I Go To Costco

iTrader: (1)

I have a history of problems with my 02 Z28, M6. It might shed some light. I have only used ACDelco Dexcool, mixed 50/50 with distilled water.... not sure about previous owner (have had the car for over 3 relatively trouble-free years, until recently)

I'll quote the background info if someone can solve without it...

Couple weeks after the paragraphs to follow happens, P/S fluid starts barfing out slowly but constantly, despite being parked for days. Pop open the cap and I see bright green specks, as well as sludgy looking gunk inside the P/S reservoir.

Do I have a leak in the radiator somewhere? Or is it the P/S pump? Or something else? After some research my friend found out for me that some F-Bodies have a P/S cooler that runs through the radiator (my impression was this was for SS/Trans-Ams only, and maybe 1LEs?)

Thanks in advance

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

You have to have a factory PS fluid cooler.....its the metal pipe in the upper radiator hose.

Its a garbage design by GM....get rid of it. You need to install an aftermarket cooler.

Go here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...cooler+success

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I Go To Costco

iTrader: (1)

Awesome.

How do I change that POS, is there an alternate part number for the P/S hose without the split for the cooler? Or can I bypass it somehow?

Bravo, GM....

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

some one did not get the memo............ditch the cooler...........

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

Get this part # (E71981) from Advance Auto. That's the upper hose you'll need. I got part # 911009 for my new PS cooler. Follow LS6427's posted thread and you can't go wrong.
Check out online for in store pick up, and use coupon code (VISA) at checkout for $10 off $30, $30 off $75, $50 off $150

Just depends on what all you want to buy and spend. I bought a water pump at the same time and saved bookoo WITH a lifetime warranty.

Hope this helps

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

You simply go buy an upper radiator hose for your exact year and model car WITHOUT a cooler. You'll just get an entire rubber hose that fits.

Ah....."dr_whigham" gave it all to you. Just check that thread and do it up....the entire job takes maybe 30 minutes and costs about $35.00.

BUT.....you MUST flush your block like you never flushed before. That PS fluid clumps up and stays in the block and will take 20-30 minutes of flushing to get it out. Use a half gallon of degreaser, let it run in there for about 15 minutes straight, then drain it out. Then flush it again. Formula 88 works great, I used it for mine. Advance Auto here sells it, but not all of them do. Any good degreaser will work. Flush with the t-stat out.

Here's my flush write-up and air bleed method.

Best/easiest way to flush and get every drop of old coolant out.

-Cold engine.
-Remove radiator fill cap.
-Remove the t-stat from the housing. Leave the housing attached to the rubber radiator hose, just remove the 2 housing bolts and pull it away from the water to pump to get to the t-stat. (2-3 minute job).
-Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute) Just put one bolt in, no need to put them both in, there’s no pressure in the system during the flush.
-Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off" and let it drain, don't just open the valve itself. It'll drain faster with it off and that’s what you want. ((Buy a new petcock valve before starting this flush process, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way just because they're cheap plastic and they get briddle over time, they're like $2.00))
-Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
-Start the engine.
-Turn heat on full blast
-Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
-((If you want to, you can wait till it runs clear, close the drain valve, add a bottle of radiator flush and let it run for 15 minutes, then drain it all again. Then open the drain and put the hose in for about 5 minutes run it all out till its CLEAR. The flush chemical will help break up the crap thats stuck DEEP in the BLOCK that sits and swirls and doesn't like to come out.))
-When it runs clear your entire system is clean.
-Remove the overflow reservoir from the car and clean it out real good. (I had to use gasoline to clean mine out because the sludge and grime was so thick inside. The gas broke it all down and then it flushed right out. I filled it about 1/3 up with gasoline and shook the hell out of it real vigorously, the black stuff kept coming out. I did that like 4 separate times with gasoline till no more chunks of black crap came out. Make sure the lines that go to the reservoir are also cleaned out. Or just buy a new piece of 3/8” heater hose and replace that line, 3 feet will do, then cut to fit. My sludge came from my power steering fluid leaking into my coolant system.)
-Put the t-stat back in.
-Put the overflow reservoir back in.
-Put the drain valve back in. Use the new one, what the hell.
-Put half a jug of Dexcool in the radiator. (Or if you live in very cold places, 1 to 1 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
-Fill the rest with water.
you do not need to use distilled water, clean hose water is just fine, just make sure your city water is clean and not total crap quality.

**Bleeding the system of air:
Start it up and let it run, radiator cap OFF, and let it warm up till the t-stat opens. I rapidly squeeze the upper and lower radiator hose like 20 times while its warming up to help move any air bubbles through the system and by the t-stat on the engine side. When the t-stat opens you’ll see the level drop as you squeeze it, its sucking the coolant through the system. You will also see the coolant start to flow in the radiator fill neck, once it starts to flow the level should drop down a lot, immediately top it off with coolant/water. Then the flow will stop when the t-stat closes. Wait one more time for the t-stat to open again and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it a 3rd time if you want to make sure. I always massage the upper hose during the whole process to keep any air bubbles moving through. Always works like a charm. Just keep checking your temp gauge until the t-stat opens for the first time to make sure it’s not sitting there overheating from a trapped bubble. May take 10-15 minutes for the t-stat to open the first time.
If you do start to get hot while sitting there and the t-stat will not open…..you have an air bubble on the engine side of the t-stat. Shut the engine off and rapidly squeeze the upper and lower radiator hoses again. Then start the engine again and see if the t-stat will open. Sometimes you just have to work those hoses to move the air through. Even after it seems topped off after a couple cycles…check it the next time you have a cold engine…top off if needed.

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dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

*Bookmarked*

That's the best damned coolant flush how-to ever!