angeno03 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Hey guys! 95' sts w/ 73,000 miles. Thinking about a coolant flush for preventitve maintenence. Nothing is wrong as far as I can tell. Is there anything I should know before I bring it in to get done. I will be bringing it to the local goodyear. Thanks again for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Have the shop do a "drain and refill" and NOT a "coolant flush". The flushing machines have been know to introduce foreign objects into the system. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Yeah, just drain and refill 50/50 green coolant and distilled water. Tap water will just introduce unwanted minerals. I doubt GY will use anything but tap water so you may have to supply the 50/50 premixed for them to be sure. Maybe even the tabs. Don't forget the cooling system suppliment (sealant tabs) in the radiator hose NOT the surge tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Bbob said it’s fine to just drain the radiator and refill with 50/50 coolant and sealer as needed. My Eldorado has a drain plug on the lower left side of the radiator. It’s not easy to find unless the air filter housing is removed. I would think the 95 STS also has a drain plug. Last October I replaced the radiator and had the system machine flushed. So far, no problems; however, from now on I’ll just drain the radiator during the fall and refill with 50/50. Bbob also said it’s important to make sure coolant is renewed at least as recommended to protect the aluminum from corrosion and also to protect the head gasket which can fail due to coolant neglect. But I remember him saying that draining the radiator once a year and replenish with 50/50 and appropriate sealer is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 we just just a T in the heater hose and flush it that way ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 we just just a T in the heater hose and flush it that way ! Flushing is NOT recommended for the reasons stated earlier in this thread. Flushing introduces minerals from the tap water into the system which can cause additional problems. Also, it is very difficult to get the coolant concentration right with the system full of water - it becomes a trial and error game. A drain and refill with the proper coolant mixed 50/50 with DISTILLED water is all that is required. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Filling / flushing with tap water is a crap shoot. Do you know what is in your tap water?? My tap water contains the following: Lime Carbon Fluoride Potassium permanganate MiOx MiOx uses salt, water, and electricity to generate a chlorine-based disinfectant solution. According to www.miox.com, advantages over traditional chlorination include safety, regulatory ease, and elimination of mixing and dilution requirements. I trust all this is safe for humanoid consumption. But my water supplier is not concerned about aluminum engine cooling systems. Distilled water is the only way to go. And I doubt if a Goodyear (or any) service facility will use distilled water. If you want the job done right, do it yourself! [soapbox mode = off] Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 we just just a T in the heater hose and flush it that way ! Flushing is NOT recommended for the reasons stated earlier in this thread. Flushing introduces minerals from the tap water into the system which can cause additional problems. Also, it is very difficult to get the coolant concentration right with the system full of water - it becomes a trial and error game. A drain and refill with the proper coolant mixed 50/50 with DISTILLED water is all that is required. So I take it the consensus is simply to drain either from the drain plug or pull the lower hose off as discussed in previous threads and buy premixed 50/50 or full strength and mix with distilled water? I think the 50/50 premixed is fine to use with aluminum; though I don’t think it’s mixed with distilled water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 I think we had discussed that the pre-mix was not worth the price in the past. Now that you mention that it may not be distilled water, that is another reason to mix your own. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Nah, buy your own coolant/distilled water and pre-mix yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 I went to Wal-Mart today and checked the coolant section. I didn't see any full strength available as it was all 50/50 in the range of about $5.98 to $7. I wouldn't be surprised if full strength is eventually phased out. Just curious, can full strength be stored indefinitely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 I went to Wal-Mart today and checked the coolant section. I didn't see any full strength available as it was all 50/50 in the range of about $5.98 to $7. I wouldn't be surprised if full strength is eventually phased out. Just curious, can full strength be stored indefinitely? I personally refuse to shop for my cars at "Wally World". Not even for items like oil and coolant. Actually, I only go there at all as a last resort for other items. I suspect you could find full strength coolant at Napa or Autozone. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 ditto Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 .... Just curious, can full strength be stored indefinitely? A quote from the Havoline web pages; "Always dispose of used coolant in accordance with local, state, and federal guidelines. Because this product is silicate free, Havoline Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant DEX-COOL® can be stored at least 8 years with no problem." Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 .... Just curious, can full strength be stored indefinitely? A quote from the Havoline web pages; "Always dispose of used coolant in accordance with local, state, and federal guidelines. Because this product is silicate free, Havoline Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant DEX-COOL® can be stored at least 8 years with no problem." This case calls for the green stuff. But it's good to know that DEX-COOL has an 8 year shelf life. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhinchley Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 I had to flush mine because heater core was plugged. I just used a Prestone Cleaner with Distilled water.......ran the car for 10 minutes at operating temperature, drained, filled with distilled water, emptied, and refilled with 50/50 and Bars additive. I got my mix wrong........as water was still in the system. But you can check it with that cheap gauge and with Prestone anyways............a 50/50 mix is -34 degrees..........close enough for me. So I just drained some more and added more anti freeze. I did have to flush my heater core with a hose.........so probably added some minerals...........but oh well.........it cleaned out the heater core. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 As long as you drained the heater core, you should be OK. I always check those Prestone gages with a known 50/50 concentration to be sure they read -34 degrees. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.