Coolant flush?

Tiny
JKERLEY14
  • MEMBER
  • 2014 GMC ACADIA
  • 3.6L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 163,000 MILES
A couple weeks ago the car was running a little hot after a road trip. I saw I was a little low on coolant, so I put about 3/4 gal of tap water in the radiator (system capacity is about 3 gal) and took it immediately to a shop which put the system under pressure and found there was no pressure loss, i.E. No leak they could find. Yesterday, I tried to do a system flush to try and get the water out, but it only drained a gallon of coolant. The coolant looked like it was in really good condition (nothing floating, not murky). I ended up just replacing it with another gallon of the recommended Dex-cool coolant.

1) I'm assuming the rest of the coolant simply won't drain out with gravity. Is that the case?
2) Is there a way to fully drain it at home without a vacuum pump?
3) Do you think I need to do a complete drain, i.E. Is that enough water in the system to cause an issue?
Monday, January 9th, 2023 AT 6:52 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
BORIS K
  • MECHANIC
  • 799 POSTS
Hello,

The cooling system has a capacity of around 3 gallons.
Keep in mind that the cooling system includes the engine block, cylinder heads and heating system.
When you drain the cooling system at the radiator you only drain the coolant which is located in the radiator and coolant pipes. The rest of the coolant will be kept back by the thermostat and heating system.

How to drain and flush a cooling system:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/coolant-flush-and-refill-all-cars

Is the engine still getting hot after you had topped up the coolant?

Cheers, Boris
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Monday, January 9th, 2023 AT 9:16 AM
Tiny
JKERLEY14
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
It is still in the garage on jacks since I need to also replace the front struts. I will post back if anything interesting comes up.
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Monday, January 9th, 2023 AT 9:27 AM

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