Radiator coolant flush

[gilly]

I will be fitting a brand new radiator on the weekend, and I have some questions regarding doing a coolant flush.

I asked the guy at the radiator sales shop, and he said it is best to do a flush of the old radiator first before I remove it. He said to remove the thermostat, and one of the hoses, then flush through.
Then drain, remove, refit new radiator, then do another flush.
He said that I can flush with a garden hose on the old one.
Does this all sound right?
Does the car need to be running for the water pump to push it through? (might be a dumb question!)

What coolant flush product is recommended? Something like this?
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/on...ush-Clean-300mL.aspx?pid=1197#Recommendations

Also, what type of new coolant suits our VR4's? Nulon Concentrate Type A ok?
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/on...n-Con-Coolant.aspx?pid=384350#Recommendations

The guy also said there is no real difference between premixed or concentrate, other than price and the fact that concentrate takes a little more work. Would people agree? He said you must use filtered or demineralized water only.

I tried finding a guide or write up but couldn't find anything.

Sorry for all the questions but haven't worked on my car with anything mechanical for quite some time so just making sure I know what I'm doing before I start!

 

[Brenton]

Based on my experience having owned a radiator shop.....Tecalloy d2 1ltr bottle flush is really good, drain at tap on bottom of the radiator, remove thermostat and bin it before adding the cleaner and clean water then let it idle or drive for the time it says on container. Have the heaters at highest temp so it gets cleaned aswell. You could just add the cleaner it before driving to radiator place and get them to power flush it and fit new thermostat + cap. Definitely type A concentrate. Nylon is a good brand, premix is rubbish and will never be concentrated enough due to some water remaining in cooling system after flushing. Rainwater is sufficient and cheap.

 

[gilly]

Cheers for that Brenton. Are you saying bin the thermostat?

I found this article which looks useful:
http://m.wikihow.com/Change-a-Car-Radiator

 

[Brenton]

Yeah or keep as a spare, They don't cost much and the vr4 thermostat housing isn't the easiest to remove so you might aswell throw a new one in while your at it.
Run the chemical cleaner without the thermostat in, this will increase water flow, just keep an eye on engine temp but won't be an issue unless ambient temperatures are extreme.
If you still the factory spring clamps on the radiator hoses replace them with worm drive clamps. The factory ones are no good and You'll most likely see evidence of small/slow leaks and corrosion where they attach to thermostat housing and engine. Ideally should replace all the factory water hose clamps under throttle body area and on heater hoses but is a time consuming job.

 

[gilly]

Thanks for the help everyone!
Got it sorted over the weekend. Getting the garden hose into the top hose was interesting. I am sure the pros have some form of connector, but without this, duct tape saved the day.

Removing and replacing the radiator was actually very easy. The Koyarad was true to form and was a direct replacement with all bolts lining up.