# DIY: coolant flush



## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

after 2 attempts, here is my incomplete guide. to those who have done it succesfully, do share the "proper" way. 
i do plan to re do it completely once i KNOW how. 

Remember to ONLY use G12 coolant, or Vw approved. 









How the bay looks at the benining 









Remove the coolant bottle cap. 









then remove the undertray 



















here is the temp sensor and the lower rad connection. 

remove the quick clamp and pull the hose. coolant will rush out 








*COOLANT IS POISONOUS, BE CAREFUL. * 



















*-----------------------------NOTES AND CONCERNS 

Anyways, all done!!! I did it the stupid way... 

I did it the following way: 
Open the bottle. 
Remove the lower rad hose. 
Let it drain, I only got 3 quarts. Leave open. 
Remove the upper rad hose. 
Pump water on the hose that goes to the radiator, flush until clear water come out. 
Pump water on the hose that goes to the block. Pump until clear comes out. 

Plug everything, and fill up... Follow the manual as it says. 

If the bottle remains clear then you have only water on the system. 

Then drain the 3 quarts and fill with coolant for a 40-60 mix. 

*


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

i did another attempt... still 4 liters out. 

anyone can share any inside info??


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## TylerO28 (Jul 7, 2008)

when flushing the fluid through the block it'll get more out. 

and through the heater core. 

I also back fill. basically upper hose off. thermostat housing goes to bottom of rad. so use hose to push water through the block, through the tstat down and out the lower hose. take the upper hose off and start motor and push water through. it seems sketchy. 

but it works. until all runs clear. then re fill with distilled water and coolant


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

can i use tap water?


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## eatrach (May 13, 2004)

thygreyt said:


> can i use tap water?


 yes, but distilled better.


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## pennsydubbin (Mar 3, 2010)

you can get a gallon of distilled water at a grocery store for under $2


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

TylerO28 said:


> when flushing the fluid through the block it'll get more out.
> 
> and through the heater core.
> 
> ...


 lol, dont call me stupid, but i dont fully get it... 

so... remove the upper rad hose. and then pump water onto that line, so that it may go through the block? 

where would the water come out?? on the lower hose on the bottle?


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

Anyways, all done!!! I did it the stupid way...

I did it the following way:
Open the bottle.
Remove the lower rad hose.
Let it drain, I only got 3 quarts. Leave open.
Remove the upper rad hose.
Pump water on the hose that goes to the radiator, flush until clear water come out.
Pump water on the hose that goes to the block. Pump until clear comes out.

Plug everything, and fill up... Follow the manual as it says.

If the bottle remains clear then you have only water on the system.

Then drain the 3 quarts and fill with coolant for a 40-60 mix.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

I'm running into the same problem... 

I have a 06 Rabbit 2.5L and I'm in the middle of flushing my coolant because the previous owner used some orange stuff. 

My car's coolant capacity according to Bentley is 9.5 liters, but I have flushed and added no where near that amount. 

I took off the lower hose and maybe half the amount came out (~5 liters). I filled and flushed a total of 4 times but don't think i got more than 5 liters out at a time. I flushed until it was clear and put in the G12+ mixture, (9 liters mixed) but only about... 5 liters of it went in. Drove it around for about 15 minutes so the fans cycled and stopped a couple times to put more in but still have at least 4 liters of it left... and the car is running at normal operating temperature. 

What do you guys think? Is there more coolant trapped in there somewhere?


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

jbadilla said:


> I'm running into the same problem...
> 
> I have a 06 Rabbit 2.5L and I'm in the middle of flushing my coolant because the previous owner used some orange stuff.
> 
> ...


 bentley says its 8 lts. 
Use proper measuring canisters, you shouldn't be getting more than 4lts out of the system. 

what i did was put a hose on the plug next to the engine timing cover, and left the lower hose open. 
i flushed water until it came out clear. 

then closed everything out again, and started the car. filled with distilled water until the mark of "max" 

drove 5 mins, and checked level. filled until max again. 

then i drained 4lts and added coolant so that it was 50%


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

Haha I was thinking of doing it the same way now that I've realized. The Rabbit Bentley says 2.5L 5 cyclinder engines has 9.5L cooling capacity. 

I suppose I can completely flush it out again and measure how much comes out, and replace it with straight g12+ (non mixed) and it'll mix inside the cooling system to about 50%. 

"Pump water on the hose that goes to the radiator, flush until clear water come out. 
Pump water on the hose that goes to the block. Pump until clear comes out." 

Curious as to where the hose is going to the block? I know where the upper and lower hoses are. 

Appreciate the reply!


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

jbadilla said:


> Haha I was thinking of doing it the same way now that I've realized. The Rabbit Bentley says 2.5L 5 cyclinder engines has 9.5L cooling capacity.
> 
> I suppose I can completely flush it out again and measure how much comes out, and replace it with straight g12+ (non mixed) and it'll mix inside the cooling system to about 50%.
> 
> ...


 first off, opening xp mode and the bentley manual to re-check on the volume of a 2.5L 2006. 

will post the screenshot on 5.


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

jbadilla said:


> Haha I was thinking of doing it the same way now that I've realized. The Rabbit Bentley says 2.5L 5 cyclinder engines has 9.5L cooling capacity.
> 
> I suppose I can completely flush it out again and measure how much comes out, and replace it with straight g12+ (non mixed) and it'll mix inside the cooling system to about 50%.
> 
> ...


 you are right. 

for some reason, unknown to me, 2009s only need 8liters, while 06s need 9.5L :screwy: 

the hose to the rad is the uper hose. let the water out through the lower hose until its clear. 

the one to the block is the thing in front of the timing chain 
here:


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

They probably tweaked a few things to make the 2.5L better in later models. Thanks for the pic, i'll have to figure out how to take off the engine cover and see if my car looks anything like yours haha.


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

jbadilla said:


> They probably tweaked a few things to make the 2.5L better in later models. Thanks for the pic, i'll have to figure out how to take off the engine cover and see if my car looks anything like yours haha.


 mine has no wires and its polished... and your battery might be on the way too... 

this is the side on top of the transmisison


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

engine bay with no cover: 










where you are looking to be: 










with no battery:


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

Excellent picture help! Did you shoot water into the hose or into the block? 

I'm wondering if I need to shoot water into the block since I've already flushed 4 times. All I would have to do is stick a garden hose in the expansion tank and the upper radiator hose to flush everything out the lower radiator hose right?


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

jbadilla said:


> Excellent picture help! Did you shoot water into the hose or into the block?
> 
> I'm wondering if I need to shoot water into the block since I've already flushed 4 times. All I would have to do is stick a garden hose in the expansion tank and the upper radiator hose to flush everything out the lower radiator hose right?


 water into the block is the easier way, i think. 

simply because otherwise you need to drain and fill a couple of times. this would be a one time deal.


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

Appreciate the help so much! I'll let you know what I do tomorrow after work.


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

Alright so I took one from your book and figured out what I needed to do with the least amount of tinkering since I'm going on a 16hr road trip this weekend, and I'm not very handy haha. Here goes: 

To start I figured out my ratio of coolant (g12++) to water in my system was 25% coolant to 75% water. I also figured out how much I can drain at a time through the lower radiator hose, which was 4.2 liters. Since my system capacity is 9.5 liters I knew if I drained the 4.2L and then added a full gallon (3.78L) of straight coolant and then topped off with a 50/50 mix I would end up with 55% coolant, 45% water. Perfecto :thumbup: 

Thygreyt you're the effin' man for going above and beyond to help, and I assure you the next time I flush out the cooling system I'll figure out the "smart" way to do it!


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

sounds good!  

on the next couple of days, keep your eyes on the level to make sure that its all right. 

also, remember that you should ONLY use G12 coolant. no autozone/walmart brand. 

it will create a lot of rust very rapidly!


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

thygreyt said:


> sounds good!
> 
> on the next couple of days, keep your eyes on the level to make sure that its all right.
> 
> ...


Amen!


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## eatrach (May 13, 2004)

Fred, i'm glad you got it going. 
Just in keep in mind, these motors have to be bled; otherwise, little pockets of air can remain and can cause the engine to overheat. 
I had the first-hand to witness a tech telling me: oh it's going to be fine; no bleeding is necessary. Drove the car after he just got done changing my thermo and water pump; it began to overheat on the FWY. Took the car back, and he had to bleed it from all those air pockets. After that, it ran fine.


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## thygreyt (Jun 7, 2009)

i did everything per the manual... and so far, i havent had any issues!


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## rustlerdude (Aug 13, 2007)

At the dealer we have a tool that fills the cooling system in seconds with zero trapped air. I bought one for home use.... super cool. 

Drain whatever you can out. Make a bucket of coolant mix. Apply air from compressor to tool and it puts a complete vacuum in your cooling system. IT'S A GOOD way to check for leaks too after a repair. Then, turn a valve and the vacuum sucks in all the fresh coolant. no bubbles, no under filling.


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

rustlerdude said:


> At the dealer we have a tool that fills the cooling system in seconds with zero trapped air. I bought one for home use.... super cool.


Awesome, do you have a link to it?


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## rustlerdude (Aug 13, 2007)

http://www.mactools.com/shoponline/product/tabid/120/p-325646-cooling-system-refiller.aspx

Thats the one I bought for home use. The VW OEM one is more expensive most likely and does the same thing.


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## jbadilla (May 8, 2012)

Intense! This is probably how VW does it. Thanks.


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## kevin splits (Aug 23, 2010)

That tool is a god send! 

Unrelated, but burping a radiator sucks too. I'll have a pointless DIY for the mishimoto aluminum one. I say pointless because the r32 radiator has been discontinued for now.


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## deluxman (Jul 21, 2011)

What tool do you use to pump the water out from the block? Plus you mentioned that using distilled water is better than just regular water. I wonder how you do it, can you please be more specific? Thanks.


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## Evil_Charles (Jun 16, 2009)

Has anyone used G12++? I am just wondering if I should get G12++ or stick with G12. I have 98,000 miles and the car is 6 yrs old. I think its time to flush out the old and fill with new. I have read a bit and the G12++ is silicated, is that good or bad? I would not use Dex Cool after what it has done to some GM cars. I also would not use it since I would rather stick with Pentosin. What is so different about G12++? Has G12++ caused problems in our cars? I know enough not to mix anything with G12 but G12, +, ++, or distilled water. If I ever lost my antifreeze which has happened once with a car I had, I would stick with distilled water just to get me back home. I am glad I was in a convenience store parking lot when that happened so no damage was done. Where I live one of the chain stores sells the distilled water in cases off 3 gallons, I think for $2.00 so I see no need to use our awful well water (leaves rust deposits).


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## TylerO28 (Jul 7, 2008)

I think i use g12++ I'll go check my bottles

Sent from the bottomless pits of HELL!


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## daslegit (Nov 6, 2011)

thygreyt said:


> after 2 attempts, here is my incomplete guide. to those who have done it succesfully, do share the "proper" way.
> i do plan to re do it completely once i KNOW how.
> 
> Remember to ONLY use G12 coolant, or Vw approved.
> ...


Hey thygreyt, would you be able to re upload the pictures? did you ever find out the 'proper' way? Thanks


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