Radiator preventative maintenance

[asr1]

Had to replace my radiator this week due to a very minor leak from its underside -- at only 55k miles

Have never had to replace a rad in any car in 25 years of motoring, including numerous 'unreliable' German performance cars...

That this is an issue on what is supposed to be one of the most durable vehicles in the world is frustrating to say the least

NB: dealer fitted a rad with part number ending -4, I understand there were previous versions ending in -1, -2, -3 -- anyone know the difference ?

 

[PDoyle]

Let me just ask..... At 130k miles and no sign of a crack, would it be a good idea to replace the antifreeze?

 

[bloc]

Let me just ask..... At 130k miles and no sign of a crack, would it be a good idea to replace the antifreeze?

Yes. I can't remember the exact number but coolant is a roughly 100k mile item.

Note that it is better to simply drain and refill, vs flushing, even with straight water. It is impossible to get all of any fluid out of the system without taking it all apart, so some amount of water would remain, diluting the new coolant you put in. In reality leaving behind this small amount of original coolant is the less harmful situation.

 

[04UZJ100]

Yes. I can't remember the exact number but coolant is a roughly 100k mile item.

Note that it is better to simply drain and refill, vs flushing, even with straight water. It is impossible to get all of any fluid out of the system without taking it all apart, so some amount of water would remain, diluting the new coolant you put in. In reality leaving behind this small amount of original coolant is the less harmful situation.

What’s your opinion on multiple drain and fills? I was able to get the PS block drain and radiator twice this weekend. Put a total of 4 gallons in the system at 110k miles. Calling it good for 15k when I’ll do another radiator drain/fill.

 

[bloc]

What’s your opinion on multiple drain and fills? I was able to get the PS block drain and radiator twice this weekend. Put a total of 4 gallons in the system at 110k miles. Calling it good for 15k when I’ll do another radiator drain/fill.

My process would be to drain the block and radiator, then disconnect the heater core lines near the passenger side firewall and use air to push as much coolant out as possible, then refill the system. When I did mine at 125 I hadn’t yet learned about the dilution issue so I used distilled water to flush the old stuff out, and had quite a time trying to get as much of the water out as possible.

As for multiple drain/fill, if I’m understanding it correctly yes you will eventually end up with mostly fresh coolant, but I think you are also draining out a large portion of good coolant in the process.