Coolant Dilemma

[89pintarau12]

Hi again,

About 3 months ago a hose in my car burst and i lost all of my coolant.  When it got fixed i didnt have the money at the time for a coolant flush, and my car now has water in it instead of coolant.  Any options as to what i can do to get coolant back in besides a flush?  How can i do it myself

Thanks.

[Jtas]

ok so i gather that youve had the hose fixed and just filled it up with water and no coolant?? that isnt all that great for an engine, and its amazing it hasnt overheated majorly.

i recommend that you buy a bottle of nulon radiator flush(or any other brand) and follow the instructions, poor it in your radiator then run it through it(by running the engine for 20mins i think it says) then empty the radiator out by undoing the stopcock on the bottom passenger side of the radiator or just undo the bottom radiator hose and let it all out run out into a container(dont let it out into the drain its not all that great for the  environment) then make sure you do up the stop cock or reconnect the radiator hose..

then mix up the coolant and water and poor it in to the radiator, the details on how much coolant to water you need should be in your owners manual(in your glovebox)

it may also be a good idea to replace the thermostat (about $20) before putting new coolant/water in.


also next time you have a question like this try searching the forum for your answer, there is a detailed right up in the faq section about changing your coolant.

thanks,
james

[KMA_TRX]

my coolant is also leaking if i replace the radiator will it stop? my radiator has a hole in it from rust that bubbles fluid now. I was told it would cost me 400 to replace is it worth it or should i look for a better price. And should i consider second hand or is it not worth it in the end?

[Kranzy]

As a starting point its a good idea not to bring up threads that are nearly two years old. start a new thread once you've done a bit of searching is the best way to ask the questions you need answers to.

For a brand new radiator your looking at around $350-400 from what ive been told, ive never had to replace mine yet. If you can visible see the leak in the radiator chances are it needs replacing. Second hand although cheaper you run the risk of having the same problems as what you have now so you could find yourself bying a second hand one now and then a brand newy in a few months.

Shop smart, dont take the first price, ring plenty of places and get quotes. Do it right the first time and you wont need to worry about it.

[JIMB0]

When my radiator blew I got one for $66 from pick-a-part. It lasted 6 months then blew again. So I got a Jayrad Radiator for $240, brand new, 2 year warranty. Bursons and Repco sell them. It's been going for a year and a half now no problems. I also had to change the water pump a few months back (the tell-tale was leaking), I took the oportunity to do the timing belt at the same time, since it has to come of to get to the water pump.