Antifreeze/Coolant Flush and Refill

[truvette]

Does anyone know of a website that will give clear, understandable directions of how to safely flush and refill the antifreeze/coolant in my car?

[ZaneO]

What do you drive?

[Bill D]

Perhaps http://www.bobistheoilguy.com I routinely flush four cars a year following very slight variances per car. It can be a long process especially when attempting to get all your flush water as clear as possible.

[truvette]

Originally posted by ZaneO

What do you drive?

I drive a `99 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS (non-turbo).

[Bill D]

A Haynes and/or Chilton manual, if available for that car, just might show enough detail to instruct you how to do it

[imported_hadboosttroy]

yep either of those manuals, or seeing that you drive an eclipse, i am sure there is a forum for that car with tech articles.

[truvette]

I found these directions online:



http://www.castrol.com/castrol/gener...tentId=6004801



Do they seem thorough enough?

[Bill D]

I go beyond that by after draining the old antifreeze, filling the radiator with water , turning the car on, heat on max, running it, stop when upper radiator hose is warm, drain the water, repeat until you can get the drain water reasonably clear. Then follow the procedure for refilling with new antifreeze.

On some vehicles there may be a bleeder scew on the engine block ( The Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima I do have it) so be sure to open that up while refilling, then close in the end. Hope this can add to what you found.

[Lowejackson]

Originally posted by Bill D

I go beyond that by after draining the old antifreeze, filling the radiator with water , turning the car on, heat on max, running it, stop when upper radiator hose is warm, drain the water, repeat until you can get the drain water reasonably clear. Then follow the procedure for refilling with new antifreeze.

Yup, that is the way I do it. As I recall, this used to be the Mercedes recommended route as well.

[truvette]

Originally posted by Bill D

On some vehicles there may be a bleeder scew on the engine block ( The Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima I do have it) so be sure to open that up while refilling, then close in the end.

If I cannot gain access to the bleeder screw is it alright just to leave it closed?



Also, do you fill the radiator with a gallon of antifreeze and then top off the rest with just clear water? (By the way, my radiator holds 7.4 quarts)



After the radiator is filled, do you then pour diluted or straight antifreeze into the reservoir?



Sorry if these questions are so basic, but this will be my first attempt and I`d like everything to be as smooth as possible.

[Bill D]

At least on the cars I do, the bleeder screw ought to be fairly accessible.



Do make sure you use the correct antifreeze or you will have a serious problem. Consult your owners manual or delaer to verify.



For me, I can get away easy, I just buy prediluted Prestone in the gold jug and add. I used to get the one in the yellow jug before the premixed came out.



If you are going to get pure, undiluted antifreeze , mix it 50/50 with distilled water in a container beforehand and then add in the end.

Remember, that will be 7.4 qts of the 50/50 mix NOT pure antifreeze

[truvette]

Originally posted by Bill D

For me, I can get away easy, I just buy prediluted Prestone in the gold jug and add. I used to get the one in the yellow jug before the premixed came out.

I have seen the prediluted Prestone advertised. I think for the sake of convenience I might just go with that type. Do you find it performs just as well as undiluted antifreeze? Also, if I did decide to purchase it, would I use the regular fill amount in my radiator (up to the top of the fill spout) and then top off the reservoir as usual?

[Bill D]

If the stuff in the yellow jug or its pre diluted gold jug equivalent is appropriate for your car, I`d say sure, go with the gold jug, the only difference between the two is you are paying for the convenience of it being pre mixed with the gold jug. I do not believe there a pre mix for Dex Cool, an orange coolant, more common on some newer vehicles which is different chemically and incompatible with the flourescnt yellowish-green ( Prestone yellow jug) stuff. With Dex Cool, AFAIK, you must pre mix with the distilled water



You would fill the reservoir up to the full line and radiator up to the neck, run the motor until it reaches operating temperature with heat on max, ( watch for coolant to bubble out of the pressure valve on the engine block if equipped at this time also) turn off the motor, top off the radiator if necessary, install radiator cap firmly





If your fill amount is 7.4 qts, then purchase close to that amount. That figure is probably the grand total of the entire cooling system, some of which cannot be totally removed without sophisticated machines.



In my case, I can usually get all but about a gallon out of the system so I wind up using that amount less than what is called for by the entire cooling system.



In the case of two older GM vehciles I do: `89 Cadillac and `89 `Vette, a special coolant supplement is a requirement for those systems. I use Bars Leaks tablets, grinding them into the coolant to fulfill this requirement.



I do not believe any more recent model year vehicles require this supplement but definitely look for notices in the owners manual or stickers under the hood. Otherwise, you should be good