My truck is kept in outdoor storage, away from kids, cats.....any and all pets. Water for backflushing is not available.....what if I opened radiator drain, took radiator cap off and poured water in while water ran out of drain (engine running, heater on) till most/all of old antifreeze was gone (water running clear), would I endanger anything if I stayed till area dried? Heck, it's 95 here and that shouldn't take long to dry.

 

Moved thread to "Cooling, Heating, Ventilation and A/C" Should receive more responses to your question here.

Thanks

 

I wouldnt suggest that.....(but it may depend on what your local laws are)....because regardless you are talking about releasing the coolant into the environment! Im no tree hugger ( believe me ), but hell we all have to live here and so will our kids, etc.....

Are you looking to simply change your coolant? Is your truck overheating now? If so, have you eliminated the other causes of overheating....thermostat, water pump, fan clutch, etc? When was the fluid changed last? Have you tested your coolant/water mixture?

If its a simple coolant flush and change you might want to keep this in mind...

Remember just put a cat litter box or an old bucket or something to catch the coolant!

Let the truck cool and go ahead and drain the radiator, close the radiator petcock.. Add a bottle ( or two depending on product ) of radiator flush to the system and top off the radiator with water. Run the engine as per the flush products instructions.....usually about 5 minutes after full warm up ......let the truck cool down ( VERY IMPORTANT )....and then empty the radiator again and refill with water only. Let it warm up and run again for about 5 mintues or so ( follow the products instructions ). Let it cool again and then drain the system. Find out how much total coolant/water mixture your truck holds and then divide that by half. Add that amount you just figured out of pure coolant, and go ahead and burp the system. \

I know this was a bit long and drawn out......but whatever you do.....DONT just try and rinse the coolant away thinking that it will not do any harm. Many areas have autoparts or garages that will take your old coolant and PROPERLY dispose of it......why take a chance?!? Also many areas water treatment systems ( yup, where the water goes when you flush the toilet ) are fully capable of removing coolant from the water. So if your water treatment plant does you might just be able to flush it down the toilet and it will be properly disposed of that way.........but dont quote me on this, find out for yourself and call around!

Those are a few options I can think of........anyone else?