can i put dish washing liquid in the radiator when i do the flush? so that I can give it a good clean.... and so it brakes down any old green slime/deposits?

 

its about 30 bucks

 

^^ i wish it was $30 lol

 

The plug is on the BOTTOM of the radiator, on the passenger side. Jack up car and you will see only one opportunity for a 10mm hex. Here is a quick step by step.


DISCLAIMER: DO PROCEDURE ON COLD OR COOLED DOWN CAR, PREVENTS BURNS FROM HOT COOLANT.




Step 1: Jack up car with Jacks and jack stand, just do passenger side. Place drain pan under drain plug, loosen plug until fluid comes out(you might want to open fill cap on top of radiator first, releases vacuum in radiator). Continue to drain until it stops, just like an oil change...drip drip.......drip.......................drip

Also drain and clean the coolant reservoir. While draining the radiator take the time to clean it, and have it ready with fresh fluid. Super easy to take off...2 bolts 10/12mm I believe, disconnect hose attached.

Step 2: Once old fluid is out, get gallon or 2 of distilled water(depending on how many flushes you do) and pour into radiator fill cap from top of car. At the same time run motor while filling radiator, have the A/C on Heat and level for for max temp. Continue pouring till radiator is full.

Step 3: Drain radiator again which should have a slight mix of left over coolant and majority distilled water. If you feel you got all the old fluid out then continue to step 4, if not repeat from Step 2.

Step 4: Radiator should be fully drained of the distilled water, time to fill up the car with your preferred mix of coolant to water. Depending on what climate you live in, you can play with the mix of coolant : water. Drain plug for radiator should be closed and tightened. Remove drain pan, and lower car to level ground.

Step 5: DO NOT FORGET TO FILL RADIATOR. Do it with the car on the ground and also refill Reservoir Tank. MAKE SURE TO CHECK FOR LEAKS BEFORE DRIVING OFF!!!

 

Thanks Evoryder, I'm getting ready to flush mine, this is the detailed information everyone was asking for.

 

more then 30 bucks i gurantee that to find a shop... do it yourself in less then a hr and spend maybe 15 bucks if that..

 

great write up man! u should add that to the how to section.
but just to add one thing to those of us that not very familiar with the process, make sure the car is cool when u open the radiator cap.

question: why do u need to turn on the heater on high while pouring in the new fluid?
Thanks

 

to circulate the distilled water through the heater core....

 

^ thanks, make sense.

 

Prestone also makes a radiator flushing fluid that removes any rust, and other contaminants that may be in your cooling system.

 

"d i y"

 

Thanx for the great write up, but I a question on one of the steps.

"At the same time run motor while filling radiator, have the A/C on Heat and level for for max temp. Continue pouring till radiator is full."

Have the motor running while the car is still jacked up? Is it safe to do?

 

at that stage theres no need for the car to be jacked up... you will be filling from the radiator cap so drop the car

 

There's no valve on the evo heater core like on some cars. The coolant is always circulating thru the core.

The Factory Service Manual says to remove the block drain but nobody seems to know how to do this including me. When you find it you will see what I mean. So, in place of doing that, I suggest the garden hose method of getting out the old coolant - just run a little water in the top until the result at the bottom is clear water.

I'd suggest you do this flushing and the final fill with the engine cold and off. This is for safety - no burns. Then when full of new coolant, idle the engine with the cap off until the top hose is hot and the level goes down (the thermostat has opened). This is to get air out. Then top off and done. However it is a good idea to check the level again after a day of driving just in case the radiator empties the jug.

BTW, radiator caps hold pressure for about 30k and then they are shot.

 

lol flushes are way more than $30 most places charge somewhere around $60.


BTW thanks for the write up i've always done flushes on my cars, but not quite like you explained.