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Flushing and filling cooling system

rohard

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
49
Location
Edmond OK
Corvette
2014 Z51 Coupe and 08 Cooksey ZO6
I did a thread search, and found only partial answers. If someone can point me in the right direction, or answer, I would appreciate it!
Car is a 1965 396 (actual block unknown, but a big block) with Al radiator. Looks to be the "orange stuff" in it, I have had the car two years, and the "legend" is that the rebuild was about 2003 +/- (can not locate more than two owners back). Anyway, it looks dirty, and want to clean and replace. (Car runs cool, suspect radatior is larger than stock.)
1) A thread on another forum says simply drain radiator, and fill (while running) through the expansion tank. Yes or No?
2) If block drains used, how to fill and get air out?
3) Green stuff or red stuff?
ANY ADVICE FOR A RELATIVE NEWBY APPRECIATED!;help
 
I';; tell you how I do my small block.

drain the rad via the drain valve.
If you want to make sure to get all the old coolant out you can also open up the freeze plugs to drain the block but i don't bother with that myself.
I than refill as much as possible via the t-stat housing, close up the t-stat housing again and fill remaining amount thru the expansion tank. I than start the car and let it warm up enough to have the t-stat open and the allow the coolant to flow and add any remaining required amount to bring it back to the correct coolant level in the expansion tank.

I use the green coolant
 
The fill method Barry noted works great, but if you really want to get all the old coolant out (including the crud that precipitates out of it), remove the block drain plug on each side - there's about a half-gallon of coolant on each side that's below the water pump holes, and the only way to get it out is through the drains. Use a six-point socket to remove the plugs, and use some anti-seize on them when you put them back in.

:beer
 
The fill method Barry noted works great, but if you really want to get all the old coolant out (including the crud that precipitates out of it), remove the block drain plug on each side - there's about a half-gallon of coolant on each side that's below the water pump holes, and the only way to get it out is through the drains. Use a six-point socket to remove the plugs, and use some anti-seize on them when you put them back in.

:beer

a six point socket, and one long pry bar.:chuckle

Stepinwolf
 
hmmm, I never realized that there was still that much coolant still in the block after draining via the rad - I knew there was some but 1/2 gallon on each side is a fair amount to leave in there.
I guess next time I drain the whole system I better open up those plugs and get rid of that old stuff and do the job right!
Thanks for the info John!
 
OK - I have no intention of "hijacking" this thread but I think my problem is very much related and I was getting ready to start my own thread and will if needed.

My problem relates to a C1 ('59) I have an early crate motor (350CID/300 HP) with an original dual quad setup on top, repro radiator (no exp tank) with 7 LB radiator cap. last itme I drained and flushed cooling system I DID drain the block and then re-filled using correct amount of water/ cooolant (approx 50/50 mix of "green stuff").

After driving anywhere from 5 to 50 miles on a hot or even not so hot day the car "burps" coolant out the overflow hose all over my driveway, garage, or wherever I happen to park. This is bad enough and I'm afraid I'm going to kill the dog one of these days as he DOES seem to like the smell of the stuff, but I'm constantly having to re-fill the system never quite knowing how much I should add.

I've been told that "That's the way it is with cars with no expansion tank, get used to it". Is this true or am I doing something wrong here ? Is there ANY way to stop this or do I have to convert to an expansion tank system ?

Any ideas are appreciated,

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
that's the way it is....you need to go to your local auto parts store and purchase an overlflow canister and mount it somewhere. Then you won't have that problem.


As for the above posts. Use regular coolant...the long lasting coolants tend to corode your system. I see it happen all the time. And just buy the 50/50 solution. If you use any tap water, you will corode your system too. Tap water has electrolytes in it. Not good.
 
by the way....those plugs aren't made to be wrenched out.....you are supposed to heat them real hot, then take them out. :upthumbs
 
by the way....those plugs aren't made to be wrenched out.....you are supposed to heat them real hot, then take them out. :upthumbs

I don't want to argue the point, but the more heat you apply to the plug, the tighter it will get in the block because of it's expansion. ;shrug

Stepinwolf
 
I think the heat is just to loosen the thread sealant they put on them. I didn't have to heat miine up to get them out, but I did have to use some "muscle" (breaker bar and a cheater)

Bernie O.
 
I think the heat is just to loosen the thread sealant they put on them. I didn't have to heat miine up to get them out, but I did have to use some "muscle" (breaker bar and a cheater)

Bernie O.

Bernie,

Quite a few years ago I started to seal all the hardware that is in the water jacket with the white crap that is used by the " General " , Since then I have never had a problem with leakage, or removing any bolts. It actually stays in an un-hardned form and works great. Recently I have found the same product made by " Permetex "

Stepinwolf
 
Stepinwolf,

That's what I put on mine when I re-installed them; great stuff.

BTW, I get up to the Trois Rivieres area every now and then for work; maybe I'll look you up sometime. I was in Kingsey Falls a couple of months ago and have been in TR and La Tuque several times. I'll be in St. Jerome (NE of Montreal) sometime the w/o June 24.

Down in MS (very HOT !!!) right now and have to head to the airport,

Bernie O.
 
Stepinwolf,

That's what I put on mine when I re-installed them; great stuff.

BTW, I get up to the Trois Rivieres area every now and then for work; maybe I'll look you up sometime. I was in Kingsey Falls a couple of months ago and have been in TR and La Tuque several times. I'll be in St. Jerome (NE of Montreal) sometime the w/o June 24.

Down in MS (very HOT !!!) right now and have to head to the airport,

Bernie O.


As anyone will tell you, the garage door is always open. :upthumbs

Stepinwolf
 
the heat won't just make them expand. It doesn't matter which way they move, you just want some sort of movement....any helps. I have a machining book....it talks all about it in there. Just finished my machinging class.
 
After driving anywhere from 5 to 50 miles on a hot or even not so hot day the car "burps" coolant out the overflow hose all over my driveway, garage, or wherever I happen to park. This is bad enough and I'm afraid I'm going to kill the dog one of these days as he DOES seem to like the smell of the stuff, but I'm constantly having to re-fill the system never quite knowing how much I should add.

Very common problem, which is stopped instantly by NOT "topping it off" after it "burps". A closed cooling system with no separate expansion tank relies on the existing radiator tanks to provide space for the expanding coolant which occurs during "hot-soak" after you shut it off, when the engine is still putting heat in the coolant, but the coolant isn't circulating through the radiator. Just leave it alone after it "burps" and it'll find its own "happy level". That's why there's a "full cold" mark on the radiator tank about 3" below the filler neck - to provide volume for coolant expansion when hot.

:beer
 
I have been using distilled water to mix with antifreeze for years. Distilled water does not have any minerals and therefore does not chemically react with the metals which are in the cooling system. Cast iron, aluminum, copper, brass....you get my drift! :D

SAVE THE :w
 
that's why i was talking about tap water in my post....not distilled water....i know distilled is okay...otherwise i would have said distilled.... :D
 
Very common problem, which is stopped instantly by NOT "topping it off" after it "burps". A closed cooling system with no separate expansion tank relies on the existing radiator tanks to provide space for the expanding coolant which occurs during "hot-soak" after you shut it off, when the engine is still putting heat in the coolant, but the coolant isn't circulating through the radiator. Just leave it alone after it "burps" and it'll find its own "happy level". That's why there's a "full cold" mark on the radiator tank about 3" below the filler neck - to provide volume for coolant expansion when hot.

:beer


I also used this method to find the cold fill and hot level in my BB 502 with the Dewitts Radiator on the first fire up. The only problem is I didn't put a catch pan under the rad at the overflow hose as I thought the PUKEING:pukewould be at a minimum.

Boy was I wrong. After shut down we were dideling with some underhood stuff when "Old Faithfull" Let loose.....it reminded me of my younger days when we would over indulge and end up hugging the toliet.:D

She hasn't barfed since.:cool
 
uh oh...here comes the distilled water legend again.....



....this is not my personal opinion, its fact, but i respect that others will have different experiences and have enjoyed success with distilled water in the coolant system....


using distilled water is an absolute waste of money but will not hurt your cooling system, you're just ****ing away money......


if you think about it, distilled water is relatively pure water with very few ions in it (like calcium, iron, phosphates, etc, etc)....it is created by boiling water and collecting the cooled, condensed water at a distance from where the water was boiled whereas the purest (and most expensive) form of water is de-ionized which is distilled water which is then passed through a resin that sucks up all the remaining ions.......



....the inside of the engine coolant system is is cast iron, some steel and aluminum or brass alloy and once the distilled water touches those surfaces, it pulls out a bunch of ions and immediately ruins the properties of distilled water that you paid for (it's a concept called the partition coefficent which means that even very hevy ions such as iron will immediately leach out of any metal and jump into a liquid which has very little iron content in order to establish an equilibrium between the metal and the distilled water)....this happens IMMEDIATELY as you're pouring the water into the cooling system...

...distilled water will not hurt your colling system but you will not derive any benefit either...what the heck, i also practice superstitous behavior but i just had to vent on this one...


as usual, i agree with JohnZ, pulling the block plugs releases bunch of gunk from the cooling sytem (which again proves my point that will all that oxidized metal in the coolant solution, distilled water is a waste).....


...just my point of view and i respectfully add that it's not opinion, it's fact...save the distilled water for your wife's clothes iron :w
 
Stepinwolf,

Thanks, I'll make it a point to stop in sometime when I'm in the Great White North.

Bernie O.
 

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