Heater Core Flush - these hoses??

[Pathofinder]

I want to flush my heater core, people have mentionned using a garden hose but wouldnt that leave tap water in the core after you were finished?



Do I simply pull off both lines and stick a garden hose in one of them? And watch the coolant color come out the other side? Does it matter how much pressure??

Would blowing compressed air in the heater hose lines clear any blockage?

Perhaps garden hose should be avoided and flush with distilled water somehow??

Thanks guys!!! This coolant system is gonna be good working soon!!

[WPGQX4]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you flush the rad, won't it flush the heater core aswell. When you do a rad flush you need to turn the heat on in the truck to cycle the flush through the core.

[adamzan]

Yeah you can stick a garden hose in there. If it is really bad a lot of sediment and stuff will come out. Just run it till it runs clear, a little bit of tap water won't hurt anything.

[Pathofinder]

I fear the core may be blocked from a previous owner using that stop leak bullcrap, and if its easy to do I would like to atleast try

Didnt know if there were any steps I should follow or a way to NOT use tap water, to keep nothing but distilled water and coolant in the system if possible... and should I use compressed air at all??

[Pathofinder]

I read on some Honda forums of using compressed air, they said disconnect both hoses, blow air into one and point other hose to a bucket, keep filling it up with distilled water and blowing it out into the bucket.
Would that work at all? Would just a spray nozzle from an air compressor do this or would it have to be sealed to the one hose it was blowing into??

[Chuck Tribolet]

I'd flush it with fresh water. I would NOT use compressed air -- the system isn't designed to take those sorts of pressures.

BUT: you have other cooling system issues in other threads. Fix those first.


Chuck

[ARKQX33V6]

Do not use compressed air without a regulator set to 15 PSIG, if not available use a garden hose but watch out for high pressure there too, some water systems can reach over 60 PSIG.

Turn on the car heater to the hottest, then purge out the coolant from the engine, run the garden hose through till clear. Then operate the engine with water only warm up, stop, cool, then completely drain and be sure the heater is drained,

Fix your problems as discussed elsewhere then fill the coolant system making sure the heater is set to hottest. Fill and vent then make sure expansion tank is at mark, test run. Cool next day check expansion tank and run heater full hot and cool then with AC on. Check around engine for leaks including Rad, hoses, vents.