I noticed in my garage that I've been getting a few drips under the battery area for the past couple of weeks and this weekend it became clear that its radiator green fluid. Yesterday it started leaking a lot more, so I took it to my Acura dealer this morning. They said its a cracked radiator and its covered under my extended warrantee (which expires tomorrow). But they recommended that I flush the cooling system for $150 on top of the radiator replacement. I've had the radiator flushed 1.5 years ago and I think that flushing the heater core and engine may not be necessary - especially for the extra $150. Since the radiator tends to collect the most junk is flushing the rest of the system necessary?

The service tech also said that flushing will ensure that the "bubbles" are removed from inside the system. This sounds like a bunch of BS to me. I'd guess that any bubbles in the system will work themselves out to the top of the radiator and the radiator overflow will suck in the extra coolant during the hot / cold cycles during normal driving. Does anyone know if I need to flush the whole system? And how much does Acura charge for this on a 2000 TL? The parts come in tomorrow, so I need to decide by tomorrow morning. Thanks for any advice.

 

Sounds like BS to me. I can see flushing a car with a cast iron block, but an Aluminum one? If the fluid looks clear I think it's unnecessary. It's certainly not worth $150 when you can do that yourself for a whole lot less.

Also, when they change the fluid they are supposed to bleed the air out of the system. You don't just fill up the radiator and let it run. On my old '96 Altima, the bleed valve was on top of the block - kind'a near the thermostat. I don't know how you bleed a TL's coolant, but it's probably a similar setup. And - yes - the few bubbles remaining after proper bleeding will work themselves out of the system.

 

Yeah bunch of BS. Don't let them tell you about flushing out a cooling system on a 4 year old car that doesn't need it. They are just trying to make money off of you.

 

Bubbles dont always bleed themselves out of the system. If you dont bleed the system or bleed it improperly dont be shocked when you see your temp needle skyrocket up. I wouldnt pay anyone to do the flush but at least concentrate on getting the bubbles out through a bleeder screw. Though I my main experience is with Nissans.

Also in the automotive world, mechanics dont go half assed about too many things. They suggest a full coolant flush simply because if they dont perform it and something goes wrong, then its their fault. If you dont feel like paying them to do it then you can change it yourself.

 

Thanks for all your comments, I'm not going to get it flushed. I did review the service manual last night about radiator replacements, as part of the standard replacement procedure, they are supposed to bleed off the extra air in the system during installation process. So I shouldn't have to pay $150 extra for flushing just to get the bubbles out and clean the heater core.

Also, the service manual coolant change interval was listed at 90K miles for the first change under "normal" not "heavy" use. This sounds like way too long between changes. I already changed the coolant 1.5 years ago, so there's only about 12K miles on the current coolant. The coolant that has been dripping on the ground is a light green color and in the radiator was it usual green - not milky which indicates contamination.

BTW has anyone else had a cracked radiator after 5 years? I don't drive up many hills and it doesn't freeze in So. Calif so I find it odd that it broke without having that kind of stress. Also, they has never been any front end damage, so it appears that the radiator just wore out on its own.

 

My friend had a radiator go out - but the car was 8 years old. The OEM radiators that are commonly used aren't very good quality (with the crimped on end caps).

The antifreeze used in the TL is the extended use type, so 90k doesn't seem that out of line.