Re: [DML] Cooling system flush

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

Remember that there are two coolant drain plugs on the engine block. One is
by the oil filter, and one is on the other side near the oil pressure
sending switch. I heard stories that these are nearly impossible to get to,
but I had no problems at all. It takes the same tool as the drain plug on
the oil pan. Just put it on the end of a swivel adaptor with a very long
extension. I removed both plugs on my car when I replaced the coolant. One
drained just fine, but the other was clogged with dry gunk. At first I
thought I had unscrewed the wrong plug, but after jabbing a screwdriver
through the wall of gunk, it gave me a bath. I never bothered flushing the
system since it looked like everything drained as dry as a bone and the
coolant that I caught in a bucket looked very clean. I used the cheap 1
year green Prestone coolant and decided that I would flush it in a year when
I replaced all my hoses. If you remove these plugs, I highly recommend
putting them back in with anti-sieze grease.

I tackled the disposal problem with the Environmental Protection Commission
in Florida. One of the agents took my name & number and called me back the
next day after checking their official sources. She said that the official
opinion [sic] was that everyone just tops off their system and the fluid
which is lost is sparsely distributed on the roadways where there would be
no significant accumulation. Therefore, there is no need to provide a safe
means for consumers to properly dispose of used coolant. Mechanics in
Florida are required by law to accept used motor oil (without charge) from
consumers who bring it in bottles. (There are reasonable limits.) But they
are not required to accept coolant. I read her the directions on a bottle
of Prestone Antifreeze that recommended flushing the system every year. She
got frustrated and told me to just pour the stuff down my drain. I told her
that I was on a septic tank, and she said that wouldn't be good as it would
kill the bacteria in the tank and poison the soil. She said to pour it down
a drain that is connected to the municipal sewer system (where the city poop
goes, not where the rain water from the roads drain). There it would be
diluted enough that it probably wouldn't matter. Neither of us were too
happy with the answer.

A local mechanic had a shop fixture that recycled coolant. It had a bunch
of filters and whatnot that turned used coolant into 'new' coolant. It
looked like a poor excuse to keep the environmental feds happy. I wouldn't
want any of that used in my cars.

Walt Tampa, FL