prestone.com
) on several occasions in the past on older vehicles. However, I do not know how well it worked as I was only using it as a preventative maintenance and not because I was experiencing cooling system issues. The chemical did not, I am happy to report, hurt my cooling system nor cause any future damage.
We extensively used citric acid to descale the 10K evap system for fresh water on Submarines. Tough stuff.
The write up says “ for neglected systems”. I would not use it in vehicles that were kept up to date with changes.
The main thing is to have a plan to flush out of the engine after it did it's thing. Putting a garden hose in the radiator neck or the bottle doesn’t get the fluid out of the block.
Here is a Prestone flush kit. To install it you have to cut one heater hose line. The kit has three sizes of tees. Some people don’t like them because they add two clamps to the system and also the plastic T can be a liability after a lot of years. I believe you need a standard radiator top outlet to work. Some vehicles don’t have that.
Alternatively you can do several rad fills with distilled water and run it through the engine. It will get most of it out but not all. I’d suggest to run each session until the top rad hose is hot to make sure the thermostat is open and water is circulating from the block and through the radiator.
By the way, letting the water run down your driveway into the street drain in Edmonton would be illegal. You need to hook up a hose to the outlet and catch the water in some jugs and dispose of it properly.
Here are some pics of a Prestone kit. Enjoy.
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You can just buy 1ft of new radiator hose and not cut the existing hose.My Jaguar only delivers full heat to the passenger's side. Although the former owner felt like he maintained the car perfectly, I think the cooling system might have only received a drain and fill once in 18 years... and I don't know when that was.
I have used the flush kits before, and I can't say I'm a fan. I've never had a problem, but I just don't like the idea of cutting the hose. I have done two drain and fills already and I think that has resulted in a slight improvement, but I'm wondering if a few more drain and fills with the Total System Cleaner will give better results.
Btw, I appreciate your environmental concern, but rest assured, I will not be using Edmonton's Waste Water System to dispose of the old coolant.
I have never had to flush any of my cars, but I've always drained and filled the systems every two or three years. With this method my cars basically get a complete coolant replacement every 5-6 years. The new-to-me Jag will need the rad, engine and heater core flushed separately. Lots of disassembly/reassembly to be done. :-/
