Well... I just bought a '86 with 4,000 on a "new" engine. While appearance wise, it does look quite new and clean in the engine bay --- I've got like nine serious problems.

First, I checked the oil levels, and it's drier than silica gel. No leaks, so I filled it up.

Checked the coolant. OH FREAK. It's practically empty... it's goopy, it's brown... it's sludgy... it's DEXCOOL.
I've searched and searched, and I have yet to find a definitive "flush your coolant" thread or faq... but there's one thing for sure... this needs to be flushed, and extremely thouroughly... and extremely now. I'm not cranking the engine over before I get rid of that evil stuff.

The car would start and drive, but idled horribly and the "add coolant" light would obviously come on.


I'm pretty much a wreck right now... and I've got my work cut out for me... but is there a way to flush the coolant without having the car running? I just don't feel comfortable with turning on this car in this condition... and I fear the damage that may have already been caused.

Any help would be extremely helpful, and very much appreciated.

 

You can buy flush at a store and it'll give you directions on how to flush it, but you have to run the engine. To best of my knowledge you have to run the engine on all flushes. You could remove the rad and have a rad shop clean it, but it wont help you out on the engine block portion. Dexcool is horrible stuff if you dont change it as it gels over time and attacks materials internal to the engine. Good luck

 

pull the block drain at the driver's side motor mount, it is the one bolt on the block that doesn't look like the others and is longer. pull the radiator petcock and drain the radiator. doing both of those will empty out the system nearly completely, you can flush it out with water at that point.

reinstall the drain plugs in the cooling system and fill it with water and add some cooling system flush, let the car run for about half an hour and then repeat the process and fill it with your preferred mix of coolant and water.

Dexcool is evil ****!

at that point hope you don't have a cracked iron pumping oil into the cooling system..

 

Yeah... I hope nothing is too badly screwed at this point, either.

One other question, and I know it's probably a stupid one, but when I initially flush out with water --- is that done with the car running, or off? I don't want to accidentally do something stupid and have the engine seize on me.

Thanks again.

 

dexcool = deathcool

 

Yep... that's what I've read... which is why every hour that passes could potentially be the difference between a new engine... or not.

 

If you have the radiator hoses off you could probably flush water through the rad. and block with your garden hose.... Maybe that will push all that crap out.

 

initially flush it with the engine off and prior to putting new coolant into it.

 

Awesome, thanks again... I stocked up on all kinds of fluid, as well a good coolant flush kit.

Thanks again, and wish me luck.

 

gl