what is the best way to do a coolant flush on a 12a? my haynes doesnt really make sense.

 

The only way I would say a proper flush would be is to hookit up to a recyling machine,,,where it pumps in good **** while taking it out,You want the coolant in the clear lines once the max copacity of yoru cooling system is filled or the color is about clean as it will get..its done..

I miss machines like this when I worked in shops..

 

get 2 jugs, about 5 gallons each. warm the car up. hook a hose to one, put it higher than your radiator, hook it to your top radiator hose so the engine will suck it in. hook the other hose (other jug) to the other radiator hose where it connects to the radiator. run the car untill clean antifreeze is going into the other bucket. turn your heater on while you are doing all this. hook it all back up and you are done, top it off and feed the waste antifreeze to the cats in your niegborhood.

the antifreeze flush machines are glorified bucket shelves that cost 600 bones. it is pretty easy to do and it cost up to 60 bones to have it done at a shop. stick with green antifreeze, the dexcool will gum your **** up and cause waterpump failure if it is not properly maintained.

i hope all this makes sense.

 

Can't you just:

1. Open the drain plug and drain all the coolant
2. Fill the system with some water and Prestone Superflush
3. Run the engine for a bit
4. Empty the gunk out
5. Fill with 50/50
?

Run it again for a day or two like that, flush that out and replace one more time and it should be good.. I'm hoping that will work because that's what *I'm* doing to mine to get 4 years worth of gel/powder gunk out.

Jon

 

I LOVE IT! i'll do that !!! WOOHOOOO!!!! thanks

 

want to do the same but you dudes arnt saying to run engin on empty or just with water are you?? just making sure you mean..
drain system whilecar is running (via drain plug at bottom of radiator and while feeding clean water through fill cap till clean water runs out drain plug hole) also any good links on fans should i get one that sucks in or out . mount it on the back or front of raidiator thank hope you could clear it all up for me and i hope you dont think im stuipid


The only dumb question's are the one's we don't ask......

 

hehe.. no.. not while it's running.

When the car is off drain, and fill with water/superflush.

then run the car for like 25 mins.

then turn it off, drain, refill

then run it a day

then turn it off, drain, refill

at least for my method :P

 

^^

edit to above... okay so I have Jim-itis and didn't read your entire post. Yeah, for their method you run just water... you basically put water in AS you're taking it out, so you never run empty. But running JUST water is okay as long as you don't run for extended periods and overheat. Antifreeze doesn't make as much difference with heat dispersal, it's the fact that it's moving through the engine and rad that does it. Water works, but if your car goes into winter with water in it, say buh-bai to everything useful, like your engine.

Jon

 

is there a coolant drain on the block on the drivers side somewhere? I remember hearing about this

 

Yes. Way to bump a 7 year old thread.

 

Yes it's on the drivers side. On the bottom of the center iron. Wayyy below the oil filler neck just above the pan.

And.... don't put cold water into a hot engine. The iron/aluminum sandwich of an engine we have expands/contracts at different rates.

I've used Lime Away gel to flush, works wonders especially in brass radiators. Don't use CLR, that eats aluminum.

7 year thread contribution!

 

bumping this again! When I had my old toyota Cressida, I put a drop of dish soap into the rad drove it for a bit, drained everything, flushed it out with water and was clean as a whistle, but seeing as this is a rotary(12a) and everything seems to be different, can I do that again without harming anything?

 

*Scans through list of threads and sees FB II post. Clicks thread and is disappointed.

 

Just to add a factoid...

On my '85 GSL-SE I have the drain plug on the block below the oil fill, of course, but also a drain plug at the bottom rear of the radiator, accessed by removing the front under pan.

I only got 5 quarts or so out via the engine block plug, then got another 4 quarts or so out of the radiator drain plug. In my research here it was not clear to me which models have radiator drains and which do not.

The FSM is in error (IMHO) because it only indicates removing the engine drain plug but that leaves about half the coolant in the engine. This was with the car on jack stands but that was the only way to slide my drain pan underneath. Having the rad a bit higher (with the front jacked up) ought to help, not hurt, getting fluid through the block drain but apparently not enough.

 

Oh nooooos!!! If you run with out teh anti freeze, you will blows teh head gaskets!!!11!! Lolz

 

I'm curious, what happened to the guy?

 

Not sure. I know I bought an intake manifold from him back in the day that was completely stripped down and blocked off. I never ended up using it as the face needed machined from the massive amount of welding done to it.

 

everybody gets banned around here, didnt you know?
i heard Zach is working at a rotary shop and is doing well...