# Antifeeze flush **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [September 16, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689 "2016-09-16T17:04:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kurtwm1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kurtwm1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kurtwm1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/21 "2016-09-17T00:28:43Z")
> [@GeorgeSanJose](#): > > since what remains in the system at this point is mostly pure water what am I missing? It’s 50/50 mixture regardless of how much remains in the system. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/22 "2016-09-17T00:36:40Z")
I mean that when I use plain water to flush the cooling system, at the end of the flush process all that’s in the engine is plain water. Filling the radiator with a 50/50 mix would result in less than a 50/50 mix after it mixes with the water remaining in the rest of the cooling system. ---
**Author:** ![kurtwm1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kurtwm1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kurtwm1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/23 "2016-09-17T00:41:00Z")
got it. I misunderstood. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/24 "2016-09-17T01:55:24Z")
I recommend staying with Dexcool ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/25 "2016-09-17T02:01:38Z")
When I had mine changed, I had all of the hoses changed and the thermostat. Stayed with Dex. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/26 "2016-09-17T23:57:00Z")
Everyone has their own way to do things. If you are not having overheating issues, I would NOT recommend the fresh water flush. Just drain and refill with either a premix or mix your own using antifreeze and **distilled** water. Anything else is contaminating the cooling system. You don’t need to get 100% of the old coolant out. Ethylene Glycol breaks down very little if at all in a cooling system. Its the corrosion inhibitors and detergents that get used up. Draining the system gets most of the old coolant out. The fresh coolant will have enough corrosion inhibitors to carry you through for another 5 years. You can stay with dexcool or go with any major brand universal long life antifreeze. It really won’t matter, but if you have pink dexcool in there now, staying with it would be the most conservative approach. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/27 "2016-09-18T00:17:50Z")
Your method is a good alternative @keith. . One point about the water-flush method I use, it’s important to not empty the system and leave it empty for any length of time (even just a few days) after a water flush. Air rushes in to replace the water that drains out, and that can create an environment for rust to form inside the cooling system. So when I do the water flush, I refill with fresh coolant immediately after. And make sure I run the engine to operating temp with the heater fully on for long enough time to mix it all together. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/28 "2016-09-18T01:27:00Z")
@GeorgeSanJose, when I started the reply. I only intended to say I vote for distilled water, but I got carried away. That was so the OP would have a second opinion on that subject. ---
**Author:** ![dn4192](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dn4192](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dn4192)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/29 "2016-09-19T13:31:59Z")
I personally won’t be doing this, I will take it to my local repair shop guy who has been doing all my work on the car, I have zero ability to do anything on my car. ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/30 "2016-09-19T14:10:03Z")
> [@bertrand](#): > > I have zero ability to do anything on my car. I hope that isn’t true. I hope you can at least fuel and drive the thing. 😉 On a more serious note, I think everyone should learn how to check the fluids and check tire pressure, unless you’re going to have a professional do it at least once a month. Personally, I check my vehicles’ fluids and tire pressure weekly. ---
**Author:** ![dn4192](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dn4192](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dn4192)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/31 "2016-09-19T14:18:02Z")
Oh I can check, and do so pretty much at least every weekend but at worse 2 times a month. ---
**Author:** ![sgtrock21](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/sgtrock21/32/246_2.png) [@sgtrock21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sgtrock21)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/32 "2016-09-19T15:22:41Z")
That is my procedure with the exception of using my dealer. I would save very little money doing it myself and don’t have to worry about proper disposal of used coolant. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689/33 "2016-09-20T02:52:03Z")
> [@bertrand](#): > > I personally won’t be doing this,… I have zero ability to do anything on my car. Everyone here was in that position at some point in the past. Like me for example. I got a bee in my bonnet after an unfortunate dealership shop experience and decided to figure out how to fix my VW Rabbit myself. bought the service manual, took an adult education class at night on car repairs, and I was on my way. The first actual repair job I did wasn’t on the Rabbit; I replaced a U-joint on my truck’s drive shaft. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/antifeeze-flush/95689.md?page=1)