Coolant Flush -- I am Lost !!

[dennisdrive]

Hi everybody , after going thru almost all of the posted topics on coolant .....i am lost ! I am due for a coolant flush and wanted fellow genvibers input . What coolant should i use ? Should i use Dexcool or Toyota or any other coolant ? Should i get it done at the dealership --Cad$ 129 or at Active Green Ross - Cad$ 69 ( spoke to them and they use machine to flush + replace with regular green coolant ) ,or Mr.Lube- Cad $99 ? Or is it safe to wait till fall when there is dealer specials? I got the vibe in Dec.2004 . I called up a few Toyota dealership and they charge Cad$ 79 but only service Toyotas and they told me that my warranty would be void if i got my vibe serviced at their place . Thank you .

[kevera]

If your inclined to do it,not hard at all.I used the prestone long life stuff from Wal-Mart.It's a matter of preference.Some use Toyota extra long life,Our dealers here in Toronto use Dex-cool.If your worried go to Toyota and pick up some of their pre-mixed x-tra long life coolant,and do it your-self.If you go to green and ross,mrlube-they only use regular green coolant,then it has to be changed every 2 years.

[joatmon]

I have heard enough bad things about dexcool I wouldn't let it get into my car. The car didn't come with dexcool, even though it has a GM/Pontiac logo on it. Having Toyota, or Joe's garage do it, or doing it yourself does not void your warranty. What could affect your warranty is if whoever did the work screwed something up. Say, for example, the Toyota place accidentally filled up your radiator with gasoline instead of antifreeze, and the engine exploded. Pontiac would not cover that repair under warranty. Or if you forgot to connect a hose, and then took a long drive, not noticing the coolant leaked out and the engine overheated and melted. but just having someone other than a Pontiac service center perform routine maintenance is only going to affect the warranty for the affected item, not the whole car, and only if something was done wrong.I had my coolant flushed at a tire store the last time. I have since found out that the recycling centers here take used antifreeze, so next time I'll do it myself. Be sure to dispose of the used coolant properly, it is poison, and it is said that household pets like the flavor.

[dennisdrive]

Thanks Kevera for the post , just one question to ask , how reliable are Green & Ross , or is Mr.Lube better , Active Green & Ross are charging 69 while Lube charge 99 , dealership is 129 .

[dennisdrive]

Thanks Joatman , heading to your advice i will not be putting Dex cool and will buy a jug of Toyota Long Life Red.

[vibe-04]

I'm in the same boat. I'm doing mine this spring and will change with Toyota as well. The guys at Mr. Lube suggested that if you are not flushing with a garden hose to raise the back end of the car on ramps to let gravity encourage all the fluid to vacate the block. I never tried that before but sounds simple enough. I don't flush with the hose because it pollutes the ground. In the old days guys would park their big old V8s over the storm sewer grate and open the butterfly valves without a care in the world. I've seen guys do that with oil and transmission changes as well. I'd kick the a$$ of anyone who did that today. Andrew

[kevera]

BTW,there is a drain on the back of the block.

[djb383]

If you do a flush with water, and drain at the radiator only, you MUST re-fill the system with 100% coolant, not 50/50 pre-mix. If you re-fill the system that is still 1/2 full of water (radiator drain only) with 50/50 pre-mix you will end up with a 25/75 coolant/water mix which will not have enough water pump lubricant or corrosion/freeze protection. If you drain both the radiator and the block, then you can re-fill the system with a 50/50 pre-mix.

[dennisdrive]

Finally did the coolant flush at Active Green & Ross ( Cad$ 45 for labour only ) didnt use the regular green coolant that they were providing instead got 2 Toyota Super Long Life coolant ( Cad $ 17 for each jug , had to get 2 jugs since the mechanic said that since i was doing the flush 1 jug might not be sufficient , about 1/2 jug unused which was returned to me ) , will do the fuel treatment sometimes this weekend .

[djb383]

When the engine is cold, remove the rad cap and check to see if the rad is full to the top. Also, check the coolant recovery bottle for the proper level. When I drained, flushed and re-filled both of our '05 Vibes, I found it difficult to 'burp' the system of air. Keep close tabs on the coolant level in the rad for several days, just to make sure it's full.

[djb383]

When the engine is cold, remove the rad cap and check to see if the rad is full to the top. Also, check the coolant recovery bottle for the proper level. When I drained, flushed and re-filled both of our '05 Vibes, I found it difficult to 'burp' the system of air. Keep close tabs on the coolant level in the rad for several days, just to make sure it's full of coolant and not air.

[dennisdrive]

Thanks for the tip djb383

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by dennisdrive »Finally did the coolant flush at Active Green & Ross ( Cad$ 45 for labour only ) I had called my local Green & Ross and they quoted me $60 cdn for the labour only. Btw, the price to do it at the chevy dealer, labour and Dexcool, was $129 cdn.