L200 L4-2.2L VIN F (2002)
Coolant: Service and Repair
Flushing the Cooling System
FLUSHING THE COOLING SYSTEM
When the engine's cooling system becomes contaminated, it should be flushed thoroughly to remove the contaminants before the engine is seriously
damaged. One source of contamination that is damaging to the engine if not corrected immediately is a cracked oil gallery. With a cracked oil gallery,
oil will be forced into the cooling system while the engine is operating, and when it is stopped, coolant will leak into the lubricating system. If mixed
with oil in the crankcase, this antifreeze forms a varnish which quickly immobilizes moving engine parts.
To remove such contaminants from the engine, both the cooling system and the lubrication system must be thoroughly flushed after the engine is
repaired.
CAUTION: DO NOT REMOVE CAP OR OPEN COOLING SYSTEM DRAINS FROM A HOT SYSTEM. ALLOW SYSTEM TO COOL FIRST.
If the engine has had a failure resulting in the contamination of the cooling system with lubricating oil, or a substance other than a recommended
antifreeze has been added, the following procedure is recommended:
1. Drain coolant.
2. Remove heater core inlet hose from thermostat outlet.
3. Remove heater core return hose from block inlet.
4. Place end of heater core return hose in a container and apply low pressure shop air 35 kPa (5 psi) to heater core inlet hose to blow coolant out of
heater core.
