How do I do a Coolant Flush?

[DD117]

Hi everyone,

So like the title says I'm trying to do a coolant flush... I have read and watched so many guides and I'm still on the wall about the process.

Yesterday I tried to drain the coolant and about a 1-1.5 gallons came out. I used the drain petcock and then I removed the lower radiator hose, which didn't do anything. All of the coolant I drained came from the petcock.

It was at this point I realized that I wasn't confident on how to get the rest of the fluid out. I had watched videos and it seemed like everyone I saw (albeit with different vehicles) was able to get most of the fluid out this way. I had the idea that the thermostat might be the next step but again I wasn't sure... And what about after that? what then? So then I filled the radiator back up with some distilled water.

I've heard all sorts of ideas... Like removing the freeze plugs on the block, or buying one of those flush kits from Prestone or Peak... But like I said I'm not sure anymore.

I think you should know what I've bought so far, what my plan is, and why I'm doing this...

Purchased items
12 gallons of distilled water
2 gallons of peak concentrated coolant
1 peak chemical flush

My plan was to
1) Drain the coolant
2) Flush with distilled water
3) Fill with water and the chemical flush
4) Let that do its work for a couple days
5) Drain the chemical flush/water
6) Flush with distilled water again
7) Finally fill with coolant

My reasons for wanting to do a thorough job is I pretty much only trust myself with anything anymore... and the coolant was the original coolant. (Mine is an 2006)

I also don't understand what I should do after the water flushes... Wont water be trapped in places like the heater core?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Christian

 

[86GT351]

If you are going to use a Chemical Flush you probably want to pay a company that has a Fluid Exchange System. This will push all of the opld out and put all new in once the Thermostat opens. If you are going to d it yourself, then your thought will work. However,, you might want to remove the Thermostat so everything moves easier through the system. Once the system is drained before final coolant install, put the thermostat back in.

 

[eighty6gt]

It is a gigantic pain in the ass. You get to bathe in coolant and flood your garage floor for days.

I removed the driver's side block drain. The passenger side is not accessible with the engine/engine mounts in place.

I ran the car with straight water for a bit after I buttoned it all up, replaced it a few times with tap water, then drained what I could, added what was theoretically half the cooling system capacity in pure uncle freeze, and then topped off with bottled water.

My strength is a bit weak based on my refractometer readings so I'm going to add another quart or so of coolant. Also, my reservoir is turning brown, so I've probably blown something up.