do a visual tomorrow morning to be sure). Basically, if you've done a complete coolant system flush at home, could you please post some instructions? Any tips, tricks, and warnings would be appreciated very much.
BTW, Holy crap...the strut tower brace did wonders for my cornering ability...everything is much more predictable when you throw the car around a corner and the damn squeaks coming from my dashboard are gone!
I wouldn't say that I'm flushing it for fun. I don't know when the last time the coolant in my car was changed (bought it second hand about 8 months ago) so I would like to flush it so that I know that the coolant is fresh and full of all the goodies such as corrosion inhibitor and stuff. Also, I've been noticing that the radiator fan comes on much more often and much sooner after idling for a little bit.
I was also thinking of doing a flush. My thermometer in the car shows it being a little bit hotter than half the temp of the gauge (ok so i have no idea how many degrees that is, but does anyone know). The fan on the radiator has been coming on a lot for me and as my dad does not care for cars very well I was thinking that I need a flush too. Also, about how much coolant is needed for a flush. I just bought a gallon from the Toyota dealer for around $16 and filled half the resevoir, will what's left be enough?
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1995 Silverleaf Metallic Camry LE Automatic beater
No it wont. Heres how you basically flush the engine.
1. You empty the whole cooling system of old coolant, yes that means you basically open the valve on the bottom of the radiator, let the coolant come out (I'd try to get it into a bucket or something, its poisonous to animals). then you might aswell open the thermostat housing, take out the thermostat to let the coolant from there come out. Keep the thermostat out for now, but put back the cover, in some cases you could keep the thermostat in and just reverseflush it.
2. Take a garden hose and put that to the lower hose in the engineblock and open the tap. You can do this for few mins if you see crap coming out like rust. Now at the same time you can reverseflush the radiator aswell, but you need to remove it to do it.
3. Take fresh coolant bottles (you'll probably need two of them) and do a 50/50 mix with water (I've used tap, but distilled is better). But here it gets tricky. Before you start to fill up the radiator, you might aswell pop in a brand new thermostat. Now the thermostat is in, the hoses are connected. Pour the 50/50 mix into the radiator until its topped off. Now turn on the engine.
So the engine is running now, ok, now wait for the coolant level in the radiator to drop, once it drops. Start pouring the mix into the radiator (the thermostat just opened). Pour until the whole radiator is full, the rest you can put into the expansion tank. make sure its at the max line. Make sure that bubbles dont come out anymore and put on the cap.
Ok, so that's basically what I was thinking of doing, but I've for a few more questions.
1. I'm a little wary about using water to do the flush, since I've seen my brakes rust in like no time flat when I wash the car, wouldn't flushing it with water also rust the inside of the cooling system really fast?
2. When refilling the radiator, do you fill it from the resevoir tank, or do you fill it at the radiator cap? And is the radiator cap left off while you bleed the system of air?
3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine?
1. I'm a little wary about using water to do the flush, since I've seen my brakes rust in like no time flat when I wash the car, wouldn't flushing it with water also rust the inside of the cooling system really fast? <- thats why you dont leave the water in the radiator for a long time, so it wont really matter. Also dont leave the system empty, same problem, it'll rust.
2. When refilling the radiator, do you fill it from the resevoir tank, or do you fill it at the radiator cap? And is the radiator cap left off while you bleed the system of air? <- Fill it from the cap, and yes leave it off when you bleed the system, its almost automatic.
3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine? <- hmm, not really, but it'll drain pretty much via the thermostat housing.
Remember to turn your heater to hot to open the heater control valve. The heatere core needs to be flushed clean, too.
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"Can't understand why people abort Volvos, either"
'03 Toyota Avalon, 40,000 '96 Toyota Avalon, 126,000 miles
'89 Volvo 740tic, 120,000 miles '86 Volvo 240DL, 220,000 miles
'95 Ford Contour, 125,000 miles '88 Ford Escort GT, SCCA ITB
Prestone makes a coolant flush kit where you splice T into one of the heater hoses. It has a coupling where you hook up a hose and the fresh water under pressure pushes the old coolant out. I usually start the engine with the hose running into the system and let it cisrculate for a while. That way I am guaranteed 100% water in there before I add anything.
I then drain the system as well as I can. I look up the coolant capacity and add exactly half that amount in antifreeze. Top it off with water and you are good to go!
Prestone used to sell a coolant flush chemical. You would do the flush, then add a can of this stuff and top it off with water. You woudl run the car for about 10-20 min and then flush out the cleaning solution. Then refill as described above. I don't think that is necessary unless your cooling sysstem is really fuxored.
Also it has been onserved that flushing a system broke off that one last piece of rust that was holding the coolant in, and now you have a leak.
Originally posted by Flashmn 3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine? <- hmm, not really, but it'll drain pretty much via the thermostat housing.
There is a block drain plug on my Celica.
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1991 Toyota Celica ST
1.5L DOHC L4
1/4 mile: barely
When I add the 50/50. How do I know how much coolant and water to add. To make the 50/50? Do I add one full thing of coolent then finish it off with water? Or???
When I add the 50/50. How do I know how much coolant and water to add. To make the 50/50? Do I add one full thing of coolent then finish it off with water? Or???
1. Get a bucket. Make sure its clean.
2. Pour the gallon of coolant into it.
3. Pour a gallon of distilled water into the bucket.
4. Fill up your radiator and overflow reservoir with it.
I pour the extra back into the container the coolant came in.
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