Well guys, first thing that I did was to check the color of the coolant mixture... was orange, just orange, not clear orange. Second thing that I did was to measure the density of the mixture with the device that shows the boiling and freezing points. The points shows almost a50% mix... Then... The hosewater that I added and flush liquid probably stayed on the radiator and didn´t circulate on the whole system. I remember when I flushed the radiator twice I just see a clear liquid, not orange, and the temp was normal (not hot, about 26°C)... do you suggest to drain the radiator coolant and re-add new mix, drain the whole system, or keep as is?

 

Boy Juan, I don't no, my first thought is re-do it just to be on the safe side. Radiator flushes can be caustic and having even a tiny bit trapped in the system for a long period of time would be detrimental to the radiator core, the heater core, and ultimately the head and block.

But if as you suspect, the coolant didn't really get a chance to circulate that much through the entire system, and you're at the proper 50/50 mix, you may be OK.

My main concern with draining the entire system is getting air trapped in it, those pockets of air can cause massive and catastrophic overheating in short order.

Are there any radiator shops near you that you trust, and more importantly, do they have the equipment to put the cooling system under a vacuum to evacuate any trapped air?

 

Well Mike, I used the old school method. I kept open the coolant admission to allow burp the system and filled with coolant mix until it begun to flow. I understand that if I don't the water slushing noise on the morning then there are not air trapped...

 

Yeah, listen for the "HHR gurgle" when its cold and monitor the temperature gauge closely, if it starts to heat up on you, then you still have air trapped.

I know I'm probably being overly cautious, but its pretty easy to overheat and hurt one of these engines, call it old age...but I like to err on the side of caution.

Keep us posted Juan.

 

However, I'm planning to be persistent and re-drain and re-fill just the radiator each week of this month (at least do this three times).This might be dumb, but is smarter than bring my hhr to the dealer or a shop here in Mexico.

 

Not dumb by any means, you need to protect your investment, so caution is a good thing.

 

A solution of glycol to water that is <50% may not be as detrimental in a place such as Mexico as it would be in a place such as Canada. Although increasing the presence of glycol introduces a higher boiling point as the solution viscosity increases, the capacity of heat transfer lessens.

Here's some info on the properties of coolants. In this example, ethylene is used. We don't use this in our vehicles, but the general effect is the same:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/et...col-d_146.html

Here's the difference in ethylene vs propylene glycol. Propylene has better heat transfer efficiency than ethylene, but neither has as much as clear water:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/et...col-d_904.html

 

I have a question.

With older vehicles if the coolant got low and the motor over heated the gage would stay on cold or cool, because it wouldn't read hot air. Is it the same with the HHR ?

thanks KK4

 

Anyone use distilled water?