How's it Done..Radiator Flush..?

Hey guys, hopefully next week when i get paid (and the weather is nice) i'm gonna spend a couple hours doing some minor work on my car. It's a 95 4.6 tbird, and i'm gonna change the spark plugs, clean out my throttle body/intake etc, do a complete motor flush with that gunk motor flush, change my oil, and a radiator flush.

Now, i know how to do everything except the radiator flush..which my buddy told me is very easy. He said basically empty out the system by either removing the drain plug..if i don't have one, remove my lower radiator hose...put my garden hose into the radiator refill tank and turn on the hose. He told me make sure the engine is running while the hose is flushing the radiator/motor so everything gets removed.. The refill with 50/50 prestone..and thats it.

Is it that easy..? To me that sounds ghetto..lol..i even told him that, he said thats all there is to it. Right now my antifreeze is greenish brown...so i think it's time to go.

Sorry...forgot, how much should a mechanic charge to change my belt also.. I'm gonna buy a goodyear gator back, which is like $30..i just called Avis Lube, to see how much the "labor" is..they said $50...?!?!?!?!? This i would change myself, but it looks like a b*tch to change. Would i have to remove parts..? It does have a tensioner...

the belt you can do yourself. You might remove the fan and shroud if it makes it easier, but you should be able to snake it down in there just fine. Get a socket on the tensioner pulley bolt and use a rachet or breaker bar to release tension for belt installation.

I agree with your buddy on everything except the engine running part. When you flush out coolant it should always be backwards. Running the engine will push coolant forwards and all of the gunk and rust flakes that have been down in a little nook for 10 will stay there if you just forward flush.

I take out the thermostat and put the neck back on, drain the entire thing by opening the draincock on the radiator and removing the threaded plugs from the bottom of the block. While you're at it buy a new thermostat and don't be tempted to get a low temp unit. just get a 180 or 195. I always get 195s with the exception of my LT1 which is reverse flow cooling.

Now pull the return hose for the heater core. The return hose is usually the lower one. A hose that comes from the intake, head, or high on the water pump is almost always the supply. If in doubt, before you drain, feel the hoses someday as the engine is warming up. The hotter hose is the supply.

Now I just use a garden hose to backflush everything using that heater return hose leaving the radiator cap (or pressure tank cap) off. The water will flow backwards through the system until its full and then push it out the highest point; the cap you left off. At various points I might pull a hose here and there to make sure its running clear everywhere. Coolant moves through the engine at different speeds in different areas and you might have pockets of stubborn coolant.

If you keep checking all of those points and get clear water every time, you're done. If you're worried about it, put the hose back on leaving the system full of water and run it for a few minutes. Then redrain and do another quick flush.

A few tips. Don't turn the hose up too high. City water pressure is usually between 60 and 100 psi. Your coolant system is only expecting 15-20 psi. Make sure that the hose's flow doesn't exceed that of the cooling system or the pressure will build. I usually just hold the garden hose up against the heater hose; not shove it in and clamp it on. If it starts building pressure, it will escape past my hand.

For a more thorough job, buy some radiator flush first and follow the directions.