Do you guys flush radiator, trans, engine, etc, every time or do you drain at one interval and flush at another? What about BG products? Thanks.
Drain vs. Flush
Re: Drain vs. Flush (grunze)
Im going to add a lot of fluff to my post... because I have the spare time
On the topic of doing it all at the same time, no I dont do it all at the same time. There are really no advantages to doing it all in one shebang other then the fact when you have all your tools out (or your car is at the mechanic) combining them could save you a labor hour in some cases or get a little discount
BG products, they are great! BG44k is the very, very best at cleaning FI hands down. Plenty of posts and facts to support that. Their other products are pretty good, some of them are not the very best but overall you cant really go wrong with their products. The downside, they are all so damn expensive to get. Really your stuck searching ebay for a pack of 4+ (the more the better deal) but since some products you wont use more then a couple months apart its not always great having a bunch of cans stockpiled
Oil - a whole mess of people are supporting synthetic, IMHO it helps but its not noticeable unless your going for a ultra high mileage engine (and you switch sooner rather then later). A crappy oil is just fine if you are sure to meet or even change it early. Never miss an oil change, do it early if you have to but dont neglect it
Transmission - well if your car has over 100k miles, or missed a flush or two, I wouldnt risk flushing the system unless you have enough cash in reserve to pay for a new transmission. A flush will expose pre-existing (important) problems with the transmission, a bunch of shops dont flush anymore because its known to kill the transmission, not from the flush per-se but because the owner didn't take car of their transmission in the first place. You risk flushing out your seals, and the gunk that is actually holding the transmission together. However if you are flushing and changing fluid somewhat regularly - go for it and keep going because your transmission will usually far outlast those that do not. In particular, if your transmission 'slips' into a higher gear while driving (as in you are giving it some throttle and it shifts to second, third, or fourth when it shouldn't) DO NOT FLUSH. Thats a sign of a molested transmission and flushing it will at least 9/10 times make your car nearly useless
Fuel system - BG will solve that right there, if your FI ohm slightly off from what you want, or your engine is dirtier then hell (on the inside) your going to be pleased. Some people go so far as to add some to every tank. Doing it once or so a month should be plenty to help maintain the engine, but before you go to maintain be sure to use it on the first 3 or so tanks and then go monthly so your maintaining something clean rather then something thats not doing too well
Radiator - I personally will recommend the "BG Universal Cooling System Cleaner". Add it in there, drive around for a while (package gives distance IIRC) and then flush it. Do not however let it sit there for a couple days, flush when it tells you to and no later or you risk actually harming the system. What it does is remove all the **** you get in your system, to include rust and other things that will harm performance or the effectiveness of your cooling system. Flush ~20k miles, buy the antifreeze that is not 'premixed' because your paying for 50% water at about the same price... just add 100% of the bottle and fill it up with water, and repeat. No matter how you look at it your mixture will be at least 50/50, or better (depending on where you live you might want a 60/40, some people go extreme like 70/30 or 80/20 but I wouldn't recommend that)
Power Steering - mmm. Well personally I dont really flush it too often, its a closed system and stays clean for a while. The trick is to check it yourself, this is one thing I generally couple with other fluid changes. ATF/PS Fluid are VERY close and sometimes the exact same thing... I know a few individuals that use ATF for the PS because of the price and after 150k+ miles (not an an infiniti mind you) there has been no negative side effects. Check it by pulling out the dipstick and letting it drip on to a clean white paper towel. If it is brown'ish you need a flush. You can pay for this or just gradually do it yourself by pulling some fluid out (a partial exchange so to speak) with a turkey baster or some other method and then adding in new. Over the course of a week you can easily have a near 100% system flush, however doing this could add contaminates to the system... I recommend you get it done by a professional
Brake fluid - I do this when my system feels like it needs it. If the brakes ever get softer then normal, I check my pads and change the fluid. The Q eats up pads pretty quick, I have been fine replacing fluid and pads every time I replace a tire, a caliper, a rotor, or just wanted new pads. Check every so often when changing fluids just to make sure... the BG product for this is basically useless, its a higher end DOT4 and... well its not too special. The change can be done at home, you need a jack to do it (4 jackstands help, great to do when you change your shock/struts, or your brake pads because it is already off the floor for you! I guess you could do it on the ground with the wheels still on but its a PITA) and many times I think doing it at home is a better idea because mechanics are there for a fast turnaround, so they might not bleed the system nearly as dry as you. Plenty information on the web on how to do it, just make sure when you are thinking your done to double check for an air bubble, also test the brakes while backing down your driveway to ensure they work, if they dont your going to have to put it in manual and slowly roll to a stop (ebrake if your going to hit a dog, if its a cat hit the gas and throw it on the barbecue!) You should almost never leak brake fluid, if you notice you have to keep filling it up - your in trouble and you will be posting here sooner or later for help (sooner please)! Do not overfill the brake fluid, if you do... DO NOT CONTAMINATE the system, simply open a bleeder valve on one of your wheels and bleed it through there, dont use the turky baster for this operation
Any other fluid questions? Maybe a post on the low light bulb fluid level . Just kidding...
Leaks - if you spot a leak, fix it! Dont put it off. The incline your car is on, the speed it is moving, the RPM's of the engine, and much more can change the rate of a leak. Your car may drip oil at a rate of 1 drop per hour at home, but on the highway for all you know its 100x faster then that, fixing a leak is usually less expensive (sin under plenum work, unless its DIY) and can save your car If its a radiator leak, your going to know! I check my fluid every couple of days because I have had my car overheat twice in the past. Both times it was pretty obvious it might - once was after a MAJOR under plenum job, plenty of hoses to have forgotten something on... anyways. It leaks fast, you need to stop ASAP. If that means your in a turn lane and it has been leaking for a few seconds and the light goes red... you might just want to turn the car off right there and tell the bungholes behind you to go around. Open the hood, check for the leak, but do NOT open the radiator cap or your going to the hospital! Look around, you will be able to tell if its under the plenum, on the side, or a radiator (maybe even a visible hose). "Bar's Leaks Heavy Duty Radiator Stop Leak" saved my life, the car sat there for 5 hours to cool, I added it to the radiator and filled the badboy up, after 10 minutes it stopped a radiator leak (it WONT stop a hose leak however. I recommend you flush the system after the additive has worked its magic for an hour or so... it doesn't help cool to well). Every auto shop as a wall of products that will help you out, but make a permanent repair ( IE replacement) ASAP so you dont end up with the same problem again
PS - well to be honest I had a leak, I couldn't locate it. Poured in a BG product and ~250 miles later the leak was gone and has not returned. I flushed the system after that and its going strong. Most PS leaks wont be large at all IMHO and might be solved by an additive, but if you can do locate and repair the issue
Oil - an oil leak is a horrible thing. It can come from anywhere! most additives will do nothing to help out, the car just has too much oil and the leaks are usually a little more severe then you think when the car gets the oil pumping. If you cant locate it, take it to a mechanic. Oil leaks can also get pretty expensive to fix, for example a rear main seal... Not a DIY job for most . Get it fixed and fixed properly. Add oil as you have to, but do not overfill it or your leak will probably get larger
Brake leak - the worst. If you have a leak you know you do. The brakes are soft, always needing to be bleed or you just dont bleed them and they keep getting softer to the point of failure. The brake lines can fail, I have had to replace them before - Q45Tech suggested that older cars have EVERY part of the brake system replaced and its good advice! Without them, the cars power will kill you. Add fluid, look for the leak by pumping the brakes, bleed the lines to check if you missed an air bubble. If the softness persists keep adding the fluid, you can probably make it to a mechanic but if you have any doubts at all pay for it to get flat bedded. Even a tiny tiny hole like the size of the tip of a needle will ruin the brakes, this is because its going to suck in air, one air bubble makes a pretty noticeable change in the brake power, a hand full makes the brakes useless (and you get more bubbles every single time you press the brake!)
Fuel - oh crap. I dont know, I have not had this problem. If I did have a fuel leak I would get the hell away, I remember there was a stat that compared a somewhat small amount of fuel to the power found in a stick of dynamite. Anyways your car has the power to be a box of TNT, dont toy with it. This is no time to play cheapass, get a professionals help
Transmission - if its leaking at any real rate this is one of those times you DO NOT want to flush the transmission. Maybe start putting away some of your paycheck for a rebuild or a new transmission. If you DID have it flushed and you notice its low the next day or two, go back they will fill it up. They explain it as 'air bubbles' in the system, probably not. If in a couple more days its getting lower again, you just screwed yourself with a flush
mmm what else? A leak in the tire? Simple get a new one, repairs are not really that safe. I dont know, like I said I had the free time and was eager to do something with it, sorry for the length and probably useless information as about everyone here is squared away
On the topic of doing it all at the same time, no I dont do it all at the same time. There are really no advantages to doing it all in one shebang other then the fact when you have all your tools out (or your car is at the mechanic) combining them could save you a labor hour in some cases or get a little discount
BG products, they are great! BG44k is the very, very best at cleaning FI hands down. Plenty of posts and facts to support that. Their other products are pretty good, some of them are not the very best but overall you cant really go wrong with their products. The downside, they are all so damn expensive to get. Really your stuck searching ebay for a pack of 4+ (the more the better deal) but since some products you wont use more then a couple months apart its not always great having a bunch of cans stockpiled
Oil - a whole mess of people are supporting synthetic, IMHO it helps but its not noticeable unless your going for a ultra high mileage engine (and you switch sooner rather then later). A crappy oil is just fine if you are sure to meet or even change it early. Never miss an oil change, do it early if you have to but dont neglect it
Transmission - well if your car has over 100k miles, or missed a flush or two, I wouldnt risk flushing the system unless you have enough cash in reserve to pay for a new transmission. A flush will expose pre-existing (important) problems with the transmission, a bunch of shops dont flush anymore because its known to kill the transmission, not from the flush per-se but because the owner didn't take car of their transmission in the first place. You risk flushing out your seals, and the gunk that is actually holding the transmission together. However if you are flushing and changing fluid somewhat regularly - go for it and keep going because your transmission will usually far outlast those that do not. In particular, if your transmission 'slips' into a higher gear while driving (as in you are giving it some throttle and it shifts to second, third, or fourth when it shouldn't) DO NOT FLUSH. Thats a sign of a molested transmission and flushing it will at least 9/10 times make your car nearly useless
Fuel system - BG will solve that right there, if your FI ohm slightly off from what you want, or your engine is dirtier then hell (on the inside) your going to be pleased. Some people go so far as to add some to every tank. Doing it once or so a month should be plenty to help maintain the engine, but before you go to maintain be sure to use it on the first 3 or so tanks and then go monthly so your maintaining something clean rather then something thats not doing too well
Radiator - I personally will recommend the "BG Universal Cooling System Cleaner". Add it in there, drive around for a while (package gives distance IIRC) and then flush it. Do not however let it sit there for a couple days, flush when it tells you to and no later or you risk actually harming the system. What it does is remove all the **** you get in your system, to include rust and other things that will harm performance or the effectiveness of your cooling system. Flush ~20k miles, buy the antifreeze that is not 'premixed' because your paying for 50% water at about the same price... just add 100% of the bottle and fill it up with water, and repeat. No matter how you look at it your mixture will be at least 50/50, or better (depending on where you live you might want a 60/40, some people go extreme like 70/30 or 80/20 but I wouldn't recommend that)
Power Steering - mmm. Well personally I dont really flush it too often, its a closed system and stays clean for a while. The trick is to check it yourself, this is one thing I generally couple with other fluid changes. ATF/PS Fluid are VERY close and sometimes the exact same thing... I know a few individuals that use ATF for the PS because of the price and after 150k+ miles (not an an infiniti mind you) there has been no negative side effects. Check it by pulling out the dipstick and letting it drip on to a clean white paper towel. If it is brown'ish you need a flush. You can pay for this or just gradually do it yourself by pulling some fluid out (a partial exchange so to speak) with a turkey baster or some other method and then adding in new. Over the course of a week you can easily have a near 100% system flush, however doing this could add contaminates to the system... I recommend you get it done by a professional
Brake fluid - I do this when my system feels like it needs it. If the brakes ever get softer then normal, I check my pads and change the fluid. The Q eats up pads pretty quick, I have been fine replacing fluid and pads every time I replace a tire, a caliper, a rotor, or just wanted new pads. Check every so often when changing fluids just to make sure... the BG product for this is basically useless, its a higher end DOT4 and... well its not too special. The change can be done at home, you need a jack to do it (4 jackstands help, great to do when you change your shock/struts, or your brake pads because it is already off the floor for you! I guess you could do it on the ground with the wheels still on but its a PITA) and many times I think doing it at home is a better idea because mechanics are there for a fast turnaround, so they might not bleed the system nearly as dry as you. Plenty information on the web on how to do it, just make sure when you are thinking your done to double check for an air bubble, also test the brakes while backing down your driveway to ensure they work, if they dont your going to have to put it in manual and slowly roll to a stop (ebrake if your going to hit a dog, if its a cat hit the gas and throw it on the barbecue!) You should almost never leak brake fluid, if you notice you have to keep filling it up - your in trouble and you will be posting here sooner or later for help (sooner please)! Do not overfill the brake fluid, if you do... DO NOT CONTAMINATE the system, simply open a bleeder valve on one of your wheels and bleed it through there, dont use the turky baster for this operation
Any other fluid questions? Maybe a post on the low light bulb fluid level . Just kidding...
Leaks - if you spot a leak, fix it! Dont put it off. The incline your car is on, the speed it is moving, the RPM's of the engine, and much more can change the rate of a leak. Your car may drip oil at a rate of 1 drop per hour at home, but on the highway for all you know its 100x faster then that, fixing a leak is usually less expensive (sin under plenum work, unless its DIY) and can save your car If its a radiator leak, your going to know! I check my fluid every couple of days because I have had my car overheat twice in the past. Both times it was pretty obvious it might - once was after a MAJOR under plenum job, plenty of hoses to have forgotten something on... anyways. It leaks fast, you need to stop ASAP. If that means your in a turn lane and it has been leaking for a few seconds and the light goes red... you might just want to turn the car off right there and tell the bungholes behind you to go around. Open the hood, check for the leak, but do NOT open the radiator cap or your going to the hospital! Look around, you will be able to tell if its under the plenum, on the side, or a radiator (maybe even a visible hose). "Bar's Leaks Heavy Duty Radiator Stop Leak" saved my life, the car sat there for 5 hours to cool, I added it to the radiator and filled the badboy up, after 10 minutes it stopped a radiator leak (it WONT stop a hose leak however. I recommend you flush the system after the additive has worked its magic for an hour or so... it doesn't help cool to well). Every auto shop as a wall of products that will help you out, but make a permanent repair ( IE replacement) ASAP so you dont end up with the same problem again
PS - well to be honest I had a leak, I couldn't locate it. Poured in a BG product and ~250 miles later the leak was gone and has not returned. I flushed the system after that and its going strong. Most PS leaks wont be large at all IMHO and might be solved by an additive, but if you can do locate and repair the issue
Oil - an oil leak is a horrible thing. It can come from anywhere! most additives will do nothing to help out, the car just has too much oil and the leaks are usually a little more severe then you think when the car gets the oil pumping. If you cant locate it, take it to a mechanic. Oil leaks can also get pretty expensive to fix, for example a rear main seal... Not a DIY job for most . Get it fixed and fixed properly. Add oil as you have to, but do not overfill it or your leak will probably get larger
Brake leak - the worst. If you have a leak you know you do. The brakes are soft, always needing to be bleed or you just dont bleed them and they keep getting softer to the point of failure. The brake lines can fail, I have had to replace them before - Q45Tech suggested that older cars have EVERY part of the brake system replaced and its good advice! Without them, the cars power will kill you. Add fluid, look for the leak by pumping the brakes, bleed the lines to check if you missed an air bubble. If the softness persists keep adding the fluid, you can probably make it to a mechanic but if you have any doubts at all pay for it to get flat bedded. Even a tiny tiny hole like the size of the tip of a needle will ruin the brakes, this is because its going to suck in air, one air bubble makes a pretty noticeable change in the brake power, a hand full makes the brakes useless (and you get more bubbles every single time you press the brake!)
Fuel - oh crap. I dont know, I have not had this problem. If I did have a fuel leak I would get the hell away, I remember there was a stat that compared a somewhat small amount of fuel to the power found in a stick of dynamite. Anyways your car has the power to be a box of TNT, dont toy with it. This is no time to play cheapass, get a professionals help
Transmission - if its leaking at any real rate this is one of those times you DO NOT want to flush the transmission. Maybe start putting away some of your paycheck for a rebuild or a new transmission. If you DID have it flushed and you notice its low the next day or two, go back they will fill it up. They explain it as 'air bubbles' in the system, probably not. If in a couple more days its getting lower again, you just screwed yourself with a flush
mmm what else? A leak in the tire? Simple get a new one, repairs are not really that safe. I dont know, like I said I had the free time and was eager to do something with it, sorry for the length and probably useless information as about everyone here is squared away