Want to flush my antifreeze cooling system. It holds 10 quarts. Draining my radiator only drains 4 quarts leaving 6 quarts in the engine that I can't drain. How do you drain the engine? If I flush it out with a garden hose then 6 quarts of water remains in the engine and I can only add 4 quarts of antifreeze. I tried removing the drain plug but it won't come out and if I force it the block might crack so I'm afraid to try that. Without taking it to a shop that has a machine to do it then how do I do it?

 

It takes some work but the solution is dilution. Drain the four quarts from the radiator. Refill with water. Run until good and warm (don't let it overheat), then drain radiator again. Do this several times until the water coming out is pretty clear.

Now you empty the radiator and add four quarts straight anti-freeze. You will have about a 40/60 mix. If you then let it warm up and circulate until it is mixed up good, you can then drain out another four quarts from the radiator (1.6 quarts of which will be anti-freeze, the rest water). The six quarts remaining in the engine will be 2.4 quarts anti-freeze. Add about 2.6 quarts anti-freeze to the radiator, 1.4 quarts water and you will have approximately 50/50 water and anti-freeze.

Kind of a PITA to do but it works. You can verify/adjust the solution using an anti-freeze tester.

 

Until Ray's response, I swore I was doing something wrong. Thank's Ray.

So in the end, since I am not going to reflush the system after swapping out the hoses, I should probably just do this annually?

Brendan

PS - Flush showed minimal particals in system, and the color was consistent with the new 50/50 I just put in.

 

I should have added that this will just replace almost all of the coolant but if your system was neglected and really dirty then you may need a real flush. I did both of my Escapes last year and the then six year old coolant looked and tested as good as new.

 

Your V-6 should have 1 or 2 engine block drain plugs. But it does take some work to do a flush to change out the coolant.

Mine is the 2002 w 2.0L I-4 engine, but I didn't bother removing the plug. In my case, I'm fairly sure it wasn't necessary.

Using the Chilton manual, I was able to flush my engine using a garden hose. Temporary removal of the thermostat is necessary. I rigged up a water hose connection to the radiator & a swimming pool hose to the thermostat housing. After flushing w the water hose & draining the radiator again, I disconnected the water hose & hooked up a funnel & poured in two 2.5-gal jugs of distilled water as a final flush. Then I buttoned everything back up & filled w Motorcraft coolant & distilled water.

 

Just wondering. In these days, I suppose that it probably isn't legal to allow radiator coolant to flow into a city sewer system??

 

Talk to your city about anti-freeze disposal. I was told by my city that I can pour it right down the sanitary sewer and to not pour it down the storm sewer.

 

I'll assume your comment is directed towards my reply.
I collected the coolant & took it to the nearest city waste disposal site (in Houston, the one on S. Post Oak near S.Main).

The reason I did the coolant flush that way was so that I could easily collect most of the old coolant. I connected a piece of 3/8" tubing to the radiator drain **** & routed it towards the front of the car & into a bucket. When disconnecting the radiator hose at the thermostat, I collected the coolant in a large, shallow rubbermaid container. I used a shop vac hose at the radiator nipple to mate the radiator to the water hose. Then I after hooking up the flushing apparatus, I collected the beginning flush water that was coolant colored. We had drought conditions, so I then let the flush water drain onto the lawn. I'm sure some coolant was dumped onto the grass, but not much. If any ended up in the storm sewer, it would have been a minuscule amount. Certainly less than anyone who has a leaking cooling system.

The way I did it sounds kinda complicated, but it was actually quite easy... to do & recycle the coolant.

 

No, it wasn't directed towards you but it made me think about it. I can remember years ago draining/flushing my '78 Corvette right in the street.

 

Okey doke. I'm glad you brought it up though. I'm sure there are still people out there who dump their fluids where they shouldn't. What really grinds my gearz, though, is when dog owners place their doggie doo in the storm sewer drains. I've actually seen that w my own eyes. gross.

 

I would place some doo right back on their doorstep. That is rather juvenile though. LOL

 

I worked with a guy and his neighbor's dog kept on doing his thing on his lawn. One day when the neighbor was having party, he knocked on the front door and handed them a plate full of droppings telling them they were horderves for their party!