2017 Ford Explorer How do I know when all "cleaner" is flushed from the cooling sys. during flush?
How do I know when all "cleaner" is flushed from the cooling sys. during flush?
What is your question?
2017 Explorer XLT w/ 3.5L Duratec (non-turbo)
I will be flushing my cooling system soon. After the cleaner has been added and allowed to do its job for the recommended period of time, I'll need to flush the system with clean water.
When adding the clean water, will I be able to just keep adding the water to the reservoir? Or, will I need to add water, wait for the vehicle to reach operating temp (i.e., wait for the thermostat to open) and then drain the radiator? I want to make sure I'm purging out as much old coolant and cleaner as possible.
Also, I will be using bottled distilled water, so it's not like leaving a running hose in the reservoir is an option (I've seen that done in a few vids). One final note: even though they're compatible, I'm switching from the old/pink coolant to the new/yellow coolant, so I want to make sure all old coolant/cleaner is flushed out for that reason as well.
Any additional related tips are appreciated!
Thanks!
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Hello, not sure why "cleaner" is needed. What for? Your vehicle is 4 years old. How bad could things be?
I'd more than strongly recommend a local repair shop near you performed the cooling system service. You'll have no concerns as coolant will be circulated, drained and refilled, and air pockets purged.
Doing it yourself is possible, but don't use "cleaner" and just drain and fill your system.
Use this link to find some shops near you that can help with your concern:
www.repairpal.com/repair-shops
I used the word "cleaner" in place of "flush" to minimize confusion since the process is called flush and generally so is the chemical that's used to clean the cooling system.
The Explorer is just coming up on 100k miles, and while I wouldn't describe the condition of the coolant as "bad", I haven't heard anyone suggest it would hurt anything to add a $10 bottle of VC-1 coolant system flush to ensure the system is as clean as possible. Plus, I don't expect to flush the system again for quite a while so I might as well do a great job this time.
I appreciate the recommendation. From everything I've seen this seems like a fairly simple process that I should be able to learn to do correctly and perform on my own.
You might ask, "if it's so simple, why are you asking for advice here?". I'm not afraid to try and learn new things. Also not afraid to ask questions (this is my first post and maybe I'm just on the wrong site?). I think a person should be able to do _some_ work on their own car, house, etc. without calling a professional every time. Over the years I've learned to accomplish the (generally) simpler tasks like brakes, plugs/wires, serpentine belts, valve cover gaskets, etc. and to do them correctly. It's saved me a LOT of money and I enjoy learning and accomplishing those tasks (always do them with my sons so they learn as well).
That said, I do leave the more complex tasks (non-maintenance tasks that won't likely need to be repeated) to the professionals.
Again, thanks for the recommendation. But, I'm confident I can learn to do this job on my own with a little guidance on one of the details.
Thanks!
I used the word "cleaner" in place of "flush" to minimize confusion since the process is called flush and generally so is the chemical that's used to clean the cooling system. The Explorer is just coming up on 100k miles, and while I wouldn't describe the condition of the coolant as "bad", I haven't heard anyone suggest it would hurt anything to add a $10 bottle of VC-1 coolant system flush to ensure the system is as clean as possible. Plus, I don't expect to flush the system again for quite a while so I might as well do a great job this time. I appreciate the recommendation. From everything I've seen this seems like a fairly simple process that I should be able to learn to do correctly and perform on my own. You might ask, "if it's so simple, why are you asking for advice here?". I'm not afraid to try and learn new things. Also not afraid to ask questions (this is my first post and maybe I'm just on the wrong site?). I think a person should be able to do _some_ work on their own car, house, etc. without calling a professional every time. Over the years I've learned to accomplish the (generally) simpler tasks like brakes, plugs/wires, serpentine belts, valve cover gaskets, etc. and to do them correctly. It's saved me a LOT of money and I enjoy learning and accomplishing those tasks (always do them with my sons so they learn as well). That said, I do leave the more complex tasks (non-maintenance tasks that won't likely need to be repeated) to the professionals. Again, thanks for the recommendation. But, I'm confident I can learn to do this job on my own with a little guidance on one of the details. Thanks!