I don’t like the part of running the engine to get more antifreeze to come out. The water pump is running dry and may lead to premature failure and hot spots on the heads and block. If doing this way I’d say drain antifreeze, refill run and drain, each time adding 50/50 mix back in. That way water pump is not running dry and no hot spots. Also you never have to worry about the antifreeze strength because of dilution of when the distilled water that was added for the shown flush in the video. So what antifreeze that was left in the block is not 50/50 if done per this video.
@@slalomking The flushes were actually done with 50-50, just a different colour antifreeze. You do have to be careful if you run the engine to speed up the process as you definitely do not want it to run dry, but that was not the case here either. Both good comments and suggestions!
@@regularguy9264 thought of doing the same . But then realized it started to flush out. Another question . Once you flushed to the point you got clean water . Do you have to add coolant and flush until you start to see coolant again ? To get rid of the water left behind ?
You can actually flush with a 50-50 antifreeze distilled water mix each time if you want. Some mechanics like this because of the cleaning agents, anti corrosion additives, etc in the antifreeze. If you do this, I would go with the concentrate antifreeze though as it’s cheaper. If you have flushed with distilled water, you will have to drain and refill with an antifreeze/water mix that is higher in antifreeze to bring the ratio back to 50-50. You can get a cheap tester to make sure you are within recommended specs.
Can't you blow air through the rad,and get all of it out without draining it with water I was told if there's water left inside it will coagulate and gum up your rad?
No you will never get all of it and you would need some type of adapter to even try. Residuals/solids would still be left behind as well, so flushing is the most effective. People used to flush with a hose, but tap water left behind impurities that actually made things worse. Given the formulations of additives that go into antifreeze now, this is presently the recommended method
correct me if I am wrong but since you can only get like 1/2 of the coolant drained out, how do you refill and make sure your mix is right? If you flush with water then add a 50/50 blend would that create a blend with 25% coolant 75% water? I am looking to flush my truck thats why I am asking.
@@jamespeterhostetler1986 Hey there. First off, if you flush with water then make sure it is deionized or distilled water. You don’t want to add tap water which contains minerals to your cooling system, even if you have soft water. If you flush with water, you will have to do some math with the amount of coolant mix that drains out. Then you need to check your fluid with a coolant tester (they are cheap and you should have one anyway). Another option is to flush with 50-50. Some people like this because no math and they feel that the additives help the system when flushing (I’m skeptical about this but I could be swayed with some evidence). If you go this way, I would recommend buying concentrated coolant and mixing your own and it should still be cheap. Even though this second method is foolproof, I would still recommend using the tester for peace of mind. I hope this helps!
I purchased two 4L (1 gallon) buckets of the concentrated antifreeze and mixed them to 50-50 with deionized water. Simple method. After each flush I topped up with the new mix. I had lots left over, but it really depends on how many times you flush it out or feel you need to flush it out. If you flush it out with distilled or deionized water, you will have to do a test and calculation for how much concentrate to add versus water as you ratio of antifreeze concentrate will need to go up, but I prefer to use my method flushing with the 50-50 mix since the additives are beneficial for the flush anyway. In most cases, you could probably get away with just one gallon of concentrate (2 gallons of premixed), but if it’s really dirty you may get into the next jug.
Did this, replaced the thermostat (207° unit) and water pump. Now under load, temp will climb to 235° and settle back down to 210° while cruising. Any ideas? 2017 5.3
From what I understand, turning the heat on makes sure to either turn on or increase the circulation of coolant through the heater core loop. Given that the heater core is difficult to access and hence very expensive to replace, it seems to be a good idea to do everything possible to try to keep it in good shape.
@@regularguy9264 Thanks for your reply.. I liked your video, but FYI there is no heater core valve on this vehicle . The heat is regulated by the air flow doors and hence flow all the time. I believe the older vehicles used to have that heater core valve but since GM has gone away from that. People would not use heat for summer and the cores would plug up..
did that on 2018 Silverado 6 speed tranny not easy. Now the lazy dealerships wont change the filter anymore. They say flushing the Tranny will clean the filter. Man what a load of CRAP. The filter is designed to trap and hang onto the contamination. so forcing contaminated material threw the filter will is not what the filter was designed for. Think about it. Use common sense and tell the dealerships to F- OFF. Take your vehicle to a Transmission shop. @regularguy9264
@@Thefishingplumber You don’t want to run your engine all the way to dry. You may wish to check for air locks in your system as well. Have you run a scan to check what the check engine light is on for?
@@Thefishingplumber My preferred method for flushing is with 50-50 where I start with concentrated antifreeze and dilute it with distilled or deionized water. You will waste some on the flushes, but I figure this does the best job of cleaning out the engine with all of the additional chemicals. Good luck!
Never run the engine while draining. Also, flushing without a full drain leaves you calculating factions to ensure the refill is an accurate 50-50 mix. This is not a recommended method.
Nice, you have saved me 20 steps and a whole lot of expletives. 😂😂😂
I like the idea of the PEX hose to help direct the drainage from the radiator drain valve.
Yes. It was literally 100% contained for a job that is usually very messy and potentially dangerous for animals.
I don’t like the part of running the engine to get more antifreeze to come out. The water pump is running dry and may lead to premature failure and hot spots on the heads and block. If doing this way I’d say drain antifreeze, refill run and drain, each time adding 50/50 mix back in. That way water pump is not running dry and no hot spots. Also you never have to worry about the antifreeze strength because of dilution of when the distilled water that was added for the shown flush in the video. So what antifreeze that was left in the block is not 50/50 if done per this video.
@@slalomking The flushes were actually done with 50-50, just a different colour antifreeze. You do have to be careful if you run the engine to speed up the process as you definitely do not want it to run dry, but that was not the case here either. Both good comments and suggestions!
Man thank God you made this video. I've been looking for an hour
Glad this helped!
good job regular guy! i'm diggin through my junk for a 1/2" iD hose to hopefully make less of a mess.
Lucky you,non rusty frame!!! But thanks,removing liner is way to go!!
There are two coolant drain plugs on the engine block that can be drained to speed up the process and do more thorough coolant drain.
Where are they, and where are those drains accessed from?
Hate that the plug is in such an unnecessary spot. My 2003 Silverado had the hose included with the plug in an easy place to get to
They keep making things more difficult. Every year, they "improve" it's just making things harder to maintain😒
Nicely done, thank you.
How did you drain the coolant that was left on the back side of the reservoir ?
With each round of adding coolant it gets flushed, but I actually used a Turkey baster….don’t tell the wife!
@@regularguy9264 thought of doing the same . But then realized it started to flush out. Another question . Once you flushed to the point you got clean water . Do you have to add coolant and flush until you start to see coolant again ? To get rid of the water left behind ?
You can actually flush with a 50-50 antifreeze distilled water mix each time if you want. Some mechanics like this because of the cleaning agents, anti corrosion additives, etc in the antifreeze. If you do this, I would go with the concentrate antifreeze though as it’s cheaper. If you have flushed with distilled water, you will have to drain and refill with an antifreeze/water mix that is higher in antifreeze to bring the ratio back to 50-50. You can get a cheap tester to make sure you are within recommended specs.
@@regularguy9264 thank you I really appreciate your help
@@raygomez8113 No problem. Happy to help out!
Can't you blow air through the rad,and get all of it out without draining it with water I was told if there's water left inside it will coagulate and gum up your rad?
No you will never get all of it and you would need some type of adapter to even try. Residuals/solids would still be left behind as well, so flushing is the most effective. People used to flush with a hose, but tap water left behind impurities that actually made things worse. Given the formulations of additives that go into antifreeze now, this is presently the recommended method
I have the 4.3 how much coolant and is process the same
correct me if I am wrong but since you can only get like 1/2 of the coolant drained out, how do you refill and make sure your mix is right? If you flush with water then add a 50/50 blend would that create a blend with 25% coolant 75% water? I am looking to flush my truck thats why I am asking.
@@jamespeterhostetler1986 Hey there. First off, if you flush with water then make sure it is deionized or distilled water. You don’t want to add tap water which contains minerals to your cooling system, even if you have soft water.
If you flush with water, you will have to do some math with the amount of coolant mix that drains out. Then you need to check your fluid with a coolant tester (they are cheap and you should have one anyway).
Another option is to flush with 50-50. Some people like this because no math and they feel that the additives help the system when flushing (I’m skeptical about this but I could be swayed with some evidence). If you go this way, I would recommend buying concentrated coolant and mixing your own and it should still be cheap. Even though this second method is foolproof, I would still recommend using the tester for peace of mind.
I hope this helps!
@@regularguy9264 thanks for the reply. I'll probably just do some math lol
do you have to burp the system? so u wont blow a head gaskets?
Absolutely, you always burp it. It will burp naturally once the thermostat opens, but it can help to squeeze the hose as I did during the video.
How much new coolant did it take after doing this? Thanks
I purchased two 4L (1 gallon) buckets of the concentrated antifreeze and mixed them to 50-50 with deionized water. Simple method. After each flush I topped up with the new mix. I had lots left over, but it really depends on how many times you flush it out or feel you need to flush it out. If you flush it out with distilled or deionized water, you will have to do a test and calculation for how much concentrate to add versus water as you ratio of antifreeze concentrate will need to go up, but I prefer to use my method flushing with the 50-50 mix since the additives are beneficial for the flush anyway. In most cases, you could probably get away with just one gallon of concentrate (2 gallons of premixed), but if it’s really dirty you may get into the next jug.
Did this, replaced the thermostat (207° unit) and water pump. Now under load, temp will climb to 235° and settle back down to 210° while cruising. Any ideas? 2017 5.3
Mine does this same thing. Going to try leaving the cap off and letting it run to bleed it. My next guess is I mixed my antifreeze too rich
@ turns out, the 2 month old thermostat was indeed bad. Replaced with an OEM thermostat and all is fine.
Why do you have to turn heater on? The core is always getting flow if its on or not ?
From what I understand, turning the heat on makes sure to either turn on or increase the circulation of coolant through the heater core loop. Given that the heater core is difficult to access and hence very expensive to replace, it seems to be a good idea to do everything possible to try to keep it in good shape.
@@regularguy9264 Thanks for your reply.. I liked your video, but FYI there is no heater core valve on this vehicle . The heat is regulated by the air flow doors and hence flow all the time. I believe the older vehicles used to have that heater core valve but since GM has gone away from that. People would not use heat for summer and the cores would plug up..
Great information. Thanks for this!
Once again thanks GM engineers WTF
Lol. Try dropping the transmission pan to change the transmission fluid and filter!
@@regularguy9264 ikr...exhaust in the way
Id say Gmc is actually engineered to be more mechanic friendly than most other manufacturers
did that on 2018 Silverado 6 speed tranny
not easy. Now the lazy dealerships wont change the filter anymore. They say flushing the Tranny will clean the filter. Man what a load of CRAP. The filter is designed to trap and hang onto the contamination. so forcing contaminated material threw the filter will is not what the filter was designed for. Think about it. Use common sense and tell the dealerships to F- OFF. Take your vehicle to a Transmission shop. @regularguy9264
My upper rad hose wont acquire coolant for some reason
Nice color 👍🏻
Thanks….I’m thinking yours might be the same!
I turned on the engine with our fluid and now I have a check engine and rough idle
@@Thefishingplumber You don’t want to run your engine all the way to dry. You may wish to check for air locks in your system as well. Have you run a scan to check what the check engine light is on for?
@ kidding yooo !!I’m gonna do the flush later this weekend was looking at your video thanks for posting 👍 225k miles 5.3 2014
@@Thefishingplumber My preferred method for flushing is with 50-50 where I start with concentrated antifreeze and dilute it with distilled or deionized water. You will waste some on the flushes, but I figure this does the best job of cleaning out the engine with all of the additional chemicals. Good luck!
Thxx🎉
You are most welcome!
Does it need to be brand specific?
Nope. It’s just a common name for that type of hose and it also happens to be the perfect size
They sure don't make it easy. Plastic parts never hold up over time.
If he only got a gallon of antifreeze out this way, imagine how much water was left in after the flush 😮
Thank you 🙏
Never run the engine while draining. Also, flushing without a full drain leaves you calculating factions to ensure the refill is an accurate 50-50 mix. This is not a recommended method.
I can't find the dam plug 2011 to the coolant..
Stupid design I work in many cars you just need to open the valve , this is wrong design