With the predicted warm weather expected this weekend I am going to flush and change the coolant in my truck. I know there are 2 drain plugs on the block. I found the drivers side yesterday but did not spot the one on the passenger side. It seems there's a lot more things in the way on that side.

Anyway, I plan on putting in one of the flushing cleaner solutions, then flushing with tap water, and then filling it all up. If I'm going to flush it all out is it even necessary to drain the plugs in the block? Wouldn't the coolant that's in the block flush out when I run tap water through the system?

 

Use a flushing tee. You don't have to drain the block.

http://www.prestone.com/products/print/461?popup=1

 

How hard is the water in your tap? I only use distilled water in my radiator since I had a heater core plug up because of the hard tap water in my area at that time.

 

I don't htink it's that hard. But after thinking it over more I'll flush it with tap and then drain it all out (not the block). then I'll fill it with 50/50 and pickup a couple gallons of distilled water.

I watched the flush and fill video on autozones website. They used a pretty time consuming system of warming up the engine and draining it and letting it cool down over like 3-4 times to flush it. Then they fill it.

I've always uplugged the radiator and filled the system with water and then started the truck, blasted the heater, and kept the hose pouring water into the radiator keeping it constantly topped off for like 20 mins or so. That'll be my plan again.

This system has no special burping procedures or anything right?

 

What I do is drain my radiator fill it run it for several minutes Drain it again fill Repeat about 5 times. Then I use Non diluted antifreeze the last fill I fill it with straight antifreeze. I dont like the Idea of cutting into my radiator hos to install the T and it alway there after that. Ugly.

 

Unless you can drain it dry you can't use 50/50, you have to use full strength.

 

Hmmmm, I supposed the theory behind this is you flushed out all the old coolant and now even after you drain your system there is still going to be a good deal of water left in it. Thus you put pure antifreeze in it and presume that mixes with the water that's already in the system thus giving you 50/50.

If I do the drain and fill (not touching the block drain plug) how much water will be left in the system? How much antifreeze does it then take to fill up the system? More than 1 gallon?

 

Yes, you need to buy 3 gallons of full strength to make it 50/50. The cooling system capacity is in your owner's manual in quarts, you need half that much antifreeze. Capacity should be somewhere in the 20 quart range. 50/50 freezes at -34F, you can go stronger with no adverse effects till you hit about 70/30, that freezes at about -80 and the curve starts going the other way. Pure antifreeze freezes at about +15.

You should consider replacing the thermostat on general principle when you do this.

 

I never see anywhere near -34 where I live. I would be very comfortable with -20 protection. I dunno how much antifreeze I put in it cant remember. Did my vic this year..

 

So am I to assume that even after a drain it at the radiator I should expect roughly only half of the fluid in the cooling system will have drained? Thus it'll only take around 2.5-3 gallons of pure antifreeze? I suppose anything above that I could just mix pure 50/50 and be fine.

 

You need 50/50 for proper corrosion protection.

Look in your owner's manual for the system capacity and put half that amount in. It *should* fit. Top off with water if that doesn't fill it.

 

Yesterday I drained the coolant at the radiator. Then I filled up with tap water and fired up the truck with the heat on high and ran that for 15 mins. Then I drained it again. Then I filled it up with tap water again and fired it up. This time as it was running I opened the drain at the radiator and kept a fresh supply of water entering the radiator reservoir. So it was flushing as it was running. Did this for another 10 mins. Then shutoff teh water and killed the engine and let it drain out. Then I plugged the radiator and put pure antifreeze in the coolant reservoir. It took about 2 3/4 gallons. I haven't checked it again since it's cooled so perhaps the system has burped some more air and needs more antifreeze. If and when I finish adding the last of that third gallon of antifreeze I'll top off with water.