i'm going to replace my coolant now my question is: should i just empty and refill the coolant or should i flush and clean (cleaning kit) then refill? what do you guys think my car only has 30k miles so would it be ok to just drain and refill? never change coolant before, is our car 50/50 mix?


John

 

You should really flush it if you have the ability. The only coolant you will be replacing is whats actually in the radiator. So you will still have old coolant in the block etc. I did about 50% water and then added a bottle of Redline Water Wetter and finished it off with coolant. Its an easy job so might aswell do it right..

 

Drain and Refill will suffice if the car is only 30k miles. Flushes really are necessary with higher mileages on the coolant such as 80-100k.

 

Just drain the radiator and replace coolant. At 30k miles there is not a need to flush. My factory coolant was in great shape when I replaced it at 60k miles.

 

well i was going to change it cause it's below the low mark, should i even change it or should i top it off! thanks for your help guys!!

 

Yeah, change it. Additives in the coolant are gone by 30k.

Mix the antifreeze 50/50 with distilled water and never have to flush. Also, this is a good time for a new radiator cap. Don't forget to dump the old coolant in the jug.

 

You would be fine just topping it off at 30k. However, since your messing with it you might as well change it.

 

Yes, one should always use distilled water instead of tap water.

 

distilled water what do you mean "bottled water"? why

i was going to drain the antifreeze from the bottom of the radiator and fill it up from the top of the radiator with a pre mixed 50/50 from the store, is this the right way to do it??

Thanks

 

Not just bottled water but the process it has gone through. Distilled water is one that has been boiled and the water vapor captured and bottled. Basically its 100% pure water with no minerals etc...

 

where can i buy that type of water?

 

Should be able to get distilled water in your laundry isle at the grocery store. Always gotten mine there.

Try and use genuine coolant if possible. Manufacturers make the coolant to suit the metallurgy of their alloy heads for corrosive properties. Not really a huge deal but genuine is always the way to go if possible. If you are not flushing definitely try and use genuine as you do not want to mix coolants if you can avoid it.

Probably best to remove the crank angle sensor and give the motor a few kicks with the rad cap off to just to make sure you flow some water around and remove any air pockets in the radiator before you pressurize the system.

 

If you can get to the block drain, remove it. This will get all the antifreeze out of the engine. I found mine, on the back side of the engine, and it looked like something for 'Mission Impossible' so I skipped that part. With the radiator and block drain open (good for you) run the garden hose through the filler cap opening to rinse out the system. Allow the system to drain and apply Teflon tape to the block drain and reinstall. Close the radiator drain. Fill the system and install a new cap. Idle the engine until the upper hose is hot (thermostat is open). Rev the engine to 3000 rpm several times. Let the car sit until the engine is cold. Remove the radiator cap and fill the radiator completely. Fill the jug to the full line. Install cap. Monitor the jug for the next few days and add antifreeze mix as necessary.

 

^^ hey thanks, can i flush it out with the hose and only the radiator plug open (not the block plug)?? if so how do i ensure that get all the water out for the right mix??

is the genuine premixed for 50/50??

thank

 

Bump for answer im doing it next week