opinion wanted on antifreeze.....
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Joined: May 2010
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opinion wanted on antifreeze.....
I just changed a non-pumping water pump. I would have liked to have run a flush before I changed, but not an option. I also changed the tstat and rad cap and hoses, including crossover/bypass hose. The question is, would flushing now do more damage than good? possibly moving gunk into tstat or some place else and cause problems vs leaving the system go with the new antifreeze in it? When drained, the inside of the rad looked silver/shiny. No visible crust. the antifreeze that came out when I disconnected hoses, was kinda green-brown. I have to say also that when it failed, my entire engine/hood got covered with brown mud.....of course, it was -10 when it let go. I changed it out in my driveway, which was even more fun......
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From: Nashville, Tennessee
I wouldn't flush unless you're prepared to start replacing core plugs. Once it gets that nasty, there's really no going back. Several repairs are in your future I hate to say. Hopefully, that "brown mud" didn't clog your radiator and heater core, but it probably did.
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I'm not one to neglect maintenance for fear of creating damage. If damage is there, better off fixing it than keeping it masked...
I think not doing it is worse than doing it.
I'd prefer a clean system that doesnt restrict cooling capabilities and one that doesnt have contaminants that are continuously spread hurting everything inline.
As far as using harsh chemicals. I'm against any of that but I have used powdered detergent for cleaning out coolant lines with great results! You need to flush and only have water in the system, fluctuate rpms while hot and then flush w/water several times to get clean.
As far as what coolant. Once you flush, you can use anything you want. I prefer Peak Extended Green, but I'll probably have to stick with Mopar HOAT so I dont hear crap about my Lifetime Powertrain warranty if something were to happen.
Before anyone gets all crazed about Mopar specific..yadayada...The internals on a Dodge arent any different than a Ford or Chev or Toyota yet they all have their own coolants. It's a bit ridiculous.
I think not doing it is worse than doing it.
I'd prefer a clean system that doesnt restrict cooling capabilities and one that doesnt have contaminants that are continuously spread hurting everything inline.
As far as using harsh chemicals. I'm against any of that but I have used powdered detergent for cleaning out coolant lines with great results! You need to flush and only have water in the system, fluctuate rpms while hot and then flush w/water several times to get clean.
As far as what coolant. Once you flush, you can use anything you want. I prefer Peak Extended Green, but I'll probably have to stick with Mopar HOAT so I dont hear crap about my Lifetime Powertrain warranty if something were to happen.
Before anyone gets all crazed about Mopar specific..yadayada...The internals on a Dodge arent any different than a Ford or Chev or Toyota yet they all have their own coolants. It's a bit ridiculous.