Did I flush my radiator correctly?

Question

Ok, last radiator flush question I promise.

I just flushed the radiator on my 94 Corolla by unhooking and draining the lower radiator hose. In the manual, it says that the cooling system capacity is 6.3 quarts, or just shy of a gallon and a half, but when I refilled the radiator with new coolant, I only used about 3/4 of a gallon. Am I missing something? I live in Minnesota, so I want to make sure I have the mix right, otherwise my whole cooling system might freeze on a cold day.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You have drained the radiator, You have not, nor is it necessary to go any further. DON"T go get a machine flush from a dealer or anyone else. All that will accomplish is stirring up the sediment and plugging your radiator coolant passages. Radiator flushing is a money maker for dealers and is TOTALLY A WASTE OF MONEY. Go to the auto supply and get an antifreeze tester, prestone makes a good one. Follow the directions and it will tell you what the freeze temp. protection is in your system. Run your engine so everything is mixed with the new stuff you put in. Let it cool so you can remove the rad. cap and test it. If need more anti freeze you can drain some out of rad. and replace with anti freeze. W hen you drained the radiator it does not drain the block. That's why you came up short.

Answer 2

You did something wrong. Your cooling system is full of air now. Drain it again and follow these instructions, and you will be ok. Do not fill the radiator yet. If you do, this is where air gets into the system. Start the car with no coolant in it. Turn the heater on high. It will be blowing cold. Watch the temperature guage on the dash. This car is what they call reverse flow. That means the thermostat is located on the lower radiator hose. The very second the guage starts to go up, start filling the radiator, and I believe that car came with Toyota red coolant, but the composition is the same as the green stuff. They wanted to look different I guess. Fill it with whatever color was already in the system though. You also want to have someone hold the rpms to 2000 rpms when the radiator begins to appear full. You will see it pull down when the rpm's are raised. This is normal, so have them hold it at 2000 rpms, and as you fill it up, and it doesn't pull down anymore, put the cap on BEFORE they release the accelerator. Now you can refill the reservoir if it is low. The idea is to let the internal engine heat pull the cold coolant into it, displacing the air.

Answer 3

You drained it empty - I doubt it.

You need to also remove the block drain plug, if fitted.

Were you really trying to drain your radiator or flush it? If you flush it, you are supposed to stick the hose in the bottom inlet of the radiator to flush it out, and the top inlet in the block to acheive the same - the reverse of the direction the water pump pushes it. Though the thermostat usually stops this happening effectively when flushing the block from the top.

Reverse flushing is intended to remove junk that accumulates by pushing against its normal flow. If your radiator water is anything but the colour of the corrosion inhibitor (green or yellow) then you must reverse flush for some time.

If the colour is fine, then you are merely changing the coolant. If you did not push fresh water through your cooling system, then you only have a minor problem. Any coolant not drained out will be less effective than new coolant; but the overall effect is something between the two extremes, since you have a mix. But you must check that the system is still full.

If you used water, do it again, draining the block as well, and by all means reverse flush the block. Ensure as much water is removed by the draining process (the block bung!) then fill again with coolant. Allow a few minutes of gentle warm up to thermostat opening temperature (normal temperature) with the radiator cap off - you will see a flow start, and the fluid level drop "alarmingly".

Add coolant till overflowing, and cap the radiator immediately. I assume you also drained and cleaned the overflow tank, so add stronger than standard (if you mix it yourself) coolant to the required level.

Later, when all cold, top up the radiator to the top, and the catch tank to the cold level mark.

Job done.

Answer 4

Hi Kenshin, All very good questions. Here's how I do it, my opinion only: 1. I empty the coolant after testing with the little floater thing. 2. I already installed a prestone back flush tee, so I hook up a garden hose to it with the adapter that was included to fit a water hose. 3. I turn on the spigot and let the water shoot out of the top of the radiator. Then drain, and fill with 50% coolant (my determination, not what they sell, that's a ripoff) - If you don't have (or can't get) a a back flush kit, then do this order: - Drain it, then replug the draincock. - Fill it with water right into the cap, then close the cap again. (Q1) - Run it until the thermostat opens up (you can tell by the rpms dropping) Q2. - Let it COOL down for 5-15min - Drain out the water. Don't worry about air pockets at all. - Refill with 50% coolant. Q3: refill into the cap. Go slowly and fill until you see green fluid. Then close the cap and fill into the reservior, all while the engine is off. - Inspect after around 30 minutes of run time, fill to the HOT line in the Reservoir (only). Remember, the coolant system is under pressure. It's never smart to open it up while running. If you have a manual (Haynes or Chilton's), you can look up how much fluid your vehicle takes. That would give you a reference point. By your questions, it sounds like you'll do just fine. Good luck!

Answer 5

llo, the engine block it self will hold about a gallon that you cant get out unless you you use a flush machine. You need to use a 50/50 mix of anitfreeze and water. you should be fine but have a local shop or you can do it your self by checking your antifreeze level with a hydrometer. You can get one at your local parts shop for about $10.00 ASE TECH.

Answer 6

take it to a dealer , it is a pressurized system and they have a machine to do it correctly

you don't wanna freeze up in the winter to save $60