1998 legacy L, 2.2L auto, 147K miles

 

 

How do I flush the coolant (Nothing good seen in the search)

I have done a "reverse" flush by disconnecting the driverside hose to the heater core and flushing with a garden hose.

If you live in a warm climate, water flush as described by 98OBster. You can also add a can of chemical flush, drive for a few days, drain, water flush, add 50/50 coolant/water to finish the job.

Can I just drain the radiator and then fill it up again?

Can I just drain the radiator and then fill it up again?

 

You can but that is not considered a flush but a drain and fill. A flush is like 90obster described which involves flushing out the heater core and everything.

I opened the drain on the radiator but the coolant was coming out very slow, basically dripping. I know it should come out a lot faster than that.

 

Is the radiator plugged somehow? It was full when I looked into it.

Did you have radiator cap off? Same principle as the portable gas can, air behind so liquid can go out. You could just disconnect the lower radiator hose.

Yes, the cap was off. It was a drip basically, not a stream.

the drain plug probably wasn't opened far enough or turned at the right angle? i think the notch in it has to line up right so to speak?

No, the drain plug was completely removed.

 

I drained the radiator on a Loyale one time and I know I got a stream instead of a drip like here.