coolant faq?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 147
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coolant faq? ok so i need to flush the coolant on my 02 z28.
i dont know much about coolant at all - im a nub.
i know to use dexcool, and distilled water
how do i go about flushing the system?
thanks
i dont know much about coolant at all - im a nub.
i know to use dexcool, and distilled water
how do i go about flushing the system?
thanks
Best/easiest way to flush and get every drop of old coolant out.
Cold engine.
Remove radiator fill cap.
Remove the t-stat. (2-3 minute job)
Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute)
Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off", don't just open it. It'll drain faster with it off and thats what you want. ((Buy a new petcock, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way, they're like $2.00))
Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
Start the engine.
Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
When it does your entire system is clean.
Put the t-stat 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 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
Fill the rest with water. (one bottle of water wetter can't hurt, your choice)
and no, you do not need to use distilled water.
**Start it up and let it run and warm up till the t-stat opens once and starts to flow, if the level drops just top it off with coolant/water. Then wait one more time for the t-stat to open and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it again if you want to make sure. I always massage the upper and lower hoses while its warming up to help move the air bubble through. Always works like a charm.
Done.
If your system is sealed, don't mess with it for another 5 years or more.
Cold engine.
Remove radiator fill cap.
Remove the t-stat. (2-3 minute job)
Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute)
Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off", don't just open it. It'll drain faster with it off and thats what you want. ((Buy a new petcock, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way, they're like $2.00))
Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
Start the engine.
Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
When it does your entire system is clean.
Put the t-stat 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 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
Fill the rest with water. (one bottle of water wetter can't hurt, your choice)
and no, you do not need to use distilled water.
**Start it up and let it run and warm up till the t-stat opens once and starts to flow, if the level drops just top it off with coolant/water. Then wait one more time for the t-stat to open and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it again if you want to make sure. I always massage the upper and lower hoses while its warming up to help move the air bubble through. Always works like a charm.
Done.
If your system is sealed, don't mess with it for another 5 years or more.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
ive heard multiple sources on this site say that distilled water is essential to prevent additional wear on the cooling system, something about pH levels or something - what have you heard of this?
Distilled water is pretty cheap if you want to use it. But unless you literally have polluted, horrible water where you live....hose water is perfectly fine and won't do anything to your radiator or anything else.
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Crete, IL.
I thought the t-stat and housing were a 1 piece unit on 02 LS1s unless the pump had been changed to a LS2 replacement with a 2 piece unit? I've been filling the system with water, waiting for t-stat to open and circulate, dump water and repeat.(a tedious process). Removing the t-stat would be nice.
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I thought the t-stat and housing were a 1 piece unit on 02 LS1s unless the pump had been changed to a LS2 replacement with a 2 piece unit? I've been filling the system with water, waiting for t-stat to open and circulate, dump water and repeat.(a tedious process). Removing the t-stat would be nice.
Or just do the engine plugs.
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all LS1's have a 1 piece thermostat housing. but you can remove the thermostat from the housing and reinstall the housing with no thermostat. You will need strong hands though to compress the spring and turn the stat to remove it from the housing.
http://www.underhoodservice.com/Arti...uirements.aspx
the use of distilled water is preferred because there are no minerals in it that will attack aluminum or other metals in the cooling system nor reduce the pH or additive strength in the coolant shortening the coolant's life. And all you need is 2 gallons which will cost < $2 so it's a no-brainer.
If you are on city water, most city water is very good in terms of quality so you can use it with little risk. The real problem is if you have well water, which is hard and has lots of minerals in it. Or if you have water softeners/conditioners in your house, these use salts to condition the water and the salts are bad for the coolant/cooling system because they are inherently corrosive. Couple those two things together and don't be surprised if you have cooling system problems, before you even add the mixture to the radiator the coolant is already working hard against the water you used which has both minerals and salts in it. I think from this the info became less accurate to where people start saying you must use distilled water, forgetting the distinction between well and city water. The biggest problem with city water is the chlorine content, and i can't remember how it affects the coolant and to what degree... i've always just picked up 2 gallons of distilled water when buying the antifreeze.
http://www.underhoodservice.com/Arti...uirements.aspx
the use of distilled water is preferred because there are no minerals in it that will attack aluminum or other metals in the cooling system nor reduce the pH or additive strength in the coolant shortening the coolant's life. And all you need is 2 gallons which will cost < $2 so it's a no-brainer.
If you are on city water, most city water is very good in terms of quality so you can use it with little risk. The real problem is if you have well water, which is hard and has lots of minerals in it. Or if you have water softeners/conditioners in your house, these use salts to condition the water and the salts are bad for the coolant/cooling system because they are inherently corrosive. Couple those two things together and don't be surprised if you have cooling system problems, before you even add the mixture to the radiator the coolant is already working hard against the water you used which has both minerals and salts in it. I think from this the info became less accurate to where people start saying you must use distilled water, forgetting the distinction between well and city water. The biggest problem with city water is the chlorine content, and i can't remember how it affects the coolant and to what degree... i've always just picked up 2 gallons of distilled water when buying the antifreeze.
http://www.finalube.com/fina_check/f...ck_coolant.htm
believe if you want to.
http://www.eetcorp.com/antifreeze/antifreeze-faq.htm
believe if you want to.
Chlorine/chloride content: Antifreeze rapidly degrades if chlorine or chlorides are present in the antifreeze. Chlorides in the presence of acid components are especially corrosive towards aluminum radiators. Chloride is also corrosive towards copper and other metals. Chlorine content (by ASTM D 5384) in the coolant is the first thing a warranty claim will look at.
Using “hard” water out of the tap can cause scaling in the engine. Tap water is purified for drinking by chlorination, which kills germs but can cause corrosion in the engine. Even if you carefully measure the amounts of tap water and antifreeze to get the right blend, using tap water is not a good idea. Tap water also contains dissolved oxygen, calcium, magnesium, and other contaminates besides chlorine and chlorides that can significantly degrade corrosion inhibitor performance.
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