Coolant flush help?

2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
177,000 MILES • 2.0L • AUTOMATIC
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FAKIE222
I believe I’ve removed and flushed the old coolant out with distilled water. I’m just having trouble getting the system to cycle the new coolant. After reading a bunch of articles and threads I don’t believe the thermostat and pump are out of commission cause when I have the car idle and it gets to temp I have the heater on full heat and speed on 1. The air coming out is quite hot and the pump is working cause how I got the distilled water out was taking the return hose off the coolant reservoir and put it in a bucket and it pumped it out. Now I read to just fill the res with the new stuff and add more as it goes but it’s not moving at all.
Jun 25, 2026 at 6:06 PM
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STRAILER
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 54,470 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Yep, it can take a while, if the heater is hot it does not mean the thermostat is open. I would let it run until the radiator cooling fan comes on, leave the coolant reservoir cap off while filling. Feel the upper hose, when it gets hot the system is circulating. Please upload a short video in your response of the problem, so I can see what's going on.
Jun 25, 2026 at 11:44 PM
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