Help ~ How do I flush the radiator/coolent T.T

[Kimmy]

Hi everyone,

I think everyone has kinda noticed that I'm a complete noob when comming to car repair/mantience from my topic title. I hope no one minds me asking such a baic question, but where abouts is the bleed plug located on a Celica GT Four (94) radiator?

I want to flush out the old radiator water/coolent and basically give it a good clean (the water is a very rusty brown colour and there is brown sludge causing blockages in the hose between the radiator and the coolent tank)

If anyone can point me in the right direction as to where the bleed plug is that will be great.

Thanks in advance

Kimmy

[Pineapple]

Click the search button on top of the page

[Piddy]

I demand pics!!!!

[lcarocha]

Bottom tank on the left hand side (standing in front of the car) next to the temperature sensor.

[Deep]

Keep in mind that Toyota coolant is supposed to be red, not the green stuff you'd find in most cars. What kinda sludge are you seeing?

[Kimmy]

Thanks for the replies, the red sludge im seeing is like... emm mud?
I mean its basically clumps of it~ and its getting trapped on the end of the hose/pipe that feeds out of the top of the radiator and into the coolent bottle/tank thats next to it. I hope you understand what Im trying to discribe, the end of the hose has like a plastic cap with holes in it to allow water/coolent to flow through. The sludge is getting trapped there and restricting the flow.

I'll take a picture of it tomorrow if that helps, but I think I will flush it anyway, just to keep it in good condidtion.

I read that there are several techniques to this, some peaple suggest running the engine in idle and other suggest that the engine should be switched off. Can any give me more pointers to this? And also is there anything that I need to look out for when I'm flushing it?

Thanks again

Kimmy

[lcarocha]

BTW, anyone know how to remove this brownish stuff that sticks to the whole cooling system?
I once read that a solution of boiling vinegar and water (or just pour the vinegar on the radiator and run the engine for 1 day and flush) would clean this but it sounds more like a camp fire story than anything else. Anyone tried this?

[Kimmy]

Thanks for the pointer, I managed to find it and flushed the system. Its looking good

but the coolent bottle looks a bit dirty, anyone know if I can clean it somehow?

Kimmy

[fredk]

put it on the ground, hold it with your foot and blast it with a garden hose nozzle, then finish it with brake clean

[trebor_9513]

just a warning, if anyone is or has been using dextron rad fluid, DO NOT mix with green. This does lead to rusting internals and will stop a water pump up quick. Reason being, when you mix them together they react in such a way that red chalk forms in the rad and raises the ph high! This means corrotion will happen!

[Insanity-74]

Originally Posted by Kimmy

Hi everyone,

I think everyone has kinda noticed that I'm a complete noob when comming to car repair/mantience from my topic title. I hope no one minds me asking such a baic question, but where abouts is the bleed plug located on a Celica GT Four (94) radiator?

I want to flush out the old radiator water/coolent and basically give it a good clean (the water is a very rusty brown colour and there is brown sludge causing blockages in the hose between the radiator and the coolent tank)

If anyone can point me in the right direction as to where the bleed plug is that will be great.

Thanks in advance

Kimmy

Where abouts in the UK are you?

[logan x]

keep in mind that the oler toyota fluid was brown, i dont hink that toy has gone to dexcool(crap). the newer fluid is a red. both you can use with green. if you do a full flush i would take out the thermostat , reinstall the houseing, open the petcock half way, so that a far anomout of fluid is comong out. with the rad cap off putt a garden hose in the rad and flush, after it comes out clean then run the car and turn on the heater to fluch it out to. when it is finaly coming out clean, turn off the car drain the rad of all fluid, then add strait coolant, due that you have strait water in the block. then get it checked for a 50\50 mixture, also remove the resivoure and clean. reinstall the thermostat. if the rad is that bad you might want to have a pro do it.

[Insanity-74]

I`ve never heard of "brown" coolant, are you sure its not just old fluid that has got rust in it, as far as i`m aware Toyota only ever used red, pink or blue/green coolant.

[logan x]

when i first saw the brown i was in shock, i thought my brand new 1987 truck had a rusty rad, and i was pissed. so i went down to the dealer and was getting ready to kick some butt , when the explained that they had a brown fluid, and i have seen it from time to time when i did that type of work, but ont on the 2000 and up. but is a like a water color brown , not a rusty brow you can see the diff.

[logan x]

Originally Posted by logan x

when i first saw the brown i was in shock, i thought my brand new 1987 truck had a rusty rad, and i was pissed. so i went down to the dealer and was getting ready to kick some butt , when the explained that they had a brown fluid, and i have seen it from time to time when i did that type of work, but ont on the 2000 and up. but is a like a water color brown , not a rusty brow you can see the diff.

love the fin, need to find me one for mine.