Out with the New in with the Old.....

[djb383]

..........color of antifreeze, that is. The Dexcool is gone, Prestone Extended Life 5 yr/150K miles is in. Simple proceedure, just time cunsuming as I flushed the system with 6 gals of distilled water, 1 1/2 gals at a time. No problems at all 'burping' the air. I'll keep a close eye on the coolant level in the recovery bottle for several days and top off as necessary.:)

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7932/hpim0494cz9.th.jpg (http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hpim0494cz9.jpg)

[Ritz]

..........color of antifreeze, that is. The Dexcool is gone, Prestone Extended Life 5 yr/150K miles is in. Simple proceedure, just time cunsuming as I flushed the system with 6 gals of distilled water, 1 1/2 gals at a time. No problems at all 'burping' the air. I'll keep a close eye on the coolant level in the recovery bottle for several days and top off as necessary.:)

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7932/hpim0494cz9.th.jpg (http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hpim0494cz9.jpg)

Cool. I really need to get off my behind and do the same. I *really* don't like Dexcool (and neither does Honda). I'll probably make that one of my 'roud tuit projects while the kids are off from school next week.

Cheers,

[burnout]

Did you end up screwing with the block drain, or did you just empty the radiator a bunch of times?

[kodak_jack]

[QUOTE=djb383;965944].... No problems at all 'burping' the air.
QUOTE]

I haven't looked at that part of it yet. Is this one of the systems that gives you a valve where you have to burp it to get the air out? My Taurus doesn't even have a drain cock. You have to pull a hose to drain it!:dizzy:

[djb383]

Did you end up screwing with the block drain, or did you just empty the radiator a bunch of times?

Just drained the rad, filled w/distilled water and ran the motor 4 times. Last drain was virtually clear, so I called it good enough.

[djb383]

[QUOTE=djb383;965944].... No problems at all 'burping' the air.
QUOTE]

I haven't looked at that part of it yet. Is this one of the systems that gives you a valve where you have to burp it to get the air out? My Taurus doesn't even have a drain cock. You have to pull a hose to drain it!:dizzy:

No bleed valve and one is not needed. System bleeds air out while circulating, no problem. Check the coolant level in the reservoir for several days, just to make sure. I've got Pontiac Vibe that is a ***** to bleed. The Vonda is a piece of cake.

[1saxman]

'Just drained the rad, filled w/distilled water and ran the motor 4 times. Last drain was virtually clear, so I called it good enough.'

Did you run the engine each time until the thermostat opened? This is the only way to do a coolant flush without back-flushing. Then you have to wait until the engine cools off before opening the system to do it again. This could take literally all day!

[djb383]

'Just drained the rad, filled w/distilled water and ran the motor 4 times. Last drain was virtually clear, so I called it good enough.'

Did you run the engine each time until the thermostat opened? This is the only way to do a coolant flush without back-flushing. Then you have to wait until the engine cools off before opening the system to do it again. This could take literally all day!

I've got a ScanGauge and you can tell easily when the t-stat opens and stays open or you can feel the top rad hose. When it gets hot and stays hot, the t-stat is open. I had the cap off of the bottle during the whole process. Each time I refilled the bottle to about 3/4 full, then would start the engine and was ready to add additional water 'cause the bottle empties quickly after the engine starts. I maintained the bottle at 1/2 full while the engine was running. I did this sequence 4 times and the last drain was clear.