Ok... I puzzled over this long enough... time to turn to call in back-up...

I bought this...
http://www.prestone.com/pro...ies.php#accessories2
(click 'instructions')

On a 2.8L.... would I tie the kit into the hose that is below the the fat momma hose on the the thermostat housing?
--- or is there some place around the heater core that would work? (Where is that sucker anyway?)...

I am getting ready to put in a new radiator, and I want as much scale as I can possibly purge... out of this system... this Preston kit looked like a great way to do it, but i'm not sure which way is up at this point.

Help a brother out?

Oh, and for information on Dex-Cool being the elixer of Lucifer, and causing more scale than an anacondas mating... read my rant.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/068261.html

I just did this to a (new for me) 85 GT I picked up.

I tied mine into the 2 hoses that hooked to the heater core. They had been disconnected by the PO (core must be bad) so that allowed me to hook it up without cutting any hoses.

Since you have to plug the larger tube into the top of your radiator and connect a short hose section to direct the outflow away from the car, it allowed me to do everything from the front.

Mine worked our fine, and I salvaged all the pieces when I finished so I could use it again on another car.

Good luck, hope this helps.

------------------
Marc in sunny Titusville, FL

• 84 SE son's car, loaded
  
• 85 Coup w/V6 transplant
  
• 85 GT newly on the road
  
• 86 SE/GT "The Chameleon" - big plans!

I bought one of those, or actually, just the "T" piece at autozone. I installed it at the heater core. The heater core on my 88 is above the passengers lower legs when sitting in the car. However, I installed the "T" piece under the front hood on the passenger side, there are two rubber hoses connecting to hose barbs. The hose barbs are connected to the heater core; while the rubber hoses feed and return coolant to the loop. My lines had split and needed lengthening, so instead of cutting I bought more line and installed the "T" between the two.

Despite my common sense, I went ahead and bought the special flushing stuff (for the record, I don't think it is anything special, but I bought it anyway). You put this stuff in the system and run it for a while, then drain it out - it is supposed to get a bunch of the gunk out. I didn't trust it and then flushed with the garden hose - backward, forward, upside down (joking!), I flushed and flushed and flushed. I had just bought the car and had no idea how the previous owner had treated the cooling system so I wanted to make sure I did everything I could. After flushing with water I filled it with distilled water from the supermarket, and ran the car up to temperature again. Then I drained that. Then I filled it for good with a coolant and distilled water mixture, and I have been good to go ever since... well, at least as far as the coolant is concerned.

I left the "T" installed. It makes an excellent additional place to "burp" the coolant system. If you haven't read about that, do a search, you will need the information. Anyway, there are three high spots in the coolant system: radiator fill, engine fill, and heater core. By leaving the "T" at the core, I can bleed off the air pockets at all three high spots. This shortened the fill procedure markedly. I parked the car on a slight incline with the nose down and filled from the rear till coolant came out the radiator fill, closed the radiator and continued to fill till coolant came out the heater core "T", closed it and continued to fill till it was full. Then I ran it and tried to add more (per the procedures on this forum), but it was still full and I've had no problems since.

------------------
1988 Fiero GT
Cleveland Fiero Club

I've also got the Prestone "T" installed at my heater core - just under the windshield washer fluid reservoir. I use the same procedure TG oreiF 8891 does and it works great. You need to bleed air at the heater core anyway, and this makes it very easy. I follow Ogre's instructions on refilling the system. You can find detailed instructions on "Ogre's Cave" (see link at top of page).

i put one of those T (autozone) on the heater core hose. since you have to purge the air from there anyway.

you're not going to be ready, are you?

Ok men, thank you for the replies.

'TG oreiF 8891,' I am pleased to make your forum acquaintance. Should our paths cross the beers on me.

Now at this heater core... is there an obvious in and out? Or hot to cold?...
I guess what I am asking is... which specefic hose of the 2 at the core to I splice into? That make sense?

And Tom... I Hope so... everyday, I hope so... Might have to call you out for some mobile assistance though

BTW, pluses to the responders, though I know I already had Tom and Formula...

quote Originally posted by blakeinspace: Now at this heater core... is there an obvious in and out? Or hot to cold?... I guess what I am asking is... which specefic hose of the 2 at the core to I splice into? That make sense? And Tom... I Hope so... everyday, I hope so... Might have to call you out for some mobile assistance though

i pick the top one.
have it on the T-Top and the GT that way.

[This message has been edited by Tom Slick (edited 03-19-2008).]

The hoses that leave the engine bay for the heater core flow like this. On my 87 The HOT water leaves the near the T-stat then flows to the core along the passenger side of the car. Then leaves the core then travels down the drivers side of the car then merges into the Main coolant return line. To Reverse flush this you'd tie in to the small line on the Drivers side and push water toward the front of the car. This will reverse flush the system pushing the scale etc. off of the passages that it has clogged, that normal flow would not normally clear. Be sure to remove the small line near the T-stat or it will push this into the engine. Then you can hook to the small line at the T-stat and push water into the engine to reverse flush the engine. REmove the large main coolant hose to allow the debris to come out.

You better get this DONE!!!! I'm off work Friday if you need an extra set of hands to help finish up.

[This message has been edited by DIY_Stu (edited 03-19-2008).]

quote Originally posted by blakeinspace: Ok men, thank you for the replies. 'TG oreiF 8891,' I am pleased to make your forum acquaintance. Should our paths cross the beers on me. Now at this heater core... is there an obvious in and out? Or hot to cold?... I guess what I am asking is... which specefic hose of the 2 at the core to I splice into? That make sense? And Tom... I Hope so... everyday, I hope so... Might have to call you out for some mobile assistance though BTW, pluses to the responders, though I know I already had Tom and Formula...

I have that nose badge I promised you in Kerrville. I am gonna bring it for you. It is in my dash pocket now so I don't forget it.
Joe

quote Originally posted by josef644: I have that nose badge I promised you in Kerrville. I am gonna bring it for you. It is in my dash pocket now so I don't forget it. Joe

Joe... I have a badge, pumpkincarriage gave me a NOS one year for a birthday present, gem of human that she is...
I need the holder...

Or if you happen to have the two still affixed together, that'd be tolerably nice.... then I can save PC's for after my someday paint job.

Also, in other random news.... She lives.
Hasn't been cranked since Nov 29th... and was onery about being woken up... but she lives.

Don't know if she will stop or cool... but it was nice to hear her light off.

I am not sure which way it flows. As I recall, one hose was above the other. I put it on the upper one so I could get to it easier.

IMPORTANT TIP
I had problems with the plastic cap for the "T". Due to thermal cycling (and quite possibly over-tightening), it eventually cracked and split. This spewed coolant everywhere in my front compartment. As you no doubt understand, I was less than thrilled. However, I did not give up on the "T", instead, I got a brass cap from a local hardware store (one made for ordinary hose, it has the same threads) and put it on there. I have had no issues since.

In fact, I have to admit that I had the brass cap with me because my father didn't think the plastic one would hold up. In my exuberant youth and inexperience, I thought surely the plastic cap would be fine since it was made for just this purpose; I bought it at Autozone for crying out loud. Well, I was wrong and my father was correct. It paid off to have the brass cap with me.

Tom

The plastic cap may have been cracked. I've used the plastic cap on my Formula for years with no problems.

glad you got her back to life, blakey.

i'm kind of sad that i won't see you driving your new (secret) car to the event
but i'll be happy for you in your fiero.

Blake I have a compleat one you are welcome to. You can pop out the "Fiero part and just use the base or use it as you see fit.
Joe

quote Originally posted by Formula88: The plastic cap may have been cracked. I've used the plastic cap on my Formula for years with no problems.

No, it was not cracked when installed. Due to my father's recommendation to not use it, I inspected it thoroughly prior to installation.

Edit: I'm glad you've not had the same problem; perhaps it was an internal defect during manufacture of that one, or that batch. Either way, I'm happy as tho I had my right mind with the brass one in there!

[This message has been edited by TG oreiF 8891 (edited 03-20-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Tom Slick: glad you got her back to life, blakey. i'm kind of sad that i won't see you driving your new (secret) car to the event but i'll be happy for you in your fiero.

What new top secret car?
Joe

I just wanted to say thanks again to those that replied...

I did not leave the Prestone kit as a permanent install, and I did not use it in the front by the heater core connections... I am sure you are like, "WTF did he ask for?" Well, I really didn't know when I asked.

What I did do however, was installed (temporary) the 'flush T' inline with 5/8 heater hose below the thermostat housing. Then like tg said... flushed it this way, that way, the other way... I even flushed it with bleach. Then I flushed it twice more. Got the Dex-Death out as best as I could. Up front I took 3' of 1" hose and tied it to the rad cap fitting. This way I created no mess in the front trunk, and was able to point that 1" hose wherever I wanted it. 1" hose is not cheap though... I figured some in my club could use it if they ever needed to.

I then thought I was being VERY smart... and tried to remove as much tap water out of the system as I could. I took the radiator out (was replacing it) I let gravity do its job on most of the water... then blew the system out with a blow tip as much as I could. Then I thought... "well, I'll start the car, and see if the water pump will kick anything else out." That is where my genius ends. After running about 15 seconds, I noticed the liquid under the car... while kinldly a sick rust color, was not contaminated coolant...

Boys, I pumped... I dunno... call it 4 quarts of ATF onto my garage floor. I thought I was going to be ill.
And then after cleaning it up as best as I could... I had to slip all over that while installing the new radiator.

So much for a quick and painless flush.

quote Originally posted by blakeinspace: I did not leave the Prestone kit as a permanent install, and I did not use it in the front by the heater core connections... I am sure you are like, "WTF did he ask for?" Well, I really didn't know when I asked.

You were more smart than you know. I can't count the number of times I have had cars towed in or drove in leaking because of those flush "t"s. People would cut their perfectly good molded hoses and ruin them by installing it. Then down the road the plastic would crack or warp and there would be a leak.

Starting the car with the radiator out was less smart though.

quote Originally posted by blakeinspace: I then thought I was being VERY smart... and tried to remove as much tap water out of the system as I could. I took the radiator out (was replacing it) I let gravity do its job on most of the water... then blew the system out with a blow tip as much as I could. Then I thought... "well, I'll start the car, and see if the water pump will kick anything else out." That is where my genius ends. After running about 15 seconds, I noticed the liquid under the car... while kinldly a sick rust color, was not contaminated coolant... Boys, I pumped... I dunno... call it 4 quarts of ATF onto my garage floor. I thought I was going to be ill. And then after cleaning it up as best as I could... I had to slip all over that while installing the new radiator. So much for a quick and painless flush.

Hehehe... Tim did that same exact thing in his driveway a few months ago.

JazzMan