Coolant Flush

[the blur]

50,000 miles on my 03 Denali.

Figure it's time to flush the coolant, and replace some hoses.

Any tricks to this motor?

any bleeder screws ?

 

hints - tricks ??

 

thanks !

[C & A s Dad]

Just did this last weekend on my Wife's 02 Yukon XL. It is a breeze. the plasitc overflow jug is presurized and higher than the engine so you should not get any air that needs bleeding. The drain cock is on the drivers side at bottom of the radiator. The only thing that is a little agrevating is that it drains very slow. Drain it, refill with water and good non acidic flush, you should not need a HD flush. Drive it for 10 to 15 mins after it gets to op temp. Drain refill with water, drive again and I would suggest that you repeat this with clear water to be 100 % all the flush is out. Be sure you refill with Dex Cool approved antifreeze, this is the Red stuff. There are some universal fill antifreezes on the market, but I would strongly suggest the real Dex Cool stuff. One other thing, there are many chems made to sell and a few made to use. I added a bottel of Kool It from Lubegard (#96001). This is a wonderful product that will help control electrolysis, keep the engine 5 to 7 degrees cooler and it is recommended by Modine Radiators. You can check this out on their website at WWWLubegard.com if you wish.

 

By the way, my owner's manual said my truck held 16.8qts because it has rear heat. I added 2 gals and 16 oz of antifreeze and it was not enough to bring it to -34 degrees which is a 50/50mix. I had to add almost another qt and a half to get the 50/50 mix. Check your owner's manual for the capacity on your truck.

[ChevyTech007]

Agree with all of above. In addition I use distilled water in my personal vehicle. It just seems like the lack of trace minerals would be a plus. And its very inexpensive to do.

[C & A s Dad]

I have used Distilled water in the past but now there is some discussion and research that is recommending against this. It is cleaner and has less minerals but the distilling process makes it more prone to some reaction that can actually contribute to Electrolysis, which is a major enemy of late model vehicle cooling systems. The articles I read are not all inclusive and there are some benefits to using distilled water. If you do use it, I would strongly suggest the additive that I mentioned earler or an equivalent.