General Help / Sugestion!? - Coolant Flush + Water Pump & Thermostat change.

[Bolinhas899sx]

Hi Good People.

So I'm doing a complete and a series of flushes on the coolant system on my cinquecento SX 1998 and change the cooling tank, radiator hoses, Water pump, Thermostat and radiator, cause the car looses water and its arround 20y and the previous owner for this last couple of years decided to put tap water on the system as it kept leaking and loosing water.

So the tank and all the water is rusty red as seen on photos (plus the Thermostat all calcified)

Source of leak? Been around and arround, cleaned all the exterior engine and pipes.. Been for few rides and no apparent source of leak.. Neither white smoke or any thing like that, so don't believe is burning water.

So my question is the order in what I do this:

Drain the coolant/rusty water - change the coolant thank and then do the flushes (plus Wynns radiator flush) with the old parts in (radiator, water pump, Thermostat) in and then when the system is clean replace with the new parts?

Or do I drain the coolant - new coolant thank - replace the parts and then do the flushes?

My doughts are if I do the flushes with the old parts in I'm afraid of lodging rusty bits from the old parts into the engine coolant compartment..

But if I do flushes with the new parts.. to lodge the rusty bits that might be in the engine into the new parts..

What you guys think? ?

Thank you everyone.

 

[Xylaquin]

I agree. I'd do the flush with the old parts in FIRST, then flush with the new parts once they're installed.

The theory behind this is, if you put the new parts in first and do a flush- obviously nothing will come off the new parts, but all the stuff from inside the radiator and engine will come off in that flush. So if you get rid of the worst of it whilst using the old parts, any clog or junk will be affecting the old parts you're going to replace any way.

I reckon either of the methods is fine to be honest. But I'd do two flushes at least... the more the better.

Flush with old parts
Drain the worst of it
Flush again
Drain again
Keep flushing and draining until the colour of the liquid is acceptable. You're gonna need a lot of de-ionized water for all this flushing!
Replace parts with new parts when the colour of the coolant is acceptable
Flush with the new parts installed
Drain the last of it.
Fill with fresh coolant.


How quickly or slowly does the car loose water? Mine was leaking from the water pump, and the way I discovered that was simply parking on flat ground, running the engine then looking under the bay until I saw any drips.

 

[blu73]

weep from the waterpump is a good shout, often can't tell at all with the belt cover on.

If its that bad then i'd be back-flushing everything first..

so disconnect the 2 pipes going to the heater matrix, you might want to get some long bits of hose to make it all easier and cleaner, but run fresh water from a garden hose or something backwards through the heater core until its coming out clear. I can't remember which way round it goes off top of my head but not hard to figure out.

take both hoses off the radiator, run water in the bottom and out the top, helpful to drop the rad off and turn it upside down for this.

take the water pipe off the inlet manifold and the metal water rail along front of engine, take the stat out and run water in the hole from the stat until clear out the manifold and water rail.

at this point the only things not had clean water flowing through them is the pipes, you can try run some down them while disconnected but prob not much point.

Now at this point, i'd put it all back together with the old stat, fill and bleed the system with just water and flush - follow however long the flush instructions say to run it. Then drain it out, do one or 2 more fills, run upto temp, drains with just water.

Then go ahead and swap the waterpump, stat, expansion tank and anything else your changing right at the end - worth giving all the pipes a good look over, they are far from new at this point.

 

[Bolinhas899sx]

Thank you very much for your instructions guys! ?

Sorry for the latee reply.. It's been quite a crazy week at my hospital.. ?

So after almost two full afternoons I've done the following:

. Swapped the water tank (cause the old one was fuulll with sludge).
. 2x cycles of distilled water.
. Back flushed the engine from the top and from the bottom of the Thermostat entry and water pump hose.
. Back flushed the radiator from the bottom and top.
. Back flushed the heater exchanger as well from the inlet and outlet.

. Now I've mounted everything as it was, and poured distilled water with a Wynn's Radiator flush cleaner. I'm letting it run and sit for a few days. (there is a small leak from the Thermostat entry - normal as the old gasket is gone) + plus the old Thermostat is gone.. Is stuck open! I've tested myself with boiling and cold water and either way it just allows watter out)

I've bleed out through the small pipe near the lamp until water comes out.

But now when I put the heater on full blow with the switch to hot.. No heat comes out!! Only semi cold air comes out! Do you guy's think I've blown my heater!? Any tips? Flush it again? Air on system?

Do you guys think i should replace the parts and hope the heater will start working or just order a new heater?

Thanks again everyone.

 

[varesecrazy]

See your other thread