Best way to make sure your cooling system is full is to warm the vehicle until the thermostat opens because you can get a vapor lock if you put the cap on before before all the air is out of your system. Check you upper radiator hose to see if it’s getting too hot to touch. If it’s still cold your thermostat hasn’t opened. Once the thermostat has opened all the way most of the air should be out of the cooling system. Be careful the upper hose can burn your hand once the thermostat has opened. I usually just touch it and can tell when the thermostat has opened.
I let it warm up and the thermostat opened. This was a project I went through the suck/ learning stage years ago learning fast on a 50kw Kohler water cooled generator with a gm 5.7 engine burping the cooling system. It was 10 degrees took forever for that engine to warm up and open that thermostat. I screwed up though on this coolant refill. I thought I had a 50/50 mix. Oh well another flush.
The HVAC Hacker it’s all a learning process. Every car is a little different. Some are more apt to vapor lock which will cause the engine to overheat. The main issue is the heater core. Some are hard to bleed the air out of. I usually run the vehicle with the cap loose till it reaches its usual operating temp. You’ll notice a change in water level as soon as the thermostat opens and the upper radiator hose is hot. Then I make sure I fill it to full. Fill the reservoir between the cold and hot line. Then I go inside the vehicle and check to make sure the heater is blowing hot air at its highest setting. Close both caps and drive it around for a short time and then check it again when the vehicle cools down. It’ll start pulling water out of the reservoir as it needs it from that point on as long as the reservoir doesn’t leak. Ya only have to check the reservoir from that point on till ya flush it again or ya find a leak somewhere at some point later on. 50/50 mix is best should have ya covered to -40 although in Alaska it gets colder so they have more of a 60/40 antifreeze to water mix up there.
I should probably do this to my astro. Pretty sure the coolant in mine is original and I’m nearing 300,000km. Didn’t know there was a drain plug I thought I would have to pull a rad hose off. Thanks for this video!
I watched the entire thing waiting for a "surprise" of some sort. I'm spoiled because I use the Uview 550000 air tool to refill the cooling system. Checks For leaks, and fills the entire cooling system (bypasses thermostat by using lower rad hose), and purges all air bubbles (including the heater core) all in 2-3 minutes!
Took a long time for you to get it full of coolant. Buy this Lisle 24680 Spill-Free Funnel set, best $20 you will ever spend, Amazon has it. Keep an eye on that Dexcool, if any other type of coolant is in the system it will not like it.
i thought you were going to power flush the whole cooling system. Why Didnt You Do This At The End Of Summer Before The Snow Started ? Walmart Is Doing The Same Think For 29.99 And They Charge For 2 Gallons Of Antfreeze They Use No Chemicals At All To Clean
I bought my self some ramps, makes job little easier for you on your back for jobs like this lol. good job bud. ps. how about hoses going to heater core.
I was considering using a ramp. I have my ramps in my moms garage. The hoss going up to heater needs to get clamped back down. I a, also going to do another flush when weather gets nicer to make sure I only have the brown coolant in the system
When I do a Coolant Flush I will keep adding water and drain it until it is clear which can be 3 to 5 times. Why do it in the winter when it takes so long to get the engine hot enough to circulate the coolant.
I had a coolant leak. While I was searching for it and since I found out how bad it is to mix the green and the brown coolants. I figured I would do a flush Incase I needed to replace the water pump. During my flush I had a breakline blow out. That became the important repair so I replaced the lines. So I wanted to get the flush chemical out of the coolant system that’s why I am finishing now. I will do another flush when the weather gets better.
The problem with draining your coolant and flushing until you get clear water is that you have to recycle your old antifreeze. You can’t just drain it onto the ground or send it down the sewer drain. There are places you can go to get a complete flush. They usually connect into your heater hoses and flush the whole system, then take all your old coolant out of your system and recycle it themselves.
That’s easier since i am usually working when the DPW is open. They won’t take oil from me at the auto parts stores since I have 5 gallon drugs full from the generators
I will watch it yet I need to drain some out. I guess I can consider this another flush since I screwed up thinking it was a 50/50 mix. Whoops. I learn best from my mistakes
This was Wednesday this past week. I was out of work and home by 5 so figured I would finish this open project. Not sure if it’s bad to leave the flush chemical and antifreeze in my coolant system
For some reason my father's old Astro has blue coolant in it. At first I thought that someone put window washer fluid into the thing but looking it up, there is indeed blue antifreeze. I still want to do a flush and use the standard green Antifreeze. That should work?
@@thewayjesuschristislord3700 mine has this blue stuff in it now. And I chey, it's not accidental window washer fluid. They actually have blue coolant.
Best way to make sure your cooling system is full is to warm the vehicle until the thermostat opens because you can get a vapor lock if you put the cap on before before all the air is out of your system. Check you upper radiator hose to see if it’s getting too hot to touch. If it’s still cold your thermostat hasn’t opened. Once the thermostat has opened all the way most of the air should be out of the cooling system. Be careful the upper hose can burn your hand once the thermostat has opened. I usually just touch it and can tell when the thermostat has opened.
I let it warm up and the thermostat opened. This was a project I went through the suck/ learning stage years ago learning fast on a 50kw Kohler water cooled generator with a gm 5.7 engine burping the cooling system. It was 10 degrees took forever for that engine to warm up and open that thermostat. I screwed up though on this coolant refill. I thought I had a 50/50 mix. Oh well another flush.
The HVAC Hacker it’s all a learning process. Every car is a little different. Some are more apt to vapor lock which will cause the engine to overheat. The main issue is the heater core. Some are hard to bleed the air out of. I usually run the vehicle with the cap loose till it reaches its usual operating temp. You’ll notice a change in water level as soon as the thermostat opens and the upper radiator hose is hot. Then I make sure I fill it to full. Fill the reservoir between the cold and hot line. Then I go inside the vehicle and check to make sure the heater is blowing hot air at its highest setting. Close both caps and drive it around for a short time and then check it again when the vehicle cools down. It’ll start pulling water out of the reservoir as it needs it from that point on as long as the reservoir doesn’t leak. Ya only have to check the reservoir from that point on till ya flush it again or ya find a leak somewhere at some point later on. 50/50 mix is best should have ya covered to -40 although in Alaska it gets colder so they have more of a 60/40 antifreeze to water mix up there.
I should probably do this to my astro. Pretty sure the coolant in mine is original and I’m nearing 300,000km. Didn’t know there was a drain plug I thought I would have to pull a rad hose off. Thanks for this video!
I watched the entire thing waiting for a "surprise" of some sort. I'm spoiled because I use the Uview 550000 air tool to refill the cooling system. Checks For leaks, and fills the entire cooling system (bypasses thermostat by using lower rad hose), and purges all air bubbles (including the heater core) all in 2-3 minutes!
Where do you get this
Took a long time for you to get it full of coolant. Buy this Lisle 24680 Spill-Free Funnel set, best $20 you will ever spend, Amazon has it. Keep an eye on that Dexcool, if any other type of coolant is in the system it will not like it.
I plan on doing another flush when it gets nicer outside. I will look into that funnel also
That just makes me need to piss now, lol
That’s why I stopped filming as it started coming out slowly from the radiator. I needed a Pee break
i thought you were going to power flush the whole cooling system. Why Didnt You Do This At The End Of Summer Before The Snow Started ? Walmart Is Doing The Same Think For 29.99 And They Charge For 2 Gallons Of Antfreeze They Use No Chemicals At All To Clean
Excelente !!! Muchas gracias desde Chile
Why Didnt You Do This When The Weather Was Warm ? Why Wait For The Snow To Be On The Ground ?
I bought my self some ramps, makes job little easier for you on your back for jobs like this lol. good job bud. ps. how about hoses going to heater core.
I was considering using a ramp. I have my ramps in my moms garage. The hoss going up to heater needs to get clamped back down. I a, also going to do another flush when weather gets nicer to make sure I only have the brown coolant in the system
spring is in the air
Yes bring on the warmer weather.
instead of a funnel, cut the bottom off a plastic gallon water jug.It doesn't go down in so you can fill easier.
Great idea. Will try it next time
When I do a Coolant Flush I will keep adding water and drain it until it is clear which can be 3 to 5 times. Why do it in the winter when it takes so long to get the engine hot enough to circulate the coolant.
I had a coolant leak. While I was searching for it and since I found out how bad it is to mix the green and the brown coolants. I figured I would do a flush Incase I needed to replace the water pump. During my flush I had a breakline blow out. That became the important repair so I replaced the lines. So I wanted to get the flush chemical out of the coolant system that’s why I am finishing now. I will do another flush when the weather gets better.
The problem with draining your coolant and flushing until you get clear water is that you have to recycle your old antifreeze. You can’t just drain it onto the ground or send it down the sewer drain. There are places you can go to get a complete flush. They usually connect into your heater hoses and flush the whole system, then take all your old coolant out of your system and recycle it themselves.
I have to get rid of this coolant I wonder if auto parts stores take it back or I just have to get to the dpw yard on the weekend when they are open.
The HVAC Hacker most places that sell coolant should recycle ♻️ it. Garages and some parts store will take it.
That’s easier since i am usually working when the DPW is open. They won’t take oil from me at the auto parts stores since I have 5 gallon drugs full from the generators
Great job hacker! Remember to keep coolant up in the overflow tank for the next couple weeks and also check temperature every 10 minutes as you drive.
I will watch it yet I need to drain some out. I guess I can consider this another flush since I screwed up thinking it was a 50/50 mix. Whoops. I learn best from my mistakes
So you just drain the old , flush it again then you fill it with dexcool top it off then turn it on fill it some more and then the reserve ?
That Is Not A Proper Flush Just Draining The Radiator You Gotta Flush The Whole Cooling System Waste Of Expensive Antifreeze
What day is it that you filmed this? It's daylight over here.
That antifreeze looks like rust that your pouring in. I hope it's safe for the radiator.
It's Dexcool. It's what GM uses and it's crap. It fills the cooling system with brown goo.
This was Wednesday this past week. I was out of work and home by 5 so figured I would finish this open project. Not sure if it’s bad to leave the flush chemical and antifreeze in my coolant system
What's the tank on the right mines completely empty too thought that's where you put the coolant??
The right one is coolant expansion tank next to the windshield wiper reservoir
For some reason my father's old Astro has blue coolant in it. At first I thought that someone put window washer fluid into the thing but looking it up, there is indeed blue antifreeze. I still want to do a flush and use the standard green Antifreeze. That should work?
The best one is the orange antifreeze for astro van
@@thewayjesuschristislord3700 mine has this blue stuff in it now. And I chey, it's not accidental window washer fluid. They actually have blue coolant.
Blue coolant is usually used in Honda.
Another notch in your resume' Hackster ...No wonder you stay busy ...Lol ...
I know paying someone to do this would save me time yet I love fixing stuff for one one that cruelly cares about me.
Dexcool eat away the inside of your engine . I wouldn't use that. The green stuff is just fine for every day driving
It is what Chevy wants in the engine. I was trying to go back to factory specs. Can I use the green stuff here instead? This van isn't used that often
Dexcool oat is the way to go. Organic acid technology.
Go global? I like going by the book but because their are two schools of thought…idk!
Not a radiator flush. 😴
Coolant flush???? All you did was drain and refill. NOT a flush. Learn to use FF when taping so people don’t fall asleep. 😴
This guy doesn't know to flush a radiator.
Good job helping out with telling us how he's wrong. People like you are mouthbreathers.