3.4 coolant change questions

[TheV6Bird]

I did a search, but I didn't find too much except for complaints about Dex-Cool.

I want to flush my radiator out. I checked the radiator cap, and it was all orange looking. I either thought A) Thats rusted green stuff or B) That's Dex-Cool.

I have a 1995 3.4 Firebird, what coolant did my car originally take? I went to Pep Boys, and they said the green stuff. Then again, it is Pep Boys :rolleyes: and its hard for me to trust them.

Also, I saw in the store I could buy either regular coolant that you have to mix with distilled water, or a pre-mixed solution (both are available in green and Dex-cool). Which should I buy?

In the searches I did before, apparently there are drain plugs on the block? Where are they located?

I've never flushed a radiator before, so any other tips you guys have would be great! Thanks!

[Dan Vincent]

Your car should have a sticker on the radiator shroud that would say something to the like of "Use DEX-COOL antifreeze only." It's usually with the air conditioning and emissions info. I believe GM switched over in 1995. An easy way to tell is to pull out your dipstick and look to see if it's orange/pinkish or greenish colored.

I know on the 3.8 the block drainage is at the knock sensor, not too sure on the 3.4.

[CHRISB]

I have a 95 3.4 and just did my yearly coolant flush last week. All 3.4 take Ethelyn Glycol(Green) and not Propylene Glycol/Dex-Cool/Orange. Some pointers on Radiator fluid.
1. Flush yearly(or more).
The standard is 2yr/24,000m. It gets dirty fast.
2. Use distilled water to mix with the Green stuff. It prevents rust and scale deposits.
3. Drain the old fluid out through the petcock( [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img] ) at the bottom of the passenger side of the radiato. Twist to open.
4. Buy some radiator cleaner/flush at the store to clean out the deposits in your system. Drain the radiator, fill with clean water and cleaner. Run for a while, then drain and proceed to fill with fresh water again and drain. Then Fill with coolant.
5. I found this radiator flush kit my Prestone at Wal-Mart the other week that cost only $3.5 and is really simple to use. The old way to flush was the garden hose in the top of radiator. But this kit splices into the medium sized hose going from your engine block to the firewall. It is basically a T shaped fitting that allows a male thread to come off the hose and attach to a garden hose. It has a cap to screw on so when your driving the fluid doesnt just gush out. This is better because it flushes the antifreeze out of the engine block that a normal radiator drain doesn't get. You start your car with the hose running and it flushes out all the old coolant using the waterpumps flow. Leave it on for about 10 min.
6. Finally get some quality coolant. I used to add Water Wetter :rolleyes: to the coolant. But it is poor. I just tried the can of 40 Below from Advanced Discount Auto. It is a superior coolant to Water Wetter. Buy the smaller, more concentrated $20 bottle not the larger $15. Now this is up to you but I decided to run the 40 Below and straight distilled water, no green coolant. While this is perfectly safe, don't hold me responsible for your actions. But my car actually stays cooler while stopped in traffic. Before with my 160 thermostat and a 50/50 mix, it was about 210 in traffic. Now it stays below the 185 mark. Great stuff.
The only two reasons green/orange coolant is required instead of pure water is this: the coolant has a higher freezing point than water for colder climates and a higher boiling point for hot climates. Second, the coolant lubricates the water pump and prevents rust.
Actually, water cools better than antifreeze, but it has lower boiling point. So while your moving, the temp will stay lower because the air is flowing over the radiator faster. But when in traffic, the fan comes on and cools less efficiently and the water heats up. As soon as it hits 212* it boils. Thats why your suppose to run a 50/50 or 70/30 mix. It keeps the cooling efficiency high, while providing a higher boiling point due to the green/orange coolant, plus lubrication. And it prevents winter freezing.
Now I live in Florida and don't need freeze protection. The 40 Below actually provides lubrication and boiling point increase and is an excellent additive. I have used it for 2 weeks and the temp has never risen past 200 even after heavy traffic in the day.
Use whatever mix you prefer. But remember, cold climates use 50/50, warmer 70/30 or my setup.