cooling
ronron54
04-15-2005, 01:35 PM
Can anyone tell me how to flush the coolin system on a 1999 taurus 3.0 liter since it i sealed radiator any help would really be appreciated thanx.
sfontain
04-15-2005, 02:04 PM
Can anyone tell me how to flush the coolin system on a 1999 taurus 3.0 liter since it i sealed radiator any help would really be appreciated thanx.
Hrm... Sealed your radiator? So it has no cap? If this is the case, you can do the following directions. If you actually still can open your radiator, you can add the water and new coolant through the radiator cap.
Anyway, what you should be able to do is get under the radiator and on the driver's side of the radiator on the very bottom you will see a little plastic screw/bolt (called a petcock--don't ask). Your car may have a splash shield covering the bottom of the radiator; you will need to remove this if so, which involves removing several small and/or tiny bolts (vice grips are handy). Take the cap off the coolant overflow tank, put a drainpan underneath, and loosen the petcock (try it by hand but if you can't move it then use a wrench or vice grips or whatever). Once all the coolant has run out after several minutes, close the petcock. *When your engine is no longer hot* (wait at least 30-45 minutes after running the car), refill your overflow tank with *distilled* water until it levels off. Run the car for at least 10 minutes after it's at normal operating temperature (or drive for that long if you can) to circulate your water through the whole system. Park it; after letting the car cool, drain all that water and add new water, etc., until what comes out is clean enough to satisfy you. Finally, add enough coolant and distilled water so that your whole system is left with about a 50/50 coolant/water mixture. In my experience, usually about 2/3 of the fluid in the system can be drained through the petcock, so if you drain the system with water at least twice and do the final fillup with about 75/25 coolant-to-water, that will leave the whole system at about 50/50; but you can do the math to be safe.
The key things to remember are that you must not add fresh fluid to a hot engine or you risk cracking the engine (fatal mistake), and if you splash any coolant on your paint you want to wash it off ASAP because it eats paint (in fact, I would recommend just washing the car when you're done the job to be safe).
You can use Prestone Radiator Flush to help dislodge crud; some people love it and some people swear the chemicals attack the radiator. Personally, I use it and have never had a radiator problem.
Expect this to take at least 3 hours including the long periods of running the car and waiting.
Hrm... Sealed your radiator? So it has no cap? If this is the case, you can do the following directions. If you actually still can open your radiator, you can add the water and new coolant through the radiator cap.
Anyway, what you should be able to do is get under the radiator and on the driver's side of the radiator on the very bottom you will see a little plastic screw/bolt (called a petcock--don't ask). Your car may have a splash shield covering the bottom of the radiator; you will need to remove this if so, which involves removing several small and/or tiny bolts (vice grips are handy). Take the cap off the coolant overflow tank, put a drainpan underneath, and loosen the petcock (try it by hand but if you can't move it then use a wrench or vice grips or whatever). Once all the coolant has run out after several minutes, close the petcock. *When your engine is no longer hot* (wait at least 30-45 minutes after running the car), refill your overflow tank with *distilled* water until it levels off. Run the car for at least 10 minutes after it's at normal operating temperature (or drive for that long if you can) to circulate your water through the whole system. Park it; after letting the car cool, drain all that water and add new water, etc., until what comes out is clean enough to satisfy you. Finally, add enough coolant and distilled water so that your whole system is left with about a 50/50 coolant/water mixture. In my experience, usually about 2/3 of the fluid in the system can be drained through the petcock, so if you drain the system with water at least twice and do the final fillup with about 75/25 coolant-to-water, that will leave the whole system at about 50/50; but you can do the math to be safe.
The key things to remember are that you must not add fresh fluid to a hot engine or you risk cracking the engine (fatal mistake), and if you splash any coolant on your paint you want to wash it off ASAP because it eats paint (in fact, I would recommend just washing the car when you're done the job to be safe).
You can use Prestone Radiator Flush to help dislodge crud; some people love it and some people swear the chemicals attack the radiator. Personally, I use it and have never had a radiator problem.
Expect this to take at least 3 hours including the long periods of running the car and waiting.
ronron54
04-15-2005, 02:28 PM
Tanx I think this will help ,what I was saying the Tauru has a sealed cooling system, that's what they call it it has no cap on the radiator but has the fill tank or over flow tank which ever but thanx for the info. it's really appreciated.
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2026