Stealth
03-17-2007, 04:35 AM
GM drive train engineer makes following recomendations
for the pre-N* engines ...
if you know who the gent is, PLEASE KEEP IT TO yourself.
he has requested that nothing is posted with his name and
jeopardize his job.
this thread covers coolant, transmissions, plugs, belts and ... well, read on.
name-withheld by request
Personally, I think the idea of a thorough servicing is a good idea but I do not condone the idea of transmission flushes or radiator flushes.
It is entirely adequate to drain the trans fluid from the bottom pan and refill with fresh Dex3. Replace the filter when the bottom pan is off for the fluid drain. Forget about the idea of a flush. You don't need junk flushed into your transmission from the flushing equipment that is misplumbed/misrouted/not cleaned/full of old oil/etc.
The radiator service does not require a flush or cleaners either. Just drain the radiator at the petcock at the bottom of the rad tank, refill with fresh 50/50 green coolant (conventional, silicated coolant - Prestone or Texaco ) and distilled water. You are just trying to get a fresh charge of coolant in the system to replenish the corrosion inhibitors in the coolant. No need to introduce tap water for flushing or any sort of caustic cleaners that cannot be thoroughly removed. Just drain and fill with fresh 50/50 premix. You should have been doing this every 2-3 years or 30K miles anyway. The coolant's corrosion inhibitors deplete this frequently and need replacement. If not replaced frequently internal engine corrosion can/will result including head gasket and intake gasket failure. The steel core of the gaskets can rot out from the inside out in the presence of corrosion-inhibitor-depleted coolant. Don't forget to add the GM coolant supplement pellets (sealant) when the coolant is replaced. The engine got 6 of the large pellets from the factory which by now (if never replaced) are rather depleted. I would put 6 more in with a fresh charge of coolant. Do the radiator drain and refill every year from now on to ensure a corrosion inhibited system. It is quick and easy and can be done with an oil change.
Otherwise , if the engine is running fine, I would leave it alone. The plugs installed should now be dual platinum and should never really need replacement. If the wires, etc. are not disturbed then they should be fine , too. There is really nothing else on the engine to service or "tune-up"
It would probably be a wise thing to replace the accessory drive belt at 100K/10years....it really doesn't owe you a dime past that point if you catch my drift.
for the pre-N* engines ...
if you know who the gent is, PLEASE KEEP IT TO yourself.
he has requested that nothing is posted with his name and
jeopardize his job.
this thread covers coolant, transmissions, plugs, belts and ... well, read on.
name-withheld by request
Personally, I think the idea of a thorough servicing is a good idea but I do not condone the idea of transmission flushes or radiator flushes.
It is entirely adequate to drain the trans fluid from the bottom pan and refill with fresh Dex3. Replace the filter when the bottom pan is off for the fluid drain. Forget about the idea of a flush. You don't need junk flushed into your transmission from the flushing equipment that is misplumbed/misrouted/not cleaned/full of old oil/etc.
The radiator service does not require a flush or cleaners either. Just drain the radiator at the petcock at the bottom of the rad tank, refill with fresh 50/50 green coolant (conventional, silicated coolant - Prestone or Texaco ) and distilled water. You are just trying to get a fresh charge of coolant in the system to replenish the corrosion inhibitors in the coolant. No need to introduce tap water for flushing or any sort of caustic cleaners that cannot be thoroughly removed. Just drain and fill with fresh 50/50 premix. You should have been doing this every 2-3 years or 30K miles anyway. The coolant's corrosion inhibitors deplete this frequently and need replacement. If not replaced frequently internal engine corrosion can/will result including head gasket and intake gasket failure. The steel core of the gaskets can rot out from the inside out in the presence of corrosion-inhibitor-depleted coolant. Don't forget to add the GM coolant supplement pellets (sealant) when the coolant is replaced. The engine got 6 of the large pellets from the factory which by now (if never replaced) are rather depleted. I would put 6 more in with a fresh charge of coolant. Do the radiator drain and refill every year from now on to ensure a corrosion inhibited system. It is quick and easy and can be done with an oil change.
Otherwise , if the engine is running fine, I would leave it alone. The plugs installed should now be dual platinum and should never really need replacement. If the wires, etc. are not disturbed then they should be fine , too. There is really nothing else on the engine to service or "tune-up"
It would probably be a wise thing to replace the accessory drive belt at 100K/10years....it really doesn't owe you a dime past that point if you catch my drift.