So you are getting ready to take your pride and joy to Baja. And I don’t mean your wife or girlfriend

The NAC has released a study that shows that 90% of breakdowns on cars less than 10 years old are due to some form of cooling system failure. And if you fallow my instructions below you can have a nice trip to Baja and not need to worry about it. Also you won’t need to carry as many spare parts and tools with you. The service below is better than you will get at the dealer or a quickie lube place. But you will save more than 200 dollars for your one day of work and have the satisfaction that it is done right and you did it. And you will know a lot more about your vehicle when you are done.


Servicing the cooling system and replacing the Thermostat
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If your hoses are more than 5 years old you should replace all of them. I have had several cars that I have worked on recently and the hoses on the inside lining are braking down and flaking off this rubber then proceeds to plug first the heater core and then the radiator. Not good to have happen in the middle of a Baja desert somewhere.
Planning on changing the thermostat while the system is drained? Of course you are! Get one with the same temp rating as it had when it came from the factory. Usually a 195 deg.. this is very important , don’t put a colder one in just because you think you are going to Baja Ca. and you don’t want to over heat. It doesn’t work that way and you will have lots of other problems if you try this trick on any modern engine. if your cooling system is not good shape you will not overheat and that is why I am doing this post so you don’t have any problems.
Open the drain valve at the bottom of the radiator and drain the old coolant into a bucket. Take the old coolant to your local recycling center. Then, remove the radiator end of the lower hose, and loosen the water pump end so you can turn the hose up from the pump. Start the garden hose into the end of that lower hose so the water falls down into the water pump, and is clear of the fan and the belt. Start the motor, and let the water pump through the engine and heater core for a while, until it comes out clean enough to drink. Stop the engine, stop the hose.
disconnect the return heater hose and run water backwards through the heater until it runs clear, and then reconnect the heater hose and let the water drain out of the radiator completely.
Radiator Flush: Most use some kind of caustic solution to help with the cleaning process. Downside is that it's tough to get all the flush chemical out when you are done. It seems to gather around the o-rings that seal the radiator tanks to the core, and eventually it may cause enough corrosion to allow a leak at that seal. So, if your system is dirty and underperforming, use the chemicals, but do your best to get all of it out before you seal the system up again. With luck, you won't need to look at this job again for another 2 years.

At this time you can do a chemical flush I only do this about every 5 years , make sure it is one that is safe to use with aluminum reattach the lower hose and add the flush product. Refill the radiator with tap water and start the engine top off the water as it starts to drop and replace the radiator cap turn on the heater and run the engine for about 30 minuets revving it a few times and holding the throttle open to about 1500 rpms for a few minuets. then shut off the engine and let it cool down naturally. When cool again about 1 hour. Open the drain valve at the bottom of the radiator and drain the old coolant into a bucket. Then, remove the radiator end of the lower hose, and loosen the water pump end so you can turn the hose up from the pump. Start the garden hose into the end of that lower hose so the water falls down into the water pump, and is clear of the fan and the belt. Start the motor, and let the water pump through the engine and heater core for a while, until it comes out clean enough to drink again. before installing the new lower hose. Remove the thermostat and replace the water outlet.. The new thermostat goes in now (vent hole on top), with the new top hose. You'll see that the heater hose connection is a little easier to get to with the top hose and thermostat housing out of the way, so replace the heater hoses before you do the top hose and 'thermostat.
With everything buttoned up and double checked fill the system with distilled water and start the engine again run until worm revving a few times to circulate it through the heater stop the motor and let cool again. Drain the system once more and close the drain calk. Add a gallon (or less for a small car)or 2 if you live in Colorado, of extended life coolant. A 40% mix is my target, so a gallon is about right if you save some for the overflow bottle. I like the Prestone because it's phosphate and silicate free (kinder to the aluminum and the water pump). And top off the system with distilled water. On the coolant concentration, 40% protects down to about -15f, quite a bit colder than it gets in Baja Ca., and is the minimum that will perfect your engine from rusting.. Follow the instructions on the coolant bottle, keeping in mind that coolant actually inhibits heat transfer somewhat. But it also raises the boiling point, so I like a 50/50 mix
Be sure to burp all the air out of the cooling system. Very Important! Then top up the coolant reservoir with a little coolant and water, and you are on your way.
……important note….. One thing I have been seeing are late model vehicles with plugged or partially plugged cooling systems. And after pulling the radiators and taking the end tanks I find they are either plugged with rubber from the inside of the hoses, or with crystals that come from the antifreeze after it has been mixed with another type of antifreeze. Most people don’t know that there are 3 deferent types of antifreeze coolant. And if you mix them bad things happen soon. Even a small amount of another type can cauls this to happen so use only one type and stay with it. I also think that this might have something to do with the hoses braking down early.

Thanks Bruce

Great info Bruce. Sort of goes along with a radiator shop friend who said that if you want your radiator to last longer, change the antifreeze every year. And says, yes I know, a lot of dollars over the years, but consider the breakdown potential on the road, and the costs of "unknown" repairmen.
So I'm going to try that. And for those of you who don't want to do that, then maybe buying a new car every year could solve that problem, huh

Take it from me - the guy written about in Graham Mackintoshs' "Nearest My Dog To Thee". Suzanne and I were both stranded in Baja when the tranny ran out of fluid. I should have visited a Quickie Lube place and had the box topped off before the trip, but NOOOOO!

David K and DesertBull came to the rescue - as did my friends Andrew Simpkins and Dan Wilson. These guys have hearts of gold, and their help, I will never forget.