Truck radiator flush questions

[thatguy]

My 2002 Dodge/Cummins only has 60k miles and I have never changed the antifreeze.. While im doing the antifreeze Im going to go ahead and change both radiator hoses and the thermostat..

Couple questions for the wise ppl on here

1) Do I really need to 'flush' the block or would it be ok to just drain all that I can get out of the radiator/block and refill? If so, is there an easy way to do this while i have the hoses off?

2) The radiator hoses are the constant tension (not the screw type).. Do I need to replace those as well or can I reuse them?

thoughts..

Brian

 

[Egon]

I take my 96 to a shop for antifreeze changes and flush. They can flush better than myself and also have the means to deal with the old antifreeze.

The truck still has the original hoses and clamps on it.

 

[thatguy]

I think the local walmart and the landfill can take the old antifreeze... I was trying to save money by doing it myself..

Brian

 

[Cat_Driver]

A complete flush is always better than only doing 1/2 a flush by leaving the old stuff in the block.

Changing hoses is cheap insurance while you have her opened up. Better to change a hose in the driveway rather than on the freeway. Keep the old ones as spares on a long road trip.

Now if there is a lot of corrosion or build up then you need the radiator dipped in a tank and cleaned out, you know all those tiny holes.

 

[Bird]

I used to do all that myself, but like Egon, I now let the dealer do it. And yes, I'd rather flush it than just drain and refill, and to answer your other question, I much prefer to use new screw type clamps; I would not trust the constant tension ones at this point myself.

 

[WH401]

My 2002 Dodge/Cummins only has 60k miles and I have never changed the antifreeze.. While im doing the antifreeze Im going to go ahead and change both radiator hoses and the thermostat..

Couple questions for the wise ppl on here

1) Do I really need to 'flush' the block or would it be ok to just drain all that I can get out of the radiator/block and refill? If so, is there an easy way to do this while i have the hoses off?

2) The radiator hoses are the constant tension (not the screw type).. Do I need to replace those as well or can I reuse them?

thoughts..

Brian

I'd head on over to Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource - Cummins - Home and read up on it in the 2nd Gen 24 Valve forums. There's an interesting topic about this currently going on in the 3rd Gen forums about how you aren't able to get all of the coolant out, so you shouldn't replace what you take out with a 50/50 premix because it will change the ratio of water/coolant in the entire system which could be detrimental. I wouldn't worry about the hoses, not until they start to show cracks or aging.

 

[thatguy]

I'd head on over to Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource - Cummins - Home and read up on it in the 2nd Gen 24 Valve forums. There's an interesting topic about this currently going on in the 3rd Gen forums about how you aren't able to get all of the coolant out, so you shouldn't replace what you take out with a 50/50 premix because it will change the ratio of water/coolant in the entire system which could be detrimental. I wouldn't worry about the hoses, not until they start to show cracks or aging.

thanks.. I did check that out..

there are dozens of ways to flush the system it seems.. LOL

My big concern is that most of the 'flushes' says to use a garden hose to keep the radiator filled.. BUT I have hard water and that is not a good thing to have in the system.. I think i will just by a lot of distilled water and flush it that way..

thanks
Brian

 

[WTA]

Do not let some quick lube or tire shop do a flush on anything on your trucks. It's a serious scam they got going on. I was a mechanic for a long time and have seen it all. The flush the old stuff out with recycled crap at most of them. That's about worthless.

Just drain and refill. It's all it needs, won't hurt anything and isn't going to open up any leaks. I use 50/50 premix in all my diesels and I keep a bottle of straight antifreeze around too in case I have to adjust it.
If you have a diesel make sure you have the test strips for it and a good antifreeze tester. It needs to be at a 50-50 ratio according to the tester and you also have to make sure the test strips say your acid protection level is in the right place. It's easy to adjust that with additives. Ford Powerstroks and IDI engines use an additive from the international dealer called DCA but I use it in all of my diesels. Not just the powerstrokes.

Don't let any shops scam you into that flushing garbage. That's all it is is a scam. I've called a lot of the dealers on the carpet over those machines before when they tried to sell me one. Just drain and fill and check the levels after you run it a bit then adjust as needed. MUCH less waste, much less cost and it will not hurt a thing!

 

[WH401]

thanks.. I did check that out..

there are dozens of ways to flush the system it seems.. LOL

My big concern is that most of the 'flushes' says to use a garden hose to keep the radiator filled.. BUT I have hard water and that is not a good thing to have in the system.. I think i will just by a lot of distilled water and flush it that way..

thanks
Brian

Yeah I know what you mean, everyone has a flush method lol. I agree with the garden hose concern, and I also have very hard water too, when I need to do mine I'll just buy lots of distilled water. The flush thread that I mentioned is currently going on in the 3rd Gen forum, the original poster went through about 35+ gallons of distilled. Though I doubt you'll need that much because he was purposefully excessively flushing it. You could always get a shop manual for your specific year and see what it says. Not to mention the shop manual will be handy for anything else. Dodge Cummins Diesel Truck Accessories Geno's Garage sells them here

 

[masscity]

I have a 97 Dodge cummins with 210k miles on it. I have changed every hose on my engine instead of waiting for them to break.

I change my coolant every two years. I use prestone and distilled water 50/50.

To get the most of the coolant out, I put my front axle into a deep ditch and I can get about 5 1/2 gals out. Make sure the brakes are on and you block it good.

An old radiator man told me that the best way to ruin a radiator is to use the store bought radiator flushes in the bottle.

My coolant always looks like that of a new truck.