On Feb 19, 7:26*pm, mm wrote:
On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 10:55:29 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:





On Feb 19, 6:02 pm, mm wrote:
This is OT, but I asked in my Chrysler mailing list and no one in the
usually busy list has answered in 18 hours, except one who tried, only
wrt the last, unrelated line.

Well, I can't believe it but I've forgotten how to change the
anti-freeze. This must be the start of Oldtimers Disease.

It was 70 degrees in Baltimore yesterday, and a good day to flush the
cooling system. Lebaron, ''95, 3.0L V6.

I ran the engine until it was hot or at least warm.

The petcock opens with no tools -- that's nice.

I drained the coolant into one of those rectangular bottles that lie
in their side; I removed the thermostat and flushed for 5 minutes with
a garden hose in the radiator neck until the water ran clear. Let it
drain, put back the petcock, put back the thermostat, filled the
radiator with 50/50, but it took less than a gallon.

Ran the engine a minute or two until I realized that maybe I had only
filled the radiator.

Went to see if I could add more coolant, but I couldn't. Usually I
can keep adding and adding, even when it starts way above empty.

I added about 3 quarts, when the capacity is 8.

After sitting all night, today I could add a 3 or 4 ounces more.

Could it be I never drained the engine after all? How could that be
when I removed the thermostat and the petcock and after flushing let
it sit until nothing was coming out of the petcock hole.?

P.S. I also got a Felpro gasket for the thermostat and it has a
brown plastic ring on the inside circumference on one side. But
nothing on the card to say which side of the gasket goes up. Which
does?

I didn't know anyone changed anti-freeze anymore.

3 or 4 years ago, I was going to get the long-life antifreeze, 5 years
iirc, until I read the label and it said that there couldn't be any of
the regular kind in the system for it to be long-life, that if there
was some, the new stuff would only last 2 years.

AFAIK everyone diligent still changes their antifreeze every 2 or 5
years.

I just top mine up
with neat anti-freeze & then I'm sure it's not too weak.

Old antifreeze is as good as new antifreeze about not freezing, but
there are anti-corrosion and lubricating additives, and maybe others
that they say deteriorate. I would think that the anti-corrosion
additives combine with whatever causes corrosion and thus gets used
up. * Just came across a web page that claimed the increased number of
aluminum parts required more continued anti-corrosion strength.

If you have poured ant-freeze in to capacity and run the engine, it
must be full I would have thought,

Me too. * * * * * * * * * * But I only added 3 quarts..

the pump would push any air locks
out. *Have you run the engine with the radiator fill cap off, this
usually lets any air out?

Yes, I've run it for a couple minutes with the cap off. *Before, this
was always enough for the level to go down so I could add more, and
then more.

Is there an "overflow" and does it go to an expansion bottle?

There is an overflow hose and bottle, but I haven't run it with the
cap on and haven't run it long enough to get hot and overflow, so
whatever is there was there before.

It gave one bubble while I was watching, but the fluid level went down
little if anything. * When the engine is cold the thermostat is shut,
so I figured the new fluid would enter through the bottom and the air
would escape...somehow. * But if the air could escape, the air could
also enter when the engine was draining, and the engine would have
drained when the radiator did. *And it would take 8 quarts to fill it.

There's a big chuckhole in the road near here. *Maybe I should go
drive over that.

I found a lot of webpages about changing antifreeze, and all but one
said nothing about the thermostat, not even to consider changing the
thermostat when changing the antifreeze. *Lots of webpages about
flushing the engine and not a one about removing the thermostat to
help this. * Even though one page went into the fact that the
thermostat closes when it's cold. -- They all seemed to talk about
flushing the radiator and not about flushing the engine.

---And I couldn't have added more than 3 quarts. *I only went outside
with 7 quarts of 50/50 and I haven't opened the bottle that I had
filled, so that leaves only 3 quarts or less that are in it now.

Someone gave me two part-filled bottles of 50/50, so I'm using them.
Usually when it is empty, I put in a whole gallon of 100% antifreeze,
then finish off with water, about a gallon.

Thanks.

MM- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I belive this whole changing antifreeze business is a con.
Sure it can evaporate, which is why I top it up with neat antifreeze.
It only needs a very small amount annually.
No-one has been able to explain how antifreeze suddenly ceases to be
antifreeze. And no, I have never had problems with the engine
corroding.
i would have thought introducing air by washing out would do more
damage on the corrosion front.