| Author | Message | ||
     John McGhee Yet to post message Username: jam Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2012 |
Dear fellow enthusiasts, I have recently purchased Spirit III 55208. She is my first RR and this is my first post. Reasonably handy with a spanner, I am in the process of changing her fluids for a fresh start, particularly coolant, which I have read many frightening stories about. Having successfully reverse flushed the radiator and block (and replaced the thermostat, hoses and expansion tank), I am now endeavouring to reverse flush the heater matrix. The lovely little picture of the water tap in the workshop manual doesn't highlight the fact that the thing is utterly buried under pipework... I can see the return hose from the heater at the water pump but am uncertain how to release the matrix feed hose at the water tap without dismantling the car. Is there a trick to this? In the alternative, would it be reasonable to recharge the system with clean water, run it to warm and then just drain the radiator again once or twice prior to recharging with fresh anti freeze (Castrol NF)? Many thanks in advance! | ||
| Brian Vogel Prolific User Username: guyslp Post Number: 238 Registered: 6-2009 |
John, I was going to attach cropped screen shots from TSD6000/IETIS for your car, but they exceed the strict 640x480 pixel size the forum allows. Were I to reduce them they'd be unreadable. If you'd like to see them, please PM me with your e-mail and I'll send them along. Step #10 in the filling instructions implies that what you propose to do would work. I guess if you feel you simply must reverse flush the heater matrix, you must follow the specified protocol, but why it would matter I cannot fathom. If you get water running through the heater matrix in either direction that should purge what's in there. If the heater tap in these cars behaves the same as in the SY series it will remain open if you turn the car off while the defroster is turned on. This allows for water to go through when you're doing your regular reverse flush. I do not know whether that behavior was changed, though, by the time your car was made. I'm sure another member of the cohort can confirm or refute whether it remains open. I can't imagine why doing a short run or two with plain water would harm anything. Brian, who thinks that instructions for flushing the system that read, "Drain the coolant (see Cooling system - To drain)," lack more than a bit of necessary detail | ||
| John McGhee New User Username: jam Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2012 |
Brian, Thank you very much for your quick response. I have the TSD6000 disc and pored through the instructions and pictures before opening the bonnet. I was able to locate the water tap but the concept of getting anything more substantial than a beam of light on it was beyond me. Another RR practicioner has also sanctioned my 'forward flush' concept so that is what I shall do. My desire to reverse flush was to satisfy the objective of ridding the system of its existing coolant. I had no idea what product was actually in the radiator and have read altogether too many disturbing stories about the consequences of the 'wrong' coolant. I won't even TALK about the presence of plastic header tanks, hose junctions and drain plugs on 20 year old cars. Good grief! I have received a couple of confirmations about the suitability of Castrol NF and so will give that a shot. I note though that each of the five professional RR repair agencies I have spoken to (in Sydney and Melbourne) have nominated a different coolant. To be honest, I think that probably confirms that the debate is largely intellectual... Thank you for the tip about link between the defroster and the water tap. I shall try that for the next flush, which will be much more frequent. As to your comment about the simplicity of the instructions, I concur. I also note the fact that a sequential print of the instructions to flush the system results in approximately half a dozen pages of output for instructions totalling just a few lines. Still, thank ye Gods that the information is available. Thanks again, John |
