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I’m sure I’m not the first to ask this but if you were to just take the thermostat off and hook up the tube back on after draining the radiator disconnect the upper run water through would I not be flushing the coolant out of the engine? I’ve always been wondering about that but haven’t tried it since I don’t want to mess any internals that could get damaged. Thank you.
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You can buy a T to splice in to your heater inlet hose to flush your system. The key is to then replace the water that you put in the system with the correct mix of antifreeze.
That’s cool I’ve heard of those things but cutting into something that I don’t have to makes my life easier lol. I just wanted to know about the thermostat just for fun and if nobody says hey it’s a bad idea I was going to do it and see how it works out for me. Might even get everything flushed out better and faster as long as the thermostat isn’t beneath a pile of wires sensors and a cat that decided to take a nap.
What you are proposing sounds like it would flush the engine but to be honest is more work then adding the T. Also if you plan on keeping the car for a few years you will already have the T in place to flush again. I’m not certain on all cars but doing it the way you want may miss some areas of the system. Follow the lines and see if it will flush all areas or not.
[quote=”Sparhawk28″ post=87180]I’m sure I’m not the first to ask this but if you were to just take the thermostat off and hook up the tube back on after draining the radiator disconnect the upper run water through would I not be flushing the coolant out of the engine? I’ve always been wondering about that but haven’t tried it since I don’t want to mess any internals that could get damaged. Thank you.[/quote]
The way you described the above is the way to do it. You may get a code
but can be reset later.I see your point on the T. I’ll have to do that to my wife’s van since I’m selling mine soon.
You think if I do what I say turn the car on and add water into the radiator with the upper off for draining plus a tube on the upper down to a pan that the water would get every line? Sorry if I’m picking at your brain lol.
Then why doesn’t anyone do it that way or show that way. I always see people drain, close, add water, run vehicle, drain, make sure color is clear, do steps again if need be if not, add coolant water mix. None of them ever show anything about the thermostat. Is it because it’s more out of convienance?
People are lazy. It probably isn’t worth it unless your cooling system is really, really gunked up anyways. On my recently purchased Grand Cherokee with 271k there was a lot of corrosion and deposits. I took the thermostat out mostly to get better access to inside the cylinder head. I used white vinegar as my flushing agent. Dirt cheap and more effective than any product you’ll buy at a parts store. For more aggressive attacking of deposits you can use CLR but don’t run it too long or it will eat away at metal. If using any product, do several cycles of flushing and running the system with only water until completely clear before adding your antifreeze mix.
[quote=”Sparhawk28″ post=87196]Then why doesn’t anyone do it that way or show that way. I always see people drain, close, add water, run vehicle, drain, make sure color is clear, do steps again if need be if not, add coolant water mix. None of them ever show anything about the thermostat. Is it because it’s more out of convienance?[/quote]
You can flush the system with the t-sat in the way you describe.
I use a garden hose in the radiator neck with the top radiator hose
off. I don’t always pull the t-sat. only if I’m due for a t-stat change.
The reason they don’t show your method is because if the cooling system
has been maintained a drain and refill is all that is needed. sometimes a
flush can cause more harm if the system is full of rust and scale. I use the
garden hose method because I have decent city water + I filter my whole house
water. If your water is not good.By some jugs of steam distilled water and do it
that way. I used to install the Prestone tees in the heater hose and it did a great
job. I don’t use them anymore. I did not like cutting the heater hose creating a weak
point. Now I’m back to the above method.
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