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I went ahead and bought those GM cooling supplements that everyone is talking about…well I know you not suppose to insert the 6 pellets into the surge tank where you pour the coolant in.

But when I tried to remove the upper radiator hose I couldn’t! That plastic clamp is real right and feels rock solid! So I removed the airbox/intake hose and tried to remove the lower radiator hose…this one had a screw on clamp…no luck at all

I tugged and turned it, and tugged again…wouldn’t even budge. So my question is where else can I insert these things? Can I just break ‘em apart and just throw them into he surge tank? I mean the directions do say to do so…something like “remove radiator cap and insert supplements”

What should I do?

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Aside from the first two sentences, this is from Guru regarding the supplements. CaddyInfo don't get any better than the following. ;)

Posted: Jul 20 2004, 07:00 AM

Uniting Northstar Cars for Luxury Enjoyment

Group: Cadillac Guru

Posts: 641

Member: 14

Where: Not Given

Joined: 19-January 04

2005 GMC Envoy

The coolant supplement material is actually ground up ginger root. The tiny fibers of the ginger root are carried thru the coolant system in suspension rather than actually dissolving into the coolant. So, there will be some natural settling of some of the "fines" in the system in quiet areas with low flow and at the bottom of various containers and vessels...such as the rad end tank where the drain is. A natural buildup in a vertical hole with no flow at the bottom of the end tank is not really comparible to the horizontal ports of the radiator tubes where there is a lot of flow and they are not at the very bottom of the end tank.

The other thing that happens with the ground up ginger root particles is that they get chopped up over time by the water pump impeller until they are so small that they are not effective and the tiny pieces will settle as they do not get carried thru the coolant in suspension as well as the normal fibers of the fresh supplement. That is the reason that the sealer will loose its effectiveness over time (due to being so chopped up and fine) and needs to be replaced.

The ginger root has a unique property that makes the sealant work so well and really prevents it from clogging small ports and orifices with active flow in the cooling system. The ginger root particles/fibers shrink when wet and expand when they dry. The wet fibers in solution in the coolant will collect at a leak point and tend to clot there and then expand on the dry side of the leak where there is air. This seals the leak as the fibers see air on the atmospheric side of the leak and really prevents the fibers from clogging any other ports or orifices in the system as long as they remain wet on both sides of the port or orifice.

Gelled coolant and mineral deposits are the most common cause of clogs and blockages in the cooling system and heater core. The silicated coolant is more prone to gelling and old coolant and/or lack of use of the vehicle or occasional use tends to exacerbate gelling. The gelling coolant traps the supplement material so it looks "muddy" and people think that it is caused by the supplement but in reality the gelling is the problem and the supplement is just the evidence.

Like anything, the supplement is not perfect but it rarely, if ever, causes a problem. Even when applied in massive doses it really isn't an issue with plugging or anything unless the coolant is old or it is installed in the wrong place..i.e...surge tank instead of the rad hose.

Since the supplement doesn't dissolve but is carried in the flow of the coolant in suspension it can clog up the hose from the surge tank to the water pump if copious amounts of the supplement were to be installed in the surge tank. The glop of softened supplement will settle into the hose and block the flow since there is very little flow thru that hose....it just conducts pressure to the pump. The glop of supplement will block the hose unless it is flushed out. That is why the recommendation is always to install the supplement into the rad hose where there is a lot of flow.... kind of like you don't want to pack all the food into the garbage disposal then then turn it on...the sudden amount of residue could clog the drain...but by putting in smaller amounts while there is a flow of water the drain will be fine.

Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning.
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still doesnt answer my Q or problem..since i cant remove the rad hose..maybe im too weak?...naw thats not it..anyway i tought i might go back to the cadillac service department and ask for help in removing the hose...

What ever it takes, make sure it gets done correctly. The lower radiator hose is an acceptable entry point too. If you turn the job over to someone else, supervise it to make sure they don't take the 'easy' way out...

'93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast.

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My dealership told me to chop up the pellets and put them in the radiator where the cap goes, so that's what I did. I really don't see what the difference would be putting them in whole, in the hoses, versus chopping them up and putting the powder in the rad since they're going to be chopped up anyways by the water pump...JMHO.

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You more than likly have a compression clamp, that a pair of pliers compress the 2 tabs and slide away from the end of the hose and then take a screw driver and gently work the flat blade in between the raditator hose and the water pump outlet, moving to different spots on the hose, be careful not to rip or tear the hose continue to do this until you break the deposits that are holding the hose to the outlet.

Pull off the hose crush your pellets and dump into the hose add coolant and reconnect making sure to get some good quality screw clamps for your hoses.

John

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My dealership told me to chop up the pellets and put them in the radiator where the cap goes, so that's what I did. I really don't see what the difference would be putting them in whole, in the hoses, versus chopping them up and putting the powder in the rad since they're going to be chopped up anyways by the water pump...JMHO.

Your '94 Sedan DeVille has the 4.9 engine - with that system, you add the pellets directly to the radiator. The Northstar engine requires them to be added to the radiator hose.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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My dealership told me to chop up the pellets and put them in the radiator where the cap goes, so that's what I did. I really don't see what the difference would be putting them in whole, in the hoses, versus chopping them up and putting the powder in the rad since they're going to be chopped up anyways by the water pump...JMHO.

The reason for chopping them up is that they won't all fit in the radiator on a 4.9 (or most other radiator cap equiped cars for that matter). The tabs will not go past the trans or oil cooling tubes in the side tanks so you'll only get 2 or 3 in there uncrushed. The Northstar has no radiator cap. It is on the surge tank where there is minimal flow, so they must go in the hose and can be put in whole.

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Thanks KHE, that's good to hear! I was getting a little worried the dealer maybe didn't know their stuff. I sympathize with the OP, they need to come up with a better tool than a screwdriver to get in between the hose and neck of the radiator to work it loose. I've torn a hose using a screwdriver due to my frustration and haste. Patience, muscle and a skinned knuckle definately required...as they can be a pain in the ars!

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thanks for all the help guys...i finally got it done...i used a flat head screw driver and a set of pliers took a while to bend it out of shape so that i can get the hose loose enough to pull out...after about 10 min of fighting it, i finally poped it out and coolant went flying everywhere..lol thanks for the heads up btw :rolleyes: ..jk....

anyway i bought a metal screw on clamp since i couldnt seem to find the existing one?..must of flew up and got lost ??? crushed the pellets up and threw them into the tube...closed it up...re installed the airbox and filled the surge tank with some colant and i was ready to go B)

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The pellets are to protect against incidental exterior and interior coolant leaks. With the aluminum engine parts on the Northstar engine, undetected corrosion is very possible if the cooling system hasn't been maintained, because the metal just "pots" away...it doesn't form rust like iron parts do.

Cadillac_STS, on my '97 SLS, the thermostat housing (where the lower radiator hose connects) is bolted to the water pump housing by two 10mm bolts (I think they're 10mm). When I changed my water pump, I also discovered that I couldn't just slip the hoses off by loosening the clamps, so I simply unbolted the thermostat housing, which effectively gives you access to the lower radiator hose.

And I tell you what I did when I filled the system back up...I didn't drop the pellets into the hose. I bought the Prestone Dexcool pre-mix (50/50 premix) and I just crushed 3 tabs into each gallon jug and shook it up like a mutha. They were completely dissolved with no traces of suspended pieces at all. Then, I filled the surge tank normally. I did that over a year and a half and 25,000 miles ago and no problems since.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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