Coolant Flush

[coldfusion11]

A friend of mine has a 2003 Vibe (moon and Tunes) and she told me that her car is lo on antifreeze. I checked the overflow(?) tank in the front of engine bay and it is empty. I have read a lot of mixed reviews on using dex-cool or not. I told her to take it to a shop and have them do a coolant flush since im not sure what type is in there already and I don't want to mix the two. I know that dex-cool or regular 50/50 can be used just make sure the original is flushed completely so the two don't mix at all.If a coolant flush is performed, What type of coolant should be put in? P.S. Is there a guide on how to change the fuel filter on this site?

[blindman10]

I can't help you on the first part but I can chime in on the fuel filter part.There are directions here (http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=37065).But please keep in mind that the fule filter is not considered a 'routine service' item and you will not find it listed in your manual. What makes you think this needs to be replaced?

[10vibe]

This is a quandary. I have not come to a firm conclusion myself. I sometimes think it would be smart to use either the specs from Ford or Chrysler on new long life coolants because of availability and price. This is after a thorough flush, and maybe another flush after a short period of time to make sure. The other option is to pay the few extra dollars and put the Toyota long life in. It does not amount to that much over a 3-5 year period. If you insist on changing every two years anyway, because whether long life or not, certain things break down fairly quickly, then maybe a very low silicate coolant that is closer to the traditional stuff. Silicate supposedly causes more wear on water pumps, seals and other things nowadays, but that seems iffy to me too.What I can remember is that there is, or was, a chemical in the GM dex-cool (2-ethylhexanoic acid {2-EHA}), that is not really a good thing, whereas some of the other manufacturers dex-cool does not have it and is safer, especially with an accidental mixing of antifreezes.I will have to look for some of this info and will edit on this post if I find it.The controversy with dex-cool is a touchy subject anyway and they have revised the formula and changed manufacturers over the years. Another possible conflict with dex-cool is if there is a leak in the system, if it get low, or lots of oxygen is mixed with it , it breaks down quicker and can cause bad things, like more chemical reactions to various metals and "sludge" or gelling, if I remember right.I just do not know at this point, sorry. PS: If the Toyota super long life pink coolant is premixed 50/50 with distilled water (which I do not know for sure), how do you account for the water or coolant left over in a flush to get a proper ratio mix?http://www.artsautomotive.com/...luids neat site with pictures of oem specific fluids, sealers, etc. for Asian vehicles. http://www.globalautoparts.biz....htmlhttp://www.paulstravelpictures...Guide/,, This might of answered my own question. If you already have long life pink in, do not flush, just drain and fill with Toyota SLLC or Zerex Asian Vehicle coolant per Toyota's recommendations. The search continues...http://www.popularmechanics.co...72246http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/...99442http://sancarlosradiator.com/a...t.htm antifreeze: Coolant Chemistry And Corrosion..."Dex-cool uses 2-EHA which among other things is a plasticizer which has the effect of softening plastic. GM intake manifolds are made of plastic..."...EDIT: My thoughts after researching antifreeze/coolant more fully:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=44821

[coldfusion11]

Well honestly I am just trying to help my friend out. She has owned the car since 2005 and does not recall any type of coolant service. I am just going to tell her to take it the shop she goes to for the coolant service, and ask them what they recommend to do. I think the regular green coolant is in there from what I can tell from the remnants in the tank. I am probably just going to suggest to do regular coolant after the flush just to be safe. Also, maybe have them do thermostat change if the price is still reasonable.I am used to working on my Ford Crown Vic with an inline filter. I found the steps for the filter here and I am not even going to attempt it. I was only going to do it for her if it was easy as she isn't paying me much. Just looking for ways to boost fuel economy since this was her original complaint.I am going to be adding a bottle of techron fuel system cleaner, clean maf with non-chlorinated brake cleaner, check/replace air filter, look into doing the cooling line insulation mod and the blend door fix (moving the cable back on the mount under the dash) since she also complained the A/C wasnt as cold as she would like and I also noticed the actuator motor for the blend door in the glovebox is stripped also and the only way to keep it from clicking is to keep the A/C system on recirculate (already changed the cabin filter too), and checking/ replacing PCV valve.Any other fuel mileage increase suggestions?P.S I also installed an aftermarket radio for her in the summer and it has the moon & tunes package with amp under the seat. The amp is now blown due to the fact that crutchfield failed to mention the use of a factory amp attenuator box for this application and I wasn't aware it needed one. Now I have to rewire the speakers manually to the HU. Has this happened to anyone before?

[blindman10]

Just curious, did she mention what she is getting for fuel economy? How many miles on the Vibe?All of your ideas look alright...except personally I wouldn't use brake cleaner on the MAF, I used MAF cleaner. I'd hate to have to replace it so I went the route of a purpose-made chemical. Just my 0.02.. Yea, the fuel filter on this car isn't like the one in your Crown Vic (I've owned two of those!). The fuel system cleaner is a good idea (and Techron is my favorite). Along with the air filter I cleaned my throttle body and throttle plate with some TB cleaner. This is relatively easy to do and often doesn't require replacing the TB gasket.How old are the plugs on the car (years and miles)? While iridium plugs are a bit pricey, it might not be a bad idea and then they will be good for another 100k+.I'm also curious what brand/type of oil she is running...a switch to synthetic might be further than she wants to go, but it does tend to improve mpg slightly and allow longer oil change intervals, but I know this topic can be hotly debated...

[coldfusion11]

I am not sure of what MPG numbers she is getting. Unfortunately I care more about her car than she does! She just wants things to work better and isn't as (removed) about things as some of us might be.I will ask her about spark plugs and things but she will probably say something like "Do they do that in a tune up?" So she wont have a definitive answer. People like myself keep a log of date and mileage when any work is done so I know when and what is done. She (like most other people) do not keep that information.I have MAF cleaner also so I might try that first and see how it goes. On my crown vic, there was a testing procedure with a DMM to read the voltage of the MAF to check if it was in range. Is there one for the vibe?She gets her oil done wherever and probably doesn't know what is going in. Assuming the cheap conventional from a quickie place.I think her car has over 100k miles. I am very busy working 2 jobs so I told her to go to Uncle ed's or something (have a coupon) and get a coolant flush with regular green coolant.I am going to clean TB, clean MAF, insulate refrigerant tubes, adjust blend door under the dash for colder A/C, use fuel cleaner, air filter, PCV valve service. Then go from there.

[blindman10]

There is a testing procedure, here is the link from the 2003 manual.And here is the link the the entire manual: http://madstyle1972.com/Repair/I hate to rain on parades, and your experience may definintely differ, but if you check this link, he had no a/c increases with the insulation mod.As I said before, your plan sounds good and is sure to improve her vehicle's health.

[yyamad1]

so here is my 2 cents, I did do the insulation on the AC lines, and I noticed improvement. I asked the Ford engineer about this because in my mind, why should insulation on the return make any difference? he told me that entire system will work better when its sealed off from the Engine temp. Thats what he told me. So ok, some people dont see any improvement, well, I didnt test my temp but I feel much colder air... the cost of the mod is like 2 dollars anyways, and my friend works for Ford. as for the MPG, you should replace the upper O2 sensor, after 100k miles it may still work and not throw CEL but its reaction may have slowed down, which decreases MPG. There is a way to test the cycle of the O2 sensor, but after 100k, I changed mine. good luck.

[coldfusion11]

I will do the insulation mod anyways. It wont hurt anything and I already have some pipe insulation anyways from my house remodeling.What are the correct sizes of insulation to use? Want to make sure I use the right size for the different lines if mine aren't right.UPDATE: She took the car to the Uncle Ed's oil change place and got a complete coolant flush and refill. They used Global Extended Life coolant. Seen here http://www.recochem.com/us/ind..._lifeHope everything works well.