Coolant System Flush - Uview Airlift 55000 Vacuum Purge antifreeze/coolant

[duncan]

Hi Guys, newbie here. Been happy using my Uview 550000 Airlift vacuum/purge tool. Worked great on my 2003 Honda Gold Wing.

Have you purged your coolant system with this tool on your LC 100?



Now I'm trying to use it on my 2000 LC. I was checking my fluids and noticed my coolant reservoir was bone dry empty - then I checked my radiator and could not see any coolant at the top of the radiator. Fins looked bone dry.

Well, there was about 2 gallons of coolant in that radiator! Read several threads here and drained almost 2 gallons out of my radiator petcock. Uview folks told me that I should be able to vacuum draw coolant/antifreeze from the engine block without directly draining from the two engine block drains. That did not work.

Pretty certain I also have to crack open and drain from those two engine block drains. Right?

Also wondering if I should just pour in some distilled water, start the engine up, till the thermostat opens and maybe I could draw an extra 1.6 gallons that way.

My local shop who has done a good job of servicing my other Toyota's put green antifreeze in there. Got 2+ gallons of fresh Toyota red long life coolant. Called shop and these stated they put green in to match the coolant already in the system.

Am I making this hard on myself? Just grab some green antifreeze, fill up radiator and reservoir and button her up?

Or wholly purge all of the green and go red?

 

[Nightbrew]

If you don’t know when the coolant was last changed or you have a leak, I would drain and fill with distilled water. Find the source of the leak and repair, then fill with the coolant of your choice. Just my two pennies.

 

[duncan]

@Nightbrew - Thanks for that input!

I opened up those two engine drain blocks and drained another 1.5 gallons from those plugs

• Now, I have 3.7+ gallons of green antifreeze from this engine
• Thinking I don't have a coolant leak
• Suspect I should have been more vigilant about checking my fluids

Comments guys?

Any Airlift 550000 users here to tell me now to suck in this 4 gallons into my radiator and engine block?

 

[medtro]

Have you purged your coolant system with this tool on your LC 100?

No.

 

[Nightbrew]

After you flush and refill, make to bleed or burp the air from the system. Typically this is accomplished by running the engine with the front higher than the rear.

 

[badlander]

Have you purged your coolant system with this tool on your LC 100?

Yes, i use the same system on my 2002. First of all the coolant is not able to be sucked out by the vacuum. It drains out by gravity. And yes, you MUST drain from the block petcocks as well as from the radiator.
My suggestion is this:
Go buy at least 6 gallons of distilled water for flushing the system and 2 more for mixing with the coolant. This should give you 3 good flushe cycles with plenty left over.
Drain all coolant from the system.
Vacuum the system and refill with distilled water.
Drive around the block a few times until the thermostat opens and circulates the water.
Let engine cool down.
Repeat this process 2 more times.
After the last flush mix coolant 50/50 with distilled water in a 5 gallon bucket.
Vacuum the system and draw the coolant into the engine from the bucket.
Before adding coolant to the overflow tank run the engine up to full operating temp and see where the level is in the overflow tank. Adjust as needed.
No need for "burping" when using the airlift system.
No need to have the heat in the "on" position as there is no heat water control valve in the 100's. The water flows thru the heater core at all times.

 

[duncan]

@badlander - Thank you!!!!

After "Drive around the block a few times until the thermostat opens and circulates the water." and "Let engine cool down." won't the thermostat close?
Know a stone cold engine starts off with a closed thermostat.

Shouldn't I just make sure the engine cools down for 30-45 minutes and carefully crack the radiator cap?

Think I need a warm engine in the whole process.

Please clarify - thanks.

 

[badlander]

@badlander - Thank you!!!!

After "Drive around the block a few times until the thermostat opens and circulates the water." and "Let engine cool down." won't the thermostat close?
Know a stone cold engine starts off with a closed thermostat.

Shouldn't I just make sure the engine cools down for 30-45 minutes and carefully crack the radiator cap?

Think I need a warm engine in the whole process.

Please clarify - thanks.

The purpose of driving until the thermostat opens is to mix and/or dilute all the liqiud in the system.
Allowing the engine to cool after is to prevent block or head damage from thermal shock, think CRACKS, which can happen If cool coolant is added to a hot engine.
The block will still drain with the thermostat closed because there is a small hole in its edge for just this purpose. It allows air and water to pass thru at a very slow rate. Just let it sit and drain for a half hour or so with the radiator and block petcocks open. With the engine cool you can also open the radiator cap to speed drainage.
With the vacuum refilling process the system will almost completely fill regardless whether the thermostat is open or closed. A small top off may be needed when done, that's all.
The engine doesn't need to cool all the way down completely during this process, just not be HOT.
I use my hand on the radiator as a gauge. Can't hold it on - still to hot.
Just my method. Take it as you will.