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Hi Eric I’m doing the same thing you’re doing but instead of using distilled water, is it OK if I can use well pump water? I want to hear from your response ASAP.
To everyone saying he used the wrong coolant, Peak Long Life is not the old IAT silicated green, it's a modern OAT coolant and it's perfectly fine to use in this vehicle. It's chemical composition is exactly the same as Dexcool and I've used this and other universal OAT coolants in dozens of different vehicles over hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues whatsoever.
05 Silverado. Drained/refilled twice in 15 years with Dexcool. Never changed a hose, water pump, or anything in the cooling system. About to do it again in a few weeks since it's been 5 years since the last drain/refill. Nothing wrong with Dexcool in these trucks due to the dry intake. If you have a V6 that has a wet intake, I could understand the concern since the Dexcool eroded the intake gaskets and caused a bunch of issues with those model engines.
I would recommend removing the thermostat when flushing out the old coolant since you can then do a number of good flushes without getting the engine too hot. You don't want to refill a hot engine with a cold liquid, a friend of mine cracked his cylinder head doing just that.
Good video man. I just did this process today. One thing you should consider is you never get all the water out of the system after a flush. When you drain your final flush there is a considerable amount of water left in the lines and heater cores and the block and heads etc... You should get a coolant tester and test your finished product because when you figure in all that water and add 50/50 to it you are not left with a final 50 50 mixture. More like 75water/25 coolant. Also i used only distilled water. I never hook a hose to my cooling system...Food for thought
@@followerofchrist1961 On these engines the thermostat will be closed as the vehicle is not at operating temp. Unless you go through the added step of removing the thermostat you will still have fluid trapped in the block. The thermostat will allow a miniscule amount of fluid pass through but not enough to thoroughly drain the block. I let mine drain overnight just to see & then removed the block drain plugs. Yup, more fluid came out.
Ive had the original dexcool in my 07 gmc sierra since i bought it in October of 06. Thats 14 years. Still runs as cool as it did when it was brand new. Gm changed the chemicals on dexcool in 04 I believe. Doesn't ruin the gaskets no more. As long as you don't contaminate it with another coolant, it works like it supposed to. But if you mix another type of coolant by accident you need to flush the system immediately.
@@alecsanderfuentes3913 Well, actually it does. You can not turn a 2 year coolant into a 5 year coolant. Add a 2 year coolant to a 5 year coolant and you dilute the 5 year coolant. So that proves that adding chemicals has a reaction period. I am told that the newer coolants don't react as the older formulas that turned into a gel & clogged radiators, etc... And it was already mentioned that the red used to affect the gaskets on the v6. You can take a chance with your truck but my pockets aren't that deep. I think Ghostrider has a more salient sugestion.
1 clear water flush will get you to 99% free of the original charge of red 50-50. 4 X flush is unnecessary. Modern coolants have rust inhibitors and additives to inhibit mineral crystallization, so it is perfectly fine to flush the system with tap water.
Everything on my GMC says use Dex, I don't know for sure, so I will stay with Dex but Green coolant is a different chemical mixture than Dex. May not be the best thing to do for your engine. You should consult a reliable mechanic and get their opinion. The outcome may not be the best changing from Red/Orange to Green for your truck's internals!!
Been using green coolant in mine for 12 years. 5.3 engine. No issues at all. 244k on original engine. But with that being said I think it's fine using dex cool and I don't see any benefits to me switching over other than cost.
Yeah me aswell iv always heard even from school that switching up the different color coolants they have the different chemicals sorry for not remember but I think it’s the ethylene glycol acts differently to the plastics vs propylene in the specific systems, again no experience in the manner just what iv been thought through school so I have steered away from the swap
Dex Orange is made for Aluminum engines because it doesn’t corrode it, the others might though that is why for aluminum blocks only Dex Orange is recommended.
@3:33 you're going to fill up the reservoir with *distilled* or *ionized* water. Don't use tap water to flush out the cooling system. Ionized water is better but you can use distilled.
You're not supposed to RUN it with straight tap if you somewhere warm enough that let's you get away with it, a flush isn't going to give your water jackets and thermostat enough time and heat to strip the calcium out of the water and mess up your block. I think my favorite thing I've seen is watching a guy pull all the water hoses completely and run a garden hose to the radiator, heater core, and block individually and watched it pump out all the gross crap that doesn't come out in a regular flush.
I’m sure you know this but for people who don’t, GM antifreeze is orange. There may be an aftermarket antifreeze he is using, but don’t be alarmed if it looks like that coming out. OEM antifreeze is rusty looking.
I ran pure water in summer never rusted up the engine I don’t recommend that for everyone but these 6.0 are pretty tough I was only running water due to slow leak in the radiator but I also own 4 cat eye 2500hds so don’t care if it blew up I’ll swap the engine lol but when I tore It down building it no rust so don’t worry to much about water in there, but get the green out of there the vortecs really do better with dex
I wouldn’t recommend converting over from dex-cool ORANGE (not red) to the cheap generic run of the mill green. Dex-cool goes in all GM cooling systems for a reason. Everything to do with the cooling was designed with dex cool and its properties in mind.
Very true! There are a lot more reasons than most people know, why you NEVER switch a system over to the green when the system was designed for the DeX. There are no good reasons to do that... well except for ignorance... 🤷♂️
a good reason to switch from dex is because it becomes sludgy and corrosive to gaskets after ~6 years. gm lost a lawsuit over it. its perfectly safe to switch but only with an extensive flush, but mix dex with green and your gonna have a bad time
This truck is going to hold 16 quarts. That’s 2 jugs of concentrated coolant and 2 jugs of distilled water. 😂 just pour a jug of water and a jug of coolant and it will mix on its own thanks to the water pump 😂
Tap water is fine folks. Thanks for the info on the drain location and I was thrown off on the whole no radiator cap ordeal so thanks for the good vid man
When you drained the straight water out, some straight water remains behind. A final fill always add straight concentrate antifreeze up to 50% of system capacity. So when it mixes with the water, it ends up being 50/50. If you fill with 50/50 you may end up with 30/70. Test your final xix with an antifreeze tester with floating balls. They are in expensive.
It doesn’t not need to to be 50/50 you can even run your truck with nothing but water if you want if you don’t live in cold weather. It’s called antifreeze for a reason
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE tbh the 4 or 5 flushes really aren’t necessary. A solid 1 or 2 will do just fine and the little remaining antifreeze won’t barely make a difference. If anyone is low on time just flush it out with water and let it run for like 5 minutes and then re add the antifreeze. Most times you need to let the antifreeze run through a little and then add more to make sure
Thank you brother! Doing a radiator drain and refill and wanted to research more about the pitcock and it's location. I have the 350 vortec in a 1997 Chevy Silverado 1500💪💪🙏 Very well broken down, I enjoyed the 3 fluid displays in the cut plastic bottles. Thank you for helping me with my truck Brother🤘🤟💪🙏😇👍
@@ktajax I found the plugs... one under front drive shaft, other under the starter. In my opinion it was not worth removing... the starter was a royal nightmare to reinstall. Just remove your thermostat housing, drain, remove thermostat from housing and reinstall housing. Run and drain with distilled water a few times and you're good. Reinstall your thermostat when you're done.
it doesn't matter what coolant, as long as you completely flush out the old stuff. Some guys don't like dexcool because of the gasket failures. Its a personal preference, but you can do it
Tommy Woods HeavyDutyHauler isn’t correct on this one you can’t simply just put whatever coolant into system. You should put what your owner’s manual calls for. That may have been the case for older vehicles. But now days manufactures make blocks with different metals and some engine blocks due to the different metals may require more rust inhibitors than others
Thanks for the video. I'm installing a new radiator so I'll disconnect the upper and lower hoses, remove thw thermostat and then flush the system using the radiator hoses to bypass the old radiator.
3 thing wrong here, one: you should never change coolant type, every coolant is designed for particular vehicle, compatible with the metal kind, they are not universal, keep the original is the best. Second, never add cold water to hot engine, it will crack your engine block. The last thing, after flush the system you you cannot add 50/50 coolant because it has half capacity water left in it, add 50/50 will make it about 30/70, you risk your engine get frozen in cold winter. This video is vey misleading, good way to destroy your vehicle.
Yes. But GM specifically has to have dex cool, which is the orange stuff. Theory is kinda like 2 cycle in a way. Gm will burn off regular coolant. Whats worse if you mix them they create a sludge and it will smoke your water pump quick!
For some reason some radiators won’t have the drain plug,I have a 2005 Tahoe and need to replace the radiator and don’t have the drain plug, so is what I do remove the bottom hose
Thanks much. Did think to turn the heater on. I have 2001 tahoe i bought new and we still love it. it has the original coolant, so I thought I would be nice to it today. thanks for the video. From Augusta, ga.
Doesn’t this mean after the whole syestem cycles and drains u still have water in the block and ur adding 50 50 with the engine filled with water ? How do i know the engines completely drained ?
There will be water left in the block and heater core after your flush. That is going to reduce your 50/50 mix of coolant to less than 50/50 concentration. You need to account for how much water is left in the system after your flush and drain and add 100% coolant to match that. Then can fill with 50/50 the rest of the way.
depends on how cold it gets, the coolant will have a chart on the bottle showing the temp protection for ratios less than 50/50... most areas in the united states do not require a 50/50 mix
Normal temp gauge right in the middle? Mine right now is at 1/4 of gauge. Suspect that to be 185 degrees. What temp is your thermostat sitting at now? I am asking this now since I had to replace my radiator and thermostat and seeing a low temp reading.
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE The plastic inlet snapped off due to age and dumped coolant everywhere. I thought I'd have to replace the whole heater core. I'm glad to see I'll be able to fix it myself tomorrow.
For everybody defending the curse known as "dex-cool", the fact that GM lost a class action over it, tells you everything you need to know hahaha. I love GM to death, it and Toyota are all I'll drive, but dex-cool is terrible and no reasonable person will deny that. All of the benefits dex-cool was supposed to have, are matched by prestone all-vehicle coolant. The difference is prestone all purpose doesn't have the long list of negatives dex-cool does. Dex-cool sludges up so damn bad. Ive done many an overall on GM vehicles, and good God I've never seen anything like sludges dex-cool hahaha. The vortec engines are the only redeeming quality, but even they can't handle blowing a coolant hose or head gasket on the highway because a thermostat or coolant passage plugged up. No good mechanic would recommend sticking with dex-cool long term. The only problem is you really have to flush the coolant damn good or you'll have serious problems because dex-cool is incompatible with other coolants. Just make the switch!
So who's to say that all the gm vehicles you saw with sludge were strictly dexcool and that some idiot didn't mix the 2 and create the sludge you're talking about...adding green to red or orange doesn't keep it red or orange...brown would be the outcome of mixing the 2 and creating the sludge you speak of...stick with one and it will remain that 1....genius
I agree with you. It will still circulate. People have been doing that for many years. You can also purchase a prestone flush kit that back flushes through the heater hose.
A easier and faster way is to pull the thermostat out while leaving the top hose of the thermostat housing..take a garden hose and place in the upper radiator hose and run the engine and it will flush everything out faster. Then run the car until all water is out
It's wrong to fill with a mix of 50/50. The radiator only holds 50% of the full capacity. Say 8 to 10 quarts. Draining the radiator after the flush several times (you say 5) leaves about 6 quarts of only water in the block and heater core. Proper method is to add 50% of total capacity15-17 qts concentrated coolant directly to the system then top off with 50/50 mix.
When you let the car run the thermostat opens and the coolant in the block goes to the radiator repeating the drain and fill of a radiator several times will get most of the coolant in the block out. Also it's not rock science and the mixture does not need to be exactly a 50/50 mixture
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE Every time you drain and fill with water the anti freeze/ coolant is cut in half . After 4 or 5 times there is less than 1 quart of anti freeze/ coolant in the block. 6 quarts of fluid maybe one quart is coolant a 50/50 mix is not going to get the proper ratio. Radiator will hold 10 quarts 5 quarts is coolant. 16 quart system with 5 quarts of new coolant is not a 50% mix you idiot!
Yep, draining the radiator 4-5 times removes most all coolant suspended in the system. Every time you refill radiator after a drain thins out the amount of antifreeze mixed in the system. It is not correct to use only 50/50 premixed coolant. What remains in the block and heater core is mostly 99% water. At this time to have at least a 50/50 ratio you need to fill with concentrated coolant half the amount of the total system specified in your owners manual. If you manual says 14 qts. then you add half that in concentrate 7 qts minimum then you can ether mix your own 50/50 or use premix to top off to get the recommended protection. This guy is lost
I have a 2000 Chevy Silverado 4.3 v6 and wanted to change my coolant there is still coolant inside the tank but I unscrew the cap off the tank put a drain pan under and unscrewed the screw from the radiator and no coolant drained but I looked back at the coolant tank and some coolant was gone what could this be?
My question is how do you install a flush kit on a 98 Chevy pick up. The truck overheat but sometime when you come to a stop the gage go back to the cool side.. I have replaced the water pump and the thermatat..
Could i just buy the 50/50 coolant instead of mixing it like you did in the end? And where did you take the hose off that’s leaking the coolant into the pan?
so if a man wanted to do it right would he flush say 4 times with distilled water and then the 5th time flush with 50/50 & drain? then finally proceed to fill cooling system with 50/50 & call it good?
Would this process be the same for an '04 Silverado? I have the same symptoms you were talking about: engine overheating, cooling down again, and intermittent heat from my vents. I'll get the coolant + antifreeze this weekend along with the distilled water. Did you seal the radiator drain plug when you flushed the remaining coolant with tap water the four or five times?
Yes this process should be the same on a 2004 Chevy Silverado. I close the drain plug four to five times to let it circulate the system. But you can leave it open and just put a hose in the radiator and flush it out that way but I feel like you won't be able to get all of the water that still inside the heater core or the engine
Just picked up a GM truck off fb marketplace dude was selling it cheap bc it overheated every time u take it on the freeway, turns out he put green instead of dexcool
Is dextrose garbage. I've seen videos where people say it clogs and causes problems..can I use a 50/ 50 blend? I have a 2005 5.3l 1500 v8 vortec. Have to change radiator
No sure changing the coolant chemistry is a good idea. The manufacture recommends a type coolant for a reason. If you coolant was originally orange then you likely have a aluminum block which typically calls for a specific coolant.
Ten years after General Motors began using Dex-Coolas an antifreeze in most of its cars and light trucks, GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the coolant corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to ...
I've been running yellow coolant in my truck for the last 2 years without any problems. Dex Cool is cancer in an LS, it gels up and clogs everything after 20k miles, the best thing to do with it is get it out of your engine and swap it for a different color, you can use any color as long as you flush it all like he said. Recommended for any Chevy engine other than an LS
The integrated transmission cooler in your radiator is leaking into your cooling system that's why your first sample was heavily contaminated like it was
@@brandoncuts82 the integrated transmission cooler is inside the radiator... if you follow the transmission cooler lines you'll see they connect to the middle ports on either side of the radiator "engine facing side"... if the integrated transmission cooler is leaking into the coolant system portion of the radiator id suggest swapping the radiator completely, check/drain the transmission cooler lines and verify they arent rusted to shit... if your lucky enough to live in a rust free climate all the better. Had to fix a mechanics cob job and discovered rusty transmission fluid in my transmission cooler lines. Apparently had a blockage inside the intergrated cooler and he just bypassed that all together without plugging the holes and hooked up another auxiliary transmission cooler lol found out during winter when moisture got into the intercooler and froze cracking my radiator... turned into a fun under a tent driveway project 🤣
@mm-nl3qz how does one know if transmission fluid is in your radiator? I have brown sludge in my radiator but I figured it just got dirty and needed a flush. How would I know for sure that it's from the transmission cooler line?
@@uri_6894 Go to an autoparts store and get a recharge kit, follow the instructions. Certain amount of pressure vs ambient temp. This guy is an online mechanic.
Tens years after General Motors began using Dex-Coolas an antifreeze in most of its cars and light trucks, GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the coolant corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage.
Is there another way to fill the radiator? I put new coolant in my resivor but it looks like the coolant level won't go down and into the radiator causing my truck to over heat (05 Silverado 1500)
you might have air in your system squeez the Hoses and turn the truck on and keep squeezing the hoses to see if the level goes down and into the radiator
You guys can do what you like, but this is way overkill. These red/green mixtures work perfectly well together in any combination. I would think that you would be more worried about adding the tap water than the complications that might happen from mixing. All of that adding and removing gives more chance for really bad stuff to get in there from the tap water LOL - like organic matter that ends up growing. I have a 2007 Suburban with 309,000 on it - the last 100,000 were with a mixture of red and green ( I did not flush it when I changed from one to the other) as O'Reilly's claims that they are compatible and I believe they are from my own experience. I find it almost unbelievable that there is no way short of opening the frost plugs to drain the vortec engines. They sure do not drain well from any of the openings in the cooling system. I usually dispense with the little drains and drain about 13 quarts out of the lower radiator hose after pumping out the overflow. The remaining 10 quarts must be in the engine, the heater and on the ground. I sure as the world am not going to put tap water into it to replace any 'red' that still is in there - but that is just me. I have been doing this for about 50 years. The last 25 of those years I have switched from red to green many times with no ill effects on many vehicles.
If I’m low on fluids, is it alright if I just add some more and call it a day, I don’t want to go through the trouble of draining everything and all that mess because my coolant isn’t old enough to do that.
@@tsuyoxeno9566 I keep 50-50 on hand so that I can top-off the vehicles without messing around. I have never felt the need to attempt a full flush of any of my vehicles because there is so much residual fluid left in there when you drain it. And when you flush it, the bad stuff gets mixes in with the good and makes it questionable at best. However, the use of household water (tap water) is not ideal - it MIGHT have minerals in it. If you talk to your water supplier, you might be able to find out. Anyway, the point is that trying to get the old stuff out is a futile effort. How much bad stuff can your vehicle stand to have - you will have more than that when you are done. The only reason to flush is when there is some form of precipitate clearly clogging up your heater or radiator. And that virtually never happens. I live in Texas and I would not hesitate to use the tap water for my vehicle water replacement, but 50-50 avoids all of that. In fact the tap water in most of my recent locations around Texas is so good that I would even use it in a battery - I will probably get blowback for that statement, but since I have been out of Minnesota I have not had concerns about the drinking water having minerals in it - just not enough to bother anything. And of course in a battery, when it gets to that point where you need to add water, your battery is not going to survive much longer anyway.
flushing with tap water isn't gonna do anything bad as long as you fill with distilled water in the end... a liter or two of tap water, when diluted down with gallons of coolant and distilled water is not going to introduce nearly enough minerals into the system to cause an issue. Not to mention all modern coolants have chemicals to prevent minerals from damaging your cooling system, since a lot of people with leaky radiators will add tap water to the system anyway.
Mixing Dexcool with standard old green anti-freeze causes huge sludging and blocking little coolant passages. Don't believe it? You can see photos of it all over the web. Doing something for 50 yrs doesn't mean you've been doing it right.
Well it seems like a very good way of flushing the vehicle problem I see is when you first drain the coolant it doesn’t all come out you obviously have to add water five or six times and after doing that you finally get all the coolant out well I think you i’m going to have rust problems like you said because you flushed it very thoroughly with tapwater now you drain it like you did the first time and start adding coolant well guess what that tapwater is stuck in the engine now so you probably have a gallon to two in the heater core etc. that’s going to mix in with your distilled water and coolant just my two Satoshi‘s.....
PlZ help! I took the drain plug out on driver side radiator and nothing is coming out. I kno I have water in there. I accidentally put just a little synthetic oil in my reservoir. That's the whole reason I think I need to drain. But the there's nothing coming out of the small drain hole. I have an 03 silverado
Calcium build up,. That stuff can look super nasty. So some hoses have metal coiled inside to kinda let the hose stay a certain shape. So it doesn't bend and kink.
My 2006 silverado doesn't have a drain plug on the radiator like the ones that are being shown in videos. So what is the best way to drain the radiator?
You shouldn't mix the coolant first. Add the appropriate amount of concentrated coolant for a 50% mixture of the given cooling system capacity of your engine. Then add distilled water to the truck until full. You can never truly drain it all out, after your last flush some water will remain. I use distilled water for the last clear water flush.
You have a good point. However, removing the block drain plugs will completely drain the block. This in turn will make for an accurate ratio of coolant.
@@tonylopez9936 Not anymore accurate than as stated above. You are never going to get every drop out. Pour in the correct concentrated amount and then top off. Not rocket science. This is the correct and accurate procedure. If you are using block drains for a simple coolant flush you're doing it wrong.
@@ryanroberts1104 I don't think wrong is accurate. I do not see any harm coming from draining the block. Otherwise it would not have been designed with it. Yes, for a mechanic that gets paid a flat rate, this extra step will take more time & time is money, right? But I am doing this on my own truck & desire to be thorough. It was stated that a 50/50 mix will likely dilute to 75/25. That is a lot of fluid that did not leave the system. That fluid is trapped in the block. Drain the block & the only fluid left will be what clings to the walls. You can then fill with a 50/50 mix that might dilute to a 50.999/49.001 mix.
@@tonylopez9936 If you are not flushing your block until clean water comes out then you are doing it wrong. If you need to open the block drains because there is anything in there but clean water you are doing it wrong. And if you think you should just open them because they are there you are doing it wrong. This is simply not part of a coolant flush. Just like tightening the muffler bolts are not part of a coolant flush. If your 50/50 mix is not 50.0000000% it does not matter even a little bit.
@@ryanroberts1104 , "Just like tightening the muffler bolts are not part of a coolant flush." JUST LIKE? Messing with muffler bolts does not affect coolant. On the other hand, the block drain plugs release coolant! Your analogy is nonsequitor. Please, how about you tell me what harm comes from removing the block drain plugs? Why are you skipping the obvious? I will give you this. Opening the block drain plugs is wrong FOR YOU. If you can not show what harm comes from Using the "BLOCK DRAIN PLUGS", no problem here. Your logic, (or lack there-of) is your logic. I am offering a suggestion and twisting no arms on its implementation. If it helps, awesome. If it doesn't float your boat, don't do it. If it does do some harm pass it on.
Hows it going guys hope you found this video helpful! I have exciting things coming so hit the notification bell so you won't miss any videos! thank you for your support, you guys are the best!
Hi Eric I’m doing the same thing you’re doing but instead of using distilled water, is it OK if I can use well pump water? I want to hear from your response ASAP.
Hi Eric I bought the same antifreeze+coolant but it has water 50/50 is that OK?
yes that's fine you dont want to use tap water because it has minerals that can eat up the inside of the engine and can cause rust
led lights for trucks
Hey Eric. I like the look of your tires. I live on some treacherous winter mountain roads. May i ask what those were?
To everyone saying he used the wrong coolant, Peak Long Life is not the old IAT silicated green, it's a modern OAT coolant and it's perfectly fine to use in this vehicle. It's chemical composition is exactly the same as Dexcool and I've used this and other universal OAT coolants in dozens of different vehicles over hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues whatsoever.
Name checks out
@@mattmatt222333 lol true
I was actually wondering about that thanks for the info I’m doing my truck this weekend
True. Its just universal coolant.. not the best, not bad either, just coolant
05 Silverado. Drained/refilled twice in 15 years with Dexcool. Never changed a hose, water pump, or anything in the cooling system. About to do it again in a few weeks since it's been 5 years since the last drain/refill. Nothing wrong with Dexcool in these trucks due to the dry intake. If you have a V6 that has a wet intake, I could understand the concern since the Dexcool eroded the intake gaskets and caused a bunch of issues with those model engines.
I would recommend removing the thermostat when flushing out the old coolant since you can then do a number of good flushes without getting the engine too hot. You don't want to refill a hot engine with a cold liquid, a friend of mine cracked his cylinder head doing just that.
Dam
Thank you for the wisdom just did mine and it worked fine. Removing the thermostat before I started process. Thank you for the wisdom bro.
removing the thermostat on these trucks is a royal pain, not worth it unless you need a new thermostat
@@jc13781 No it's not, lol. Remove the air intake and it's in arms reach.
@@yourface3154lmao not that simple
Good video man. I just did this process today. One thing you should consider is you never get all the water out of the system after a flush. When you drain your final flush there is a considerable amount of water left in the lines and heater cores and the block and heads etc... You should get a coolant tester and test your finished product because when you figure in all that water and add 50/50 to it you are not left with a final 50 50 mixture. More like 75water/25 coolant. Also i used only distilled water. I never hook a hose to my cooling system...Food for thought
Could you just start it with the hose off to get the rest of everything out?
To be sure the fluid is out of the block it is advisable to remove the block drain plugs. There is one on each side of the V8.
@@followerofchrist1961 On these engines the thermostat will be closed as the vehicle is not at operating temp. Unless you go through the added step of removing the thermostat you will still have fluid trapped in the block. The thermostat will allow a miniscule amount of fluid pass through but not enough to thoroughly drain the block. I let mine drain overnight just to see & then removed the block drain plugs. Yup, more fluid came out.
@tonylopez9936 where is the block drain plug located on these vehicles?
Thanks for the video. My non mechanical dummy self had no idea where to start to change thermostat. Watched your video and now I’m a pro. Thanx!
Please don't add cold water from your garden hose to a hot or warm engine. The difference in temps can crack a block.
Feel real stupid for doing it but just went through that a couple days ago, now I’m in the process or replacing my radiator 😓
What if it's not cold but indeed hot ?
Use distilled bottled water not tap water. Tap/garden hose water has minerals in it and will rust cooling system. 👍
@@benjaminruckman6352 your local water utility can tell you whether or not the local water has too much mineral content to use in your radiator.
lol why don’t u crack a block when u go through a big puddle then lik
Ive had the original dexcool in my 07 gmc sierra since i bought it in October of 06. Thats 14 years. Still runs as cool as it did when it was brand new. Gm changed the chemicals on dexcool in 04 I believe. Doesn't ruin the gaskets no more. As long as you don't contaminate it with another coolant, it works like it supposed to. But if you mix another type of coolant by accident you need to flush the system immediately.
Mixing coolant doesn’t do shit
@@alecsanderfuentes3913 Well, actually it does. You can not turn a 2 year coolant into a 5 year coolant. Add a 2 year coolant to a 5 year coolant and you dilute the 5 year coolant. So that proves that adding chemicals has a reaction period. I am told that the newer coolants don't react as the older formulas that turned into a gel & clogged radiators, etc... And it was already mentioned that the red used to affect the gaskets on the v6. You can take a chance with your truck but my pockets aren't that deep. I think Ghostrider has a more salient sugestion.
Thank you! ...now I just gotta do this in in the cold weather
hopefully its not too bad thank you for watching!
me too, how was it in cold weather?
1 clear water flush will get you to 99% free of the original charge of red 50-50. 4 X flush is unnecessary. Modern coolants have rust inhibitors and additives to inhibit mineral crystallization, so it is perfectly fine to flush the system with tap water.
Everything on my GMC says use Dex, I don't know for sure, so I will stay with Dex but Green coolant is a different chemical mixture than Dex. May not be the best thing to do for your engine. You should consult a reliable mechanic and get their opinion. The outcome may not be the best changing from Red/Orange to Green for your truck's internals!!
I've read that DeX is no good, eats gaskets, etc. Changed to green years ago, no issues. I think most green now is universal anyway.
Ive use green on my 2001 Tahoe for a while now. No issues at all.
Been using green coolant in mine for 12 years. 5.3 engine. No issues at all. 244k on original engine. But with that being said I think it's fine using dex cool and I don't see any benefits to me switching over other than cost.
Yeah me aswell iv always heard even from school that switching up the different color coolants they have the different chemicals sorry for not remember but I think it’s the ethylene glycol acts differently to the plastics vs propylene in the specific systems, again no experience in the manner just what iv been thought through school so I have steered away from the swap
Dex Orange is made for Aluminum engines because it doesn’t corrode it, the others might though that is why for aluminum blocks only Dex Orange is recommended.
@3:33 you're going to fill up the reservoir with *distilled* or *ionized* water. Don't use tap water to flush out the cooling system. Ionized water is better but you can use distilled.
I think you mean de-ionized.
The manual says distilled water is bad!
@@jmitch6764 Yes *deionized*
Ima just put fiji water in my truck
You're not supposed to RUN it with straight tap if you somewhere warm enough that let's you get away with it, a flush isn't going to give your water jackets and thermostat enough time and heat to strip the calcium out of the water and mess up your block. I think my favorite thing I've seen is watching a guy pull all the water hoses completely and run a garden hose to the radiator, heater core, and block individually and watched it pump out all the gross crap that doesn't come out in a regular flush.
I’m sure you know this but for people who don’t, GM antifreeze is orange. There may be an aftermarket antifreeze he is using, but don’t be alarmed if it looks like that coming out. OEM antifreeze is rusty looking.
Excellent video
Thanks
I use distilled water for the flush also
I ran pure water in summer never rusted up the engine I don’t recommend that for everyone but these 6.0 are pretty tough I was only running water due to slow leak in the radiator but I also own 4 cat eye 2500hds so don’t care if it blew up I’ll swap the engine lol but when I tore It down building it no rust so don’t worry to much about water in there, but get the green out of there the vortecs really do better with dex
I wouldn’t recommend converting over from dex-cool ORANGE (not red) to the cheap generic run of the mill green. Dex-cool goes in all GM cooling systems for a reason. Everything to do with the cooling was designed with dex cool and its properties in mind.
I agree
It doesn’t matter what you put in it
Very true! There are a lot more reasons than most people know, why you NEVER switch a system over to the green when the system was designed for the DeX. There are no good reasons to do that... well except for ignorance... 🤷♂️
a good reason to switch from dex is because it becomes sludgy and corrosive to gaskets after ~6 years. gm lost a lawsuit over it. its perfectly safe to switch but only with an extensive flush, but mix dex with green and your gonna have a bad time
I only put the orange in mine but that’s just me
This truck is going to hold 16 quarts. That’s 2 jugs of concentrated coolant and 2 jugs of distilled water. 😂 just pour a jug of water and a jug of coolant and it will mix on its own thanks to the water pump 😂
Lol exactly
Tap water is fine folks. Thanks for the info on the drain location and I was thrown off on the whole no radiator cap ordeal so thanks for the good vid man
I have a 2004 GMC Sierra 1500. That is the first vehicle I ever met that doesn't have a radiator cap!
When you drained the straight water out, some straight water remains behind. A final fill always add straight concentrate antifreeze up to 50% of system capacity. So when it mixes with the water, it ends up being 50/50. If you fill with 50/50 you may end up with 30/70. Test your final xix with an antifreeze tester with floating balls. They are in expensive.
it does not need to be a 100 percent 50/50 mix. you want to get close but it's not going to make a difference.
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE not 100% 50/50 is less than 50/50. I guess it depends on the level of protection you can be satisfied with...
@@TheBrushcutter It;s a good idea to test it after a few days
It doesn’t not need to to be 50/50 you can even run your truck with nothing but water if you want if you don’t live in cold weather. It’s called antifreeze for a reason
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE tbh the 4 or 5 flushes really aren’t necessary. A solid 1 or 2 will do just fine and the little remaining antifreeze won’t barely make a difference. If anyone is low on time just flush it out with water and let it run for like 5 minutes and then re add the antifreeze. Most times you need to let the antifreeze run through a little and then add more to make sure
Thank you brother! Doing a radiator drain and refill and wanted to research more about the pitcock and it's location. I have the 350 vortec in a 1997 Chevy Silverado 1500💪💪🙏 Very well broken down, I enjoyed the 3 fluid displays in the cut plastic bottles. Thank you for helping me with my truck Brother🤘🤟💪🙏😇👍
Nice video, although honestly I was hoping for a block flush video with thermostat and engine block drain plug removal.
Thanks, just saved me 7 min, looking for same
@@ktajax I found the plugs... one under front drive shaft, other under the starter. In my opinion it was not worth removing... the starter was a royal nightmare to reinstall. Just remove your thermostat housing, drain, remove thermostat from housing and reinstall housing. Run and drain with distilled water a few times and you're good. Reinstall your thermostat when you're done.
The red/orange antifreeze is better for your Chevy. It's the type that your suppose to use in your truck
Actually there’s another green brand that’s 50/50 and is useable on pretty much any regular day vehicle including my mustang and Chevy
Just me or did the flush work so good tr k changed color
Hilarious !
Looked like asshole yellow to me
Didnt understand why you converting to the green coolant when the system calls for dexcool
it doesn't matter what coolant, as long as you completely flush out the old stuff. Some guys don't like dexcool because of the gasket failures. Its a personal preference, but you can do it
@@HeavyDutyHauler ok didnt really know, a buddy of mine switched over from green back to orange in his caddy a short time after engine was done
@@HeavyDutyHauler but thanks on that good content!!!!!
Tommy Woods HeavyDutyHauler isn’t correct on this one you can’t simply just put whatever coolant into system. You should put what your owner’s manual calls for. That may have been the case for older vehicles. But now days manufactures make blocks with different metals and some engine blocks due to the different metals may require more rust inhibitors than others
@@geroldgerry3375 Gotcha
Thanks for the video. I'm installing a new radiator so I'll disconnect the upper and lower hoses, remove thw thermostat and then flush the system using the radiator hoses to bypass the old radiator.
That petcock (drain plug) was on the Left side.. Left & Right is Always from the drivers perspective.
I'm sure someone else caught this guy pointing at the oil pressure display saying "the temp is in the middle" ..?
3 thing wrong here, one: you should never change coolant type, every coolant is designed for particular vehicle, compatible with the metal kind, they are not universal, keep the original is the best. Second, never add cold water to hot engine, it will crack your engine block. The last thing, after flush the system you you cannot add 50/50 coolant because it has half capacity water left in it, add 50/50 will make it about 30/70, you risk your engine get frozen in cold winter. This video is vey misleading, good way to destroy your vehicle.
As soon as I seen the switching coolant thing, I was like 🫨
That’s not true at all lol . I always change coolant type and I have never had issues . If you fully flush you are 100% fine
Yes. But GM specifically has to have dex cool, which is the orange stuff. Theory is kinda like 2 cycle in a way. Gm will burn off regular coolant. Whats worse if you mix them they create a sludge and it will smoke your water pump quick!
@@user-ql2rf4hh8b full flush like I said . Never had issues ! My truck never burns coolant if you’re burning coolant you have other stuff going on
Orange is what gm recommends. Yes that old fluid was bad but I’m doing the same thing but putting in fresh orange
I have an 07 Sierra there is no drain plug on the radiator I guess I'll just take off a bottom hose right
For some reason some radiators won’t have the drain plug,I have a 2005 Tahoe and need to replace the radiator and don’t have the drain plug, so is what I do remove the bottom hose
The coolant used here is a OAT coolant thus it is a DEXCOOL clone. So DEXCOOL was replaced with a near identical DEXCOOL copy. Good job.
Thanks much. Did think to turn the heater on. I have 2001 tahoe i bought new and we still love it. it has the original coolant, so I thought I would be nice to it today. thanks for the video. From Augusta, ga.
thank you for watching!
You do NOT have to turn heater on as coolant always runs through heater core, even when heater is off.
Your lucky you ain't walking...15 years on the same coolant! That's as bad as not changing your oil!! Are you lazy, or just dumb lol
Doesn’t this mean after the whole syestem cycles and drains u still have water in the block and ur adding 50 50 with the engine filled with water ? How do i know the engines completely drained ?
Good video!
The "car again" or actually (insert Man Voice) The TRUCK! 🤣🤣
I gotta do this to my dad's truck, thank you.
There will be water left in the block and heater core after your flush. That is going to reduce your 50/50 mix of coolant to less than 50/50 concentration. You need to account for how much water is left in the system after your flush and drain and add 100% coolant to match that. Then can fill with 50/50 the rest of the way.
Can you start it with the water pump and radiator hoses off to get the remaining water out?
@@followerofchrist1961 you just pull the block drains
That's what I was thinkin when you drain th radiator your not drain in th block
depends on how cold it gets, the coolant will have a chart on the bottle showing the temp protection for ratios less than 50/50... most areas in the united states do not require a 50/50 mix
I was expecting to have to remove the lower hose, we all know how fun that is. Thanks.
Normal temp gauge right in the middle? Mine right now is at 1/4 of gauge. Suspect that to be 185 degrees. What temp is your thermostat sitting at now? I am asking this now since I had to replace my radiator and thermostat and seeing a low temp reading.
GM Recommends Dex-Cool Coolant (Orange) Not The Green Color . Thanks for video though
yes recommends but not required. thank you for watching!
They reccomend, I recommend getting rid of that crap. Complete flush and change. I converted my vehicle from dex cool.
Thanks for the video. I haven't flushed my coolant on a 2002 sierra 1/2 ton so this video will help a lot!
thank you for watching!
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE The plastic inlet snapped off due to age and dumped coolant everywhere. I thought I'd have to replace the whole heater core. I'm glad to see I'll be able to fix it myself tomorrow.
Great video. I’m going to try this on my ‘07 Silverado classic 2500. Does 2.5 gallons include 50/50 of fluid and distilled water? Thanks
For everybody defending the curse known as "dex-cool", the fact that GM lost a class action over it, tells you everything you need to know hahaha. I love GM to death, it and Toyota are all I'll drive, but dex-cool is terrible and no reasonable person will deny that. All of the benefits dex-cool was supposed to have, are matched by prestone all-vehicle coolant. The difference is prestone all purpose doesn't have the long list of negatives dex-cool does. Dex-cool sludges up so damn bad. Ive done many an overall on GM vehicles, and good God I've never seen anything like sludges dex-cool hahaha. The vortec engines are the only redeeming quality, but even they can't handle blowing a coolant hose or head gasket on the highway because a thermostat or coolant passage plugged up. No good mechanic would recommend sticking with dex-cool long term. The only problem is you really have to flush the coolant damn good or you'll have serious problems because dex-cool is incompatible with other coolants. Just make the switch!
So who's to say that all the gm vehicles you saw with sludge were strictly dexcool and that some idiot didn't mix the 2 and create the sludge you're talking about...adding green to red or orange doesn't keep it red or orange...brown would be the outcome of mixing the 2 and creating the sludge you speak of...stick with one and it will remain that 1....genius
Thank you! This is what I have to do. I live in Vegas! Been hot as F out here.
is that drain hose already there? or did you use one you had lying around? Thanks
My radiator wont drain fluid.
It has radiator flush in it and the reservoir is half full.
Could you just leave the radiator plug opened at the bottom and just keep putting water in it until its clean and ready for the new coolant??
the reason you dont want to do that is because the coolant needs to circulate .
I agree with you. It will still circulate. People have been doing that for many years. You can also purchase a prestone flush kit that back flushes through the heater hose.
A easier and faster way is to pull the thermostat out while leaving the top hose of the thermostat housing..take a garden hose and place in the upper radiator hose and run the engine and it will flush everything out faster. Then run the car until all water is out
You will need a new gasket if you do it this way. But yes, I agree it's faster
It's wrong to fill with a mix of 50/50. The radiator only holds 50% of the full capacity. Say 8 to 10 quarts. Draining the radiator after the flush several times (you say 5) leaves about 6 quarts of only water in the block and heater core. Proper method is to add 50% of total capacity15-17 qts concentrated coolant directly to the system then top off with 50/50 mix.
When you let the car run the thermostat opens and the coolant in the block goes to the radiator repeating the drain and fill of a radiator several times will get most of the coolant in the block out. Also it's not rock science and the mixture does not need to be exactly a 50/50 mixture
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE Every time you drain and fill with water the anti freeze/ coolant is cut in half . After 4 or 5 times there is less than 1 quart of anti freeze/ coolant in the block. 6 quarts of fluid maybe one quart is coolant a 50/50 mix is not going to get the proper ratio. Radiator will hold 10 quarts 5 quarts is coolant. 16 quart system with 5 quarts of new coolant is not a 50% mix you idiot!
Yep, draining the radiator 4-5 times removes most all coolant suspended in the system. Every time you refill radiator after a drain thins out the amount of antifreeze mixed in the system. It is not correct to use only 50/50 premixed coolant. What remains in the block and heater core is mostly 99% water. At this time to have at least a 50/50 ratio you need to fill with concentrated coolant half the amount of the total system specified in your owners manual. If you manual says 14 qts. then you add half that in concentrate 7 qts minimum then you can ether mix your own 50/50 or use premix to top off to get the recommended protection. This guy is lost
I unscrewed the drain plug but nothing comes out just like 3 drops, any idea what I did wrong?
Open your radiator cap
@@SomebodyOrNobodyIDK turned out radiator was clogged and I needed i to replace fan clutch along with thermostat
I have a 2000 Chevy Silverado 4.3 v6 and wanted to change my coolant there is still coolant inside the tank but I unscrew the cap off the tank put a drain pan under and unscrewed the screw from the radiator and no coolant drained but I looked back at the coolant tank and some coolant was gone what could this be?
I was told by Carquest to use full strength coolant because of our cold weather driving in the north.
Yes I'm from North West Indiana and winters get ccccold I run at least a 70/30
Drain and fill with the water a few time, what do you do with excess water? Is it cool to let it drain after you get the original coolant out?
Approx how much liquid came out of the petcock? Need to know how big a pan to have.
Damet bobby why did this require that many drainages ?
OCD mechanics
Yep frickin meth heads 😅😂😂
3 words. Aluminum. Dex. Cool.
Thanks bro helped a ton with my dads 06
Good Good. GM could keep their dexcool.
You must not be aware the long life all makes and models is DEXCOOL clones.
Dexcool is fine as long as you don’t leave it in too long. Changing a GM car from Dexcool to the green stuff is not a good idea.
My question is how do you install a flush kit on a 98 Chevy pick up. The truck overheat but sometime when you come to a stop the gage go back to the cool side.. I have replaced the water pump and the thermatat..
Saved me a truck bro
Any truck made after 2000 take dexcol that one put in it is for older cars that still take that
dex cool is shit
Could i just buy the 50/50 coolant instead of mixing it like you did in the end? And where did you take the hose off that’s leaking the coolant into the pan?
Also great video! Extremely helpful
It's the same price for either, you would be wasting $18 on another bottle, but you could if you wanted to
@@csmith6237
What about that hose tho
Thank you. Going to do it one of these weekends.
so if a man wanted to do it right would he flush say 4 times with distilled water and then the 5th time flush with 50/50 & drain? then finally proceed to fill cooling system with 50/50 & call it good?
Great video, thanks for the info. Im doing this exact thing on a truck just like this one.
thank you for watching🤘
Would this process be the same for an '04 Silverado? I have the same symptoms you were talking about: engine overheating, cooling down again, and intermittent heat from my vents. I'll get the coolant + antifreeze this weekend along with the distilled water.
Did you seal the radiator drain plug when you flushed the remaining coolant with tap water the four or five times?
Yes this process should be the same on a 2004 Chevy Silverado. I close the drain plug four to five times to let it circulate the system. But you can leave it open and just put a hose in the radiator and flush it out that way but I feel like you won't be able to get all of the water that still inside the heater core or the engine
@mike benfer did you ever get this fixed/ what was the solution?
Can you remove the thermostat without draining the system?
I hope you’re still active but do I need to add 4 bottles of coolant? Or just one?
SO YOU DIDNT USE DEXCOOL? LOOKING FOR IMFORMATION SINCE AM DUE FOR COOLANT CHANGE 2007 TAHOE
Use the orange not the green in newer gm vehicles.
Why would you change from dexcool to the green antifreeze won’t that mess the engine up it calls for the dexcool
I thought all Chevy and GM's now days took the dexcool.
Just picked up a GM truck off fb marketplace dude was selling it cheap bc it overheated every time u take it on the freeway, turns out he put green instead of dexcool
@@MrJthomeczek they do. Switching to green is a myth. Stick to what oem is.
@@rainbowcash8016 that’s not even the case doesn’t matter what you put it in it
Is dextrose garbage. I've seen videos where people say it clogs and causes problems..can I use a 50/ 50 blend? I have a 2005 5.3l 1500 v8 vortec. Have to change radiator
Shouldn’t you use the same exact color coolant in there the orange to replace and not the green or heard green is for cars in oranges for trucks
No sure changing the coolant chemistry is a good idea. The manufacture recommends a type coolant for a reason. If you coolant was originally orange then you likely have a aluminum block which typically calls for a specific coolant.
I was searching everywhere for this comment. I figured he was doing it wrong trying to change it haha
You put the wrong antifreeze in your chevy. Dex-cool only
You can add any kind as long as you remove the original completely
Ten years after General Motors began using Dex-Coolas an antifreeze in most of its cars and light trucks, GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the coolant corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage while leading to ...
Either way you mentioned how the other one is a diferent color but then you know is because the other one is the right one to use
it's not the right way it's what is recommend not required.
I've been running yellow coolant in my truck for the last 2 years without any problems. Dex Cool is cancer in an LS, it gels up and clogs everything after 20k miles, the best thing to do with it is get it out of your engine and swap it for a different color, you can use any color as long as you flush it all like he said. Recommended for any Chevy engine other than an LS
About how many gallons of distilled did you use for the flush?
I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado SS and it does not have that valve with the little hose to drain?
Dam got to do this this weekend just bought the truck used and the resioviour is dirty as hell
Is that a 2002 bro? I own a Chevy Silverado 2002 with a V8 6.0
Nvm I just seen what you said
Thank you so much bro for the video
I will never use Dexcool in a chevy 4.3... ever again
That was proper. Thank you.
The integrated transmission cooler in your radiator is leaking into your cooling system that's why your first sample was heavily contaminated like it was
What do you do to fix that issue and what should I look for if its contaminated? I.E the color or a oily substance? Thanks for your help.
@@brandoncuts82 the integrated transmission cooler is inside the radiator... if you follow the transmission cooler lines you'll see they connect to the middle ports on either side of the radiator "engine facing side"... if the integrated transmission cooler is leaking into the coolant system portion of the radiator id suggest swapping the radiator completely, check/drain the transmission cooler lines and verify they arent rusted to shit... if your lucky enough to live in a rust free climate all the better. Had to fix a mechanics cob job and discovered rusty transmission fluid in my transmission cooler lines. Apparently had a blockage inside the intergrated cooler and he just bypassed that all together without plugging the holes and hooked up another auxiliary transmission cooler lol found out during winter when moisture got into the intercooler and froze cracking my radiator... turned into a fun under a tent driveway project 🤣
@mm-nl3qz how does one know if transmission fluid is in your radiator? I have brown sludge in my radiator but I figured it just got dirty and needed a flush. How would I know for sure that it's from the transmission cooler line?
You do NOT have to turn heater on as coolant always runs through heater core, even when heater is off.
What happens if my ac don’t work
@@uri_6894 Take it to the shop and they will fix it for some $$$
That's not true on these. When you turn the heater on it opens a valve. I can hear bubbles under my dash from my heater core when I turn it on.
@@uri_6894 Go to an autoparts store and get a recharge kit, follow the instructions. Certain amount of pressure vs ambient temp. This guy is an online mechanic.
@@yourface3154 I fix it already it was the blower and the signals
Well your temp was ok but that was your oil pressure that you pointed to. And why would go from Dexcool to green ? What's the reason I'm wondering?
Tens years after General Motors began using Dex-Coolas an antifreeze in most of its cars and light trucks, GM car and truck owners continue to complain that the coolant corrodes and clogs radiators and radiator caps, erodes water pumps, rots radiator hoses, causes chronic overheating and engine damage.
ERICSDIYGARAGE having 1 truck that has 120,000+ miles and 1 car with 15,000+ miles haven’t had a problem with DexCool or anything that it is in
Good job man , great video thanks
how many gallons of dex coolant do I need to buy after replacing the water pump?
Depending on engine and year? 3.8 to 7 gallons total.
Great video bud
why does mine keep leaking out the drain hose after i turned the drain plug tight
Is there another way to fill the radiator? I put new coolant in my resivor but it looks like the coolant level won't go down and into the radiator causing my truck to over heat (05 Silverado 1500)
you might have air in your system squeez the Hoses and turn the truck on and keep squeezing the hoses to see if the level goes down and into the radiator
Still nothing I might need to replace radiator
It was the thermostat
@@joseesguapo chiquilin
How far did you unscrew the drain plug?
You guys can do what you like, but this is way overkill. These red/green mixtures work perfectly well together in any combination. I would think that you would be more worried about adding the tap water than the complications that might happen from mixing. All of that adding and removing gives more chance for really bad stuff to get in there from the tap water LOL - like organic matter that ends up growing.
I have a 2007 Suburban with 309,000 on it - the last 100,000 were with a mixture of red and green ( I did not flush it when I changed from one to the other) as O'Reilly's claims that they are compatible and I believe they are from my own experience.
I find it almost unbelievable that there is no way short of opening the frost plugs to drain the vortec engines. They sure do not drain well from any of the openings in the cooling system. I usually dispense with the little drains and drain about 13 quarts out of the lower radiator hose after pumping out the overflow. The remaining 10 quarts must be in the engine, the heater and on the ground. I sure as the world am not going to put tap water into it to replace any 'red' that still is in there - but that is just me. I have been doing this for about 50 years. The last 25 of those years I have switched from red to green many times with no ill effects on many vehicles.
If I’m low on fluids, is it alright if I just add some more and call it a day, I don’t want to go through the trouble of draining everything and all that mess because my coolant isn’t old enough to do that.
@@tsuyoxeno9566 I keep 50-50 on hand so that I can top-off the vehicles without messing around. I have never felt the need to attempt a full flush of any of my vehicles because there is so much residual fluid left in there when you drain it. And when you flush it, the bad stuff gets mixes in with the good and makes it questionable at best.
However, the use of household water (tap water) is not ideal - it MIGHT have minerals in it. If you talk to your water supplier, you might be able to find out. Anyway, the point is that trying to get the old stuff out is a futile effort. How much bad stuff can your vehicle stand to have - you will have more than that when you are done.
The only reason to flush is when there is some form of precipitate clearly clogging up your heater or radiator. And that virtually never happens.
I live in Texas and I would not hesitate to use the tap water for my vehicle water replacement, but 50-50 avoids all of that. In fact the tap water in most of my recent locations around Texas is so good that I would even use it in a battery - I will probably get blowback for that statement, but since I have been out of Minnesota I have not had concerns about the drinking water having minerals in it - just not enough to bother anything. And of course in a battery, when it gets to that point where you need to add water, your battery is not going to survive much longer anyway.
flushing with tap water isn't gonna do anything bad as long as you fill with distilled water in the end... a liter or two of tap water, when diluted down with gallons of coolant and distilled water is not going to introduce nearly enough minerals into the system to cause an issue. Not to mention all modern coolants have chemicals to prevent minerals from damaging your cooling system, since a lot of people with leaky radiators will add tap water to the system anyway.
@@jc13781 OR don't put any tap water in
Mixing Dexcool with standard old green anti-freeze causes huge sludging and blocking little coolant passages. Don't believe it? You can see photos of it all over the web. Doing something for 50 yrs doesn't mean you've been doing it right.
Well it seems like a very good way of flushing the vehicle problem I see is when you first drain the coolant it doesn’t all come out you obviously have to add water five or six times and after doing that you finally get all the coolant out well I think you i’m going to have rust problems like you said because you flushed it very thoroughly with tapwater now you drain it like you did the first time and start adding coolant well guess what that tapwater is stuck in the engine now so you probably have a gallon to two in the heater core etc. that’s going to mix in with your distilled water and coolant just my two Satoshi‘s.....
In his video he used distilled water. Did you not see the gallons
@alecsanderfuentes3913 no he used garden hose for flush. Distilled was for the 50/50 mix
PlZ help! I took the drain plug out on driver side radiator and nothing is coming out. I kno I have water in there. I accidentally put just a little synthetic oil in my reservoir. That's the whole reason I think I need to drain. But the there's nothing coming out of the small drain hole. I have an 03 silverado
Disconnect the radiator hose from the bottom
Don't use distilled water will rust like tap water. Use di water, which is totally pure water vs. distilled which is just filtered water
Di is another name for distilled water. They are the SAME thing.
Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
When I squished one of the hoses i heard a crunch im guessing its like some sort of debris is that something to be worried about?
Calcium build up,. That stuff can look super nasty. So some hoses have metal coiled inside to kinda let the hose stay a certain shape. So it doesn't bend and kink.
Some years for Chevy hoses have a spring built in to stop the hose from collapsing under pressure from the water pump. Especially the bottom hose.
A lot of keyboard mechanics in these comments. Makes me wonder how they ended up on a tutorial video in the first place 😂
My 2006 silverado doesn't have a drain plug on the radiator like the ones that are being shown in videos. So what is the best way to drain the radiator?
Remove the radiator hose
@@ERICSDIYGARAGE you mean the lower radiator hose?
Thanks
You shouldn't mix the coolant first. Add the appropriate amount of concentrated coolant for a 50% mixture of the given cooling system capacity of your engine. Then add distilled water to the truck until full. You can never truly drain it all out, after your last flush some water will remain. I use distilled water for the last clear water flush.
You have a good point. However, removing the block drain plugs will completely drain the block. This in turn will make for an accurate ratio of coolant.
@@tonylopez9936 Not anymore accurate than as stated above. You are never going to get every drop out. Pour in the correct concentrated amount and then top off. Not rocket science. This is the correct and accurate procedure. If you are using block drains for a simple coolant flush you're doing it wrong.
@@ryanroberts1104 I don't think wrong is accurate. I do not see any harm coming from draining the block. Otherwise it would not have been designed with it. Yes, for a mechanic that gets paid a flat rate, this extra step will take more time & time is money, right? But I am doing this on my own truck & desire to be thorough. It was stated that a 50/50 mix will likely dilute to 75/25. That is a lot of fluid that did not leave the system. That fluid is trapped in the block. Drain the block & the only fluid left will be what clings to the walls. You can then fill with a 50/50 mix that might dilute to a 50.999/49.001 mix.
@@tonylopez9936 If you are not flushing your block until clean water comes out then you are doing it wrong. If you need to open the block drains because there is anything in there but clean water you are doing it wrong. And if you think you should just open them because they are there you are doing it wrong.
This is simply not part of a coolant flush. Just like tightening the muffler bolts are not part of a coolant flush.
If your 50/50 mix is not 50.0000000% it does not matter even a little bit.
@@ryanroberts1104 , "Just like tightening the muffler bolts are not part of a coolant flush." JUST LIKE? Messing with muffler bolts does not affect coolant. On the other hand, the block drain plugs release coolant! Your analogy is nonsequitor. Please, how about you tell me what harm comes from removing the block drain plugs? Why are you skipping the obvious? I will give you this. Opening the block drain plugs is wrong FOR YOU. If you can not show what harm comes from Using the "BLOCK DRAIN PLUGS", no problem here. Your logic, (or lack there-of) is your logic. I am offering a suggestion and twisting no arms on its implementation. If it helps, awesome. If it doesn't float your boat, don't do it. If it does do some harm pass it on.
Dex will eat gaskets