WARNING!!!
IF YOU ARE READING THIS THREAD FOR THE FIRST TIME TO FIND OUT ABOUT FLUSHING YOUR RADIATOR...DONT WASTE YOUR TIME GOING THROUGH THE 5 PAGES. Jeff92se WHORED UP MY THREAD ARGUING WITH PEOPLE.
THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION TO HELP PEOPLE OUT. YOU DONT HAVE TO GO FLUSH YOUR RADIATOR. I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.

ok everyone learn from my mistake!!!
everyone needs to go flush your radiator right away if you havent done it recently. leave work if you have to, just go do it.
mine was never done and now i have to replace my radiator tonight. the radiator is completely stopped up and even a profesional back flush wont clean it out.
i will being taking pictures and making a "how to" on the radiator swap.
here is the thread where i talk more about the problem and the whole process of figuring out what was wrong.
https://maxima.org/forums/showthread...hreadid=239136

 

What did your radiator fluid look like when you flushed it the first time? If it was brown in color but still flowed like water...coolant was old and filled with rust. If it has patches of brown sludge, that could be oil in the coolant. FYI

 

Forgot to add, how is your oil? Are you losing any between oil changes?

 

it had LOTS of brown rust flakes.
oil is fine. not losing any at all.

 

It's a good practice to flush your radiator out every year. It is especially important if you live in the Northern states and experience a harsh winter.

I usually do mine in the fall, just before winter.

 

FLUSH!!
FLUSH!!
FLUSH!!

 

I just did the first flush ever in my 95 Talon TSi about 6 months ago. 8 years old and 130k. I never did it because the coolant always looked like new. I'm usually really good about that stuff too, I just ignored it.

The car is fine, no probs, knock on wood. I guess I got lucky. I do have a minor head gasket issue (doesn't require replacing just yet) that may be related, I found this out from a cousin who is a mechanic.

He said coolant becomes acidic if you leave it in too long and will eat things, in particular head gaskets. After a really long time and some miles it can make it fail. The acidic issue probably led to all the sludge and failure of your radiator.


'03 Silver SE 6 spd/lsd
'95 Talon TSi turbo (fast as *****)

 

GLad you figured it out, sad you need a new rad. Post up the how-to when you do it!
jp

 

its okay cause i got one for $180 instead of the $750 the stealership.
my girl just called and the fed-ex dude just dropped it off. so whenever i can sneak out of work im going home to work on it. will post how to.

 

well my baby is officially FIXED!!!!!
life is good.
i replaced the radiator last night. it was pretty easy, took about an hour. it was alot easy cause my girl helped (gotta love that). after it was fixed i took her (the car) out for a spin. had AC on full blast and did alot of WOT. temp gauge never went above the middle.
i am so happy and releaved that i finally figured out and fixed the problem.
will post a "how to" soon.

 

 

Sweet!
I'm contemplating pulling my radiator to backflush it when I do the flushing job. Sound like a good idea?

 

i dont think you really need too. but it may help clean it out better. its not that hard to remove. just the two hoses (four if you're are auto) a few bolts and it comes right out.

 

I'm thinking it'll be worth it just so I can thoroughly wash the fins in the radiator & condenser, as well as get a good peek at everything else, and maybe make it easier to get to the block drain plug?

 

Before you go out and blindly flush your coolant, you can have it tested to see if it's "worn out" or not. But if it's been 3 years or more, it might be a good idea. But consult the manual and the FSM. You might have long life factory fluid in there

 

It's a 2000 model, so it's probably been around 3 years. The coolant looks green, so I doubt it's Long Life coolant... even so, better safe than sorry.

 

if its a 2000 you REALLY needs to flush it!!
go do it after work!!

 

It's better to flush the fluid every year in the fall.

 

very true!!
the radiator i got has lifetime warranty IF i flush it once a year

 

Probably can't do it (right) after work, especially not with a thermostat change. This weekend sounds more like it.
I don't want to **** something up and then have a "GOTCHA" that I have to address before dark 'else I can't go to work tomorrow

 

very true, it was getting dark when i finally finished. i barely got it done it time. are you an auto?

 

only do it if your fluid looks suspicious...if your fluid looks good and the thermostat is wokring good and there is no seepage from the water pump..the radiotor doesnt need to be flushed..

 

Again, it is a good practice to flush it once a year.

 

Like changing the oil every 3,000 miles? Like I said, get it checked. If the fluid is worn out, flush it. If not, why change it?

 

Do whatever you want, that's what it is all about. You want to keep yours in there for 30k miles, do it.

Changing it every year certainly doesn't harm the vehicle.

 

Neither does changing your tires every year. You do that also?

 

Wow, I'm not even going to get into it with you.

Changing the oil every 3000 miles doesn't hurt... yet do you criticize that?

BFD... now go on to something more important.

Sheesh.

 

You haven't answered my questions at all. Just to say that it doesn't "hurt". Neither does changing the tires every year either. Yes I do critize changing the oil every 3000 miles. That's why I mentioned it. It's unnecessary as chaning the tires every year, changing the coolant every year(if it tests out okay).

Now what technical references do you have to endorse changing the coolant every year?? Is it in the owner's manual? Is it in the FSM??

You really don't "have to get into it with me" because you have nothing to get into. Your suggestion is pure speculation based on nothing but your opinion.

 

hehehe, i flushed mine out last year... it's about time again.. thanx for the reminder =D

 

You and I have gone down this road before.

I grew up with a mechanic. I take care of my vehicles. I change my oil at my intervals, flush the coolant every year. Talk about technical references? Yeah, like YOU follow the 'suggested maintenance schedule' to the letter.

And if someone DID change their tires every year, BFD. It's their money. You shouldn't be one to criticize.

As a side note, I don't HAVE to answer YOUR questions, really. You and I have differing OPINIONS (you aren't the expert, either). So criticize away...

but if someone wants to change their oil every 3000, BFD. It's recommended to do so, especially if they don't run synthetic.

Your criticism is pure opinion rooted in 'expert theory' based on your own opinion and experience.

There's always a critic in the crowd... if it's you, so be it. I just didn't ask for criticism so I don't accept it.

 

Well, after 3 years it's worth flushing since I won't have to worry about it for another year (I usually put ~30K mi/year on my car, so I'm betting I'll be ready after a year)
Nah, I'm 5-speed manual. No spilled ATF to worry about

 

http://www.cybrrpartspro.com/Chilton...61CH01_44.HTML

Here's what it says for the 3-gens. It lists the 1995' but I dont' know if that is a missprint. Probably is.

Anyway, about my opinion being based on whatever......

I'd like to base my opinions on facts that I can read and research. "I grew up with a mechanic" is helpfull but hardly something concrete. Why? Because the "mechanic" that worked on my VTCs was a Nissan certified "mechanic" that might as well have been a trained monkey. You might have grew up with a mechanic, but I consider myself one. Not by profession but by experience.

You wanna tell someone to change their coolant every year "just because"?? Fine . But I'm here to tell them that they should get it tested if it's not past xx years/miles. And to advise them that just changing the coolant blindly is a waste of time. At least until one gets a feel on how long it lasts(based on some tests).

 

You guys are making something out of nothing. Read you owners manual. What does it say? You don't have to do it every year

 

BAD ADVICE!!! did you not read the whole thread? mine was not leaking, coolant looked fine, had new thermostat BUT the radiator was clogged!!!
FLUSH IT ONCE A YEAR!!! cause the first indication you may get is your car overheating or blown head gasket. then its to late

 

Screw it, man... let them do what they want to do (like talking to a brick wall, know what I mean?)

you and I can have the security of knowing we take care of our cars.

 

Looked fine does not = fine. The only real way to tell is to have it tested or test it yourself.

 

dude, im a perfect example of why you should do this. my coolant was fine!!! over time i got a build up in the radiator. a flush would have fixed it early on. but over time it just built up more and more.
for my new radiator to keep its warranty i have to flush it every year HMMMMMM wonder why that is!!!
maybe because they need to be done.
so stop arguing with people. im speaking from experience you on the other hand are not. if you want to *** up your radiator be my guest

 

so what is this scientific "test" of yours.
and that is cr@p cause the dealership tested my coolant and it was fine.
BOTTOM LINE!!!!!
no you dont HAVE to flush every year just like you dont HAVE to take your fat @ss to the gym.
if you care about your car then take car of it. you can flush it yourself for under $10. so do it and have the peace of mind.

 

BTW, way to be a good example mr moderator!! i started this thread to let people know to flush their radiators so they dont have to replace them like i did. then you come into MY THREAD and start arguing with people about it.
*** OFF!!!

 

And save the $5 at McDonald's... instead, take your a$$ out there and PT!!