Remember, keep safe!

[jmurray01]

Now winter is coming, I have three tips to keep you and your car safe this winter!

1) Oil - Make sure you have enough oil in the sump, and it is clean. If it is looking a little bit sooty or watery, get it changed, along with the filter, before the snow comes, not after, as when it is extra cold, the engine needs all the lubrication it can get, and worn out oil won't do your engine any favours.

2) Coolant - Make sure your coolant is above the MIN mark, and is clean. If it has been in there for more than three years, I'd recommend you change it with a 50:50 mixture of deionised water and anti-freeze. If it freezes, your block could crack with the expansion, and if you manage to start the engine with frozen coolant, it will overheat.

3) Tyres - Check you have good treads, and the pressure is correct. When it is snowy, your tyres need all the help they can get to grip, so if they are bald and/or under/over inflated, you are risking your car's life, and yours. If you can afford it, I'd recommend you fit winter tyres.

So, follow my wise tips, and you and your car should remain safe this winter.

 

[JDgreen]

Now winter is coming, I have three tips to keep you and your car safe this winter!

1) Oil - Make sure you have enough oil in the sump, and it is clean. If it is looking a little bit sooty or watery, get it changed, along with the filter, before the snow comes, not after, as when it is extra cold, the engine needs all the lubrication it can get, and worn out oil won't do your engine any favours.

2) Coolant - Make sure your coolant is above the MIN mark, and is clean. If it has been in there for more than three years, I'd recommend you change it with a 50:50 mixture of deionised water and anti-freeze. If it freezes, your block could crack with the expansion, and if you manage to start the engine with frozen coolant, it will overheat.

3) Tyres - Check you have good treads, and the pressure is correct. When it is snowy, your tyres need all the help they can get to grip, so if they are bald and/or under/over inflated, you are risking your car's life, and yours. If you can afford it, I'd recommend you fit winter tyres.

So, follow my wise tips, and you and your car should remain safe this winter.

Good points, all....our vehicles all use the GM Dex-Cool extended life coolant which they say is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles, we do not drive much so I go by the 5 year change interval. Today's shops tend to offer what is called a "coolant replacement" where they hook up your hoses to a gadget that siphons the old coolant out while putting in new. Dumb idea, IMO. That does NOTHING to flush the system out.

Here is how I do it:

Warm engine to operating temp so the thermostat is open, shut off the engine, and CAREFULLY semi-open radiator cap or coolant recovery tank cap. Then CAREFULLY remove lower radiator hose and drain old coolant. Disconnect radiator hoses COMPLETELY when engine is cooler. Then use a shop vacuum with a blower post and the proper attachment (see attachment) :laughing::laughing: to blow out engine block, coolant tank, radiator, etc. You will be amazed at how much coolant may be left in the system. Then, reconnect hoses and fill with water, start engine and let it get fully warm, then drain and blow out the system again, as described. If old cooolant was very dirty, add a commercial flush chemical to the water when you do the filling.

Be sure your car heater is on and set to high when you do both flushings, as there will be coolant inside it. For the REALLY fussy old farts like me, disconnect a hose so you can really drain, flush, and blow out heater core. Reconnect all the hoses and begin refilling your cooling system.

AND BE SURE what coolant you are adding is compatable with the engine and what MAY be left in the cooling system !!! They make coolants today that will mix well with all other types. But check carefully.

When I did the draining and flushing for my GMC last time, despite my care in trying to get all the old coolant and the flushing water out of the system, there were still about a gallon left in the 4 gallon cooling system. Since I was quite sure it was mainly clean water, I carefully added the proper amount of new Dex-Cool and clean water to give me a 65% concentrate of antifreeze. This is the main advantage of doing it my way, you should have a good idea of just how much antifreeze to add. The bad thing is, by doing it my way, you have NO IDEA at all how much you actually drained from your system.....:thumbdown:

The cooling system will take a long time to purge of air after the initial fill so keep checking the level frequently.

Gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the attachment that will be shown in the attachment....:laughing:

Doing the cooling system flush and refill my way is very time consuming and messy but to me it is worth it as I know it was done properly. Simply exchanging old coolant with new is fast and easy but does a very poor job as it mixes them together. :thumbdown:

 

[Mower manic]

Ummm.....What's a tyre?

 

[JDgreen]

Ummm.....What's a tyre?

And I should have mentioned you have to raise the bonnet to check under the hood....

 

[jmurray01]

Ummm.....What's a tyre?

It is a circular object, usually made of rubber that makes cars mobile.

 

[jmurray01]

Good points, all....our vehicles all use the GM Dex-Cool extended life coolant which they say is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles, we do not drive much so I go by the 5 year change interval. Today's shops tend to offer what is called a "coolant replacement" where they hook up your hoses to a gadget that siphons the old coolant out while putting in new. Dumb idea, IMO. That does NOTHING to flush the system out.

Here is how I do it:

Warm engine to operating temp so the thermostat is open, shut off the engine, and CAREFULLY semi-open radiator cap or coolant recovery tank cap. Then CAREFULLY remove lower radiator hose and drain old coolant. Disconnect radiator hoses COMPLETELY when engine is cooler. Then use a shop vacuum with a blower post and the proper attachment (see attachment) :laughing::laughing: to blow out engine block, coolant tank, radiator, etc. You will be amazed at how much coolant may be left in the system. Then, reconnect hoses and fill with water, start engine and let it get fully warm, then drain and blow out the system again, as described. If old cooolant was very dirty, add a commercial flush chemical to the water when you do the filling.

Be sure your car heater is on and set to high when you do both flushings, as there will be coolant inside it. For the REALLY fussy old farts like me, disconnect a hose so you can really drain, flush, and blow out heater core. Reconnect all the hoses and begin refilling your cooling system.

AND BE SURE what coolant you are adding is compatable with the engine and what MAY be left in the cooling system !!! They make coolants today that will mix well with all other types. But check carefully.

When I did the draining and flushing for my GMC last time, despite my care in trying to get all the old coolant and the flushing water out of the system, there were still about a gallon left in the 4 gallon cooling system. Since I was quite sure it was mainly clean water, I carefully added the proper amount of new Dex-Cool and clean water to give me a 65% concentrate of antifreeze. This is the main advantage of doing it my way, you should have a good idea of just how much antifreeze to add. The bad thing is, by doing it my way, you have NO IDEA at all how much you actually drained from your system.....:thumbdown:

The cooling system will take a long time to purge of air after the initial fill so keep checking the level frequently.

Gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the attachment that will be shown in the attachment....:laughing:

Doing the cooling system flush and refill my way is very time consuming and messy but to me it is worth it as I know it was done properly. Simply exchanging old coolant with new is fast and easy but does a very poor job as it mixes them together. :thumbdown:

Thank you for the How To JD! :thumbsup:

Seeing as I change my coolant every 2-3 years, and it never really gets a chance to get that dirty, I just empty out the old stuff, put the drain plug back on, fill it with water and run for 15-20 minutes, empty that out, and fill with the correct measures of water and anti-freeze.

I don't have to worry about mixing anti-freezes as I always use the same stuff, which is the blue one.

 

[Bison]

My advice,.....fix only what's broke when it breaks.:tongue:

All that, " change this,winterize that" is only to maximize economy for whoever does the advertizing pushing their products.:confused2:

I Do change oil and filters and grease up as recommended though:wink:

 

[jmurray01]

My advice,.....fix only what's broke when it breaks.:tongue:

All that, " change this,winterize that" is only to maximize economy for whoever does the advertizing pushing their products.:confused2:

I Do change oil and filters and grease up as recommended though:wink:

Yes, that is true if the oil/coolant is clean and new, but if it is a few years old and getting worn, I'm simply stating that it is much better for your car to replace it.

A stitch in time saves nine...

 

[JDgreen]

Yes, that is true if the oil/coolant is clean and new, but if it is a few years old and getting worn, I'm simply stating that it is much better for your car to replace it.

A stitch in time saves nine...

RIGHT...I loved that Fram slogan.....

"You can pay a little more now, or a lot later...."

 

[jmurray01]

RIGHT...I loved that Fram slogan.....

"You can pay a little more now, or a lot later...."

Whatever way it is said, it is true...

Many a time in the past I've just kept using something without maintenance, due to either lack of time or funds, or usually both, and in the end, it breaks down and costs a lot more to fix.

Now, I make time and money to keep my equipment maintained, and nothing has let me down yet. Touch wood...