A while back I read a good post on flushing our cooling systems. I would like to do this before winter and cant find the post. Could someone help me?
Thanks in advance...

 

$20= search feature... In the mean time I'll let you know if I run across it.

 

A few years back I upgraded to the red coolant, with no problems. Its supposed to last as much as 5 years compared to 2 years. Also you will want to use distilled water (its cheap), instead of tap (might as well do it right the first time). On the VE there is a drain plug above the alternator on the engine's block, I don't know where it is on the vg. Also when you drain the coolant out of the radiator, I'd reccomend not useing the platic drain plug but to disconnect the lower radiator hose and drain the coolant from there, the plastic drain plug can break (I never use it).

 

Just buy the prestone flush kit and follow the instructions....

 

on a cooling system have a professional job done would be better because of instead of a gravity feed system the professional jobs r done with air pressure which would in the end be better off ecause if u r running an intercooler or not.

 

What the hell are you talking about?





By the way, there is a sticky in the "fluids and lubricants" section regarding doing a cooling system flush / fill.

 

HaHa, wtf. He doesn't have any leaks, there is no need to presurize it. Do a drain and fill....done.

 

That reminds me of back in 1987 when I bought my first hard drive for my 386 PC..I asked the guy at the counter what I need to do to install it and his answer was.."Just plug it in and turn it on!...lol

Anyway I got it flushed and all is well..no thanks to Maxitech and his donate 20 bucks advice....

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I dont believe in flushing the system (or I should say using the Prestone flush) and here's why. After 4 years of owning my 200sx and never draining the coolant, and knowing the previous owners didnt for 14 years, I decided it was about time. I used the Prestone Flush (super Flush?). Almost immediatly after that (about 3 days...200miles) the heating core leaked (just before winter started). Im not 100% sure that this did it, but I may have unclogged something that was blocking the leak. This got so bad that it ultimately made me get rid of the car. I think of it like that episode of the Simpsons when Burns is told he has like 15 diseases but if one is disturbed, the whole system come apart. Now I am very learly of flushing this cars system, and if I do, I think I will just use RO or distilled water, nothing fancy this time around. I understand it saves the water pump, but if a flush is going to destroy my heating core, Id rather risk the pump. Just my thoughts.

 

I agree Greggie..I flushed 4 times with distilled water and lower radiator hose off..when done I parked car on 39 degree incline and removed bleeder screw and filled radiator till fluid came out bleeder...capped it off ran for 20 minutes let cool removed radiator cap and squeezed upper hose and got last of air out..topped it off and all is well.

 

I didn't do any flushing or anything that could have resulted in my heater core leaking, but it did, and I'm going to swap in a new one, sometime this next week. I bought the new one at rockauto.com or something like that. It was a four seasons for about $80.00. Anyway, my question to everyone, comes as a result of the "Attention" insert that was included with the core. It basically says, that a heater core or radiator can fail within 3-4 days due to Electrolysis, which it defines as the flowing of an electric current through the coolant. I talked to the guy at Performance Radiator where I took my radiator to get flushed and repaired (only costed $70.00 even), and I asked him about it. He confirmed that it was true, and that it is usually caused by a bad ground. He's seen it happen even from something as little as a loose cable to the negative post on the battery. I guess aparently the bad ground allows electric currents to flow through the coolant which causes ionization or some crap like that. Anyway, basically he says all you do is take a voltometer, and connect the negative to the negative on the battery and the positive goes directly inside the coolant, the insert from my heater core says it should just touch the heater core. The guy at the radiator shop, said the reading shouldn't be anything over .03-.05. However the insert for my heater core says it shouldn't be anything over .1. Does anyone else have any information on this? What would you say is an appropriate reading from the voltometer?

 

you bought a heater core for a 3rd gen maxima at rockauto.com I'd ike to know what # you got then as I didn't see any cataloged by 4seasons

 

That statement is bs. U cannot 'see' tHat, and bad batt connection ruins u startup, not radiator.

Electrolysis is a physical phnenomena used in various applications. Basically you got have to have a liquid with additives like salt, and current flow between two different poles, anode/catode to achieve meaningful electrolysis. Metal ions will flow through the carrier fluid [contains electrolyte] from one to another, the loser gets corroded, the other one will be covered.

You may do this at home: saltwater into plastic container. Clip one copper nail in one batt [charger] clip, std steel nail into the other. Insert into water. Wait couple of minutes: steel nail will be coated with copper, copper nail will be shiny due to loosing some from surface. Deeper examples: http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/depts/chem/dol.../electrol.html
http://www.beta-theta.com/Chemistry/Electrolysis.html
"The number of coulombs that flow in each second is measured in units called amperes. Voltage is like an electrical pressure that pushes the coulombs through the circuit. In electrolysis, voltage is just as important as amperage. A certain minimum voltage is needed to produce electrolysis in any given substance. For example, a minimum of 1.23 volts is needed to electrolyse water to hydrogen and oxygen at 25 °C."

Never 'seen' this happen in a radiator or heater as u need right solution, voltage. Coolant is NOT such a electrolyte -solution; otherwise u car would leak already day 1 at stealership showroom... And its NOT significant with low amps/voltage.

Yes, during years and with or without bad groundings corrosion happens. Corrosion is actually electrochemical phenomena.

IF: If this was true, how could my 1943 jeep [thks for y fathers who brought it here!] have original radiator, never repaired, abs no never not groundings [at that time they did not know what it was]. And yes it has 6V alt & batt etcetc.

Still groundings are the most neglected issue in cars: all ctrl, ECU will fry b/c of that. Whatever it is, just dont connect +12V directly to u heater core...

 

well putting electrolysis aside. Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) turns acidic with age, and that is a mechanism for rotting out your radiator and heater core. Lesson learned? Change the friggen fluid!

 

Here is a well explained article.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/030521.htm

 

Pls Note michaels'max, with my too hars statement I am pointint to the mystery man He:
... "He's seen it happen even" ... Originally Posted by michaels'max

Thinking about the jeep. No groundings, but it has structural steel bar ONTO the radiator. This means its well GROUNDED. Grounding might actually be good idea...for the long run.