GATES TRAINING: Cooling System Flush: Cleaning Neglected Vehicles FULL Version

The engine cooling system is one of the most critical elements of engine performance and reliability but is often the most neglected maintenance item for all vehicles on the road today. Common flush procedures are not enough to remove the amount of contaminants present in neglected vehicles. With the Gates PowerClean tool, technicians can now recommend a more thorough flush procedure to consumers. Doing so will increase engine cooling efficiency, protect the life of the water pump and eliminate unnecessary customer comebacks.

[richardburchett]

I kind of made one of these out of cheap parts from Lowes'. They sell a garden hose attachment in the plumbing section that has a rubber bulb that fills up with water and closes off the pipe/hose that you want to clean out. The end has a small opening that pushes out pressurized water. You can also get an attachment that has an on/off valve you can use to toggle the water on and off quickly to get that pulse action. The whole thing would only cost about fifteen dollars.

[thomasbates]

watch chris fix he does a complete flush its awesome

[GatesNorthAmerica]

Thanks for the comment. The PowerClean flush tool doesn't use a pump to push water out faster. It only needs a garden hose and shop air. PowerClean’s pressure is only 28psi, so it is gentle on radiators and heater cores. We have found (as we are sure you have, too) that the causes of heater cores leaks are typically contamination, electrolysis, or degradation by the practice of mixing disparate coolants and/or not flushing per the OE recommendations.

[stonecoldstonersllc]

We need more videos that can explain things this simple

[farooqishaq]

Pulsation works really well for cleaning a lot of stuff..this is common technique in industrial cleaning but recently borrowed by automotive world. It is safer than continuous stream of high pressure water which can damage surface and component...

[GatesNorthAmerica]

Thank you for the comment. It’s fine to use hose water for the flush. The distilled water is recommended when adding the 50/50 mix of coolant and water. If there is concern about hose water pooling in the system the tech can turn off the water and blow air through each section to remove more water. We have not seen any correlation between flushing with hose water and continued contamination of the system. Hope that helps!

[GatesNorthAmerica]

Thank you for your comment. As you may know, 50/50 is simply pre-diluted coolant. This makes it easier to fill as it is already mixed with distilled water to the correct proportions. As long as topping off with a non-OE coolant equivalent does not exceed 10-15% of total volume there is a reduced chance of premature contamination leading to water pump failure. It is generally recommended to top off with the OE coolant or equivalent chemistry.

[schreckman]

I have noticed several comments on here questioning the validity of this video and the use of the tool.  I thought I would offer some commentary on the subject.  This was an actual flush of the vehicle, we could have searched for a more contaminated example but we used a volunteer vehicle from the group.  The sock was used as a filter and we then emptied the contents onto the white cloth and let it dry to see what was available.  The thermostat was removed to allow for a more complete flush.  My rule of service is anytime the cooling system is opened it should receive a new thermostat, it's just good practice.  The recommended use of mineral free water to mix with the glycol is made to prevent future scale and mineral build-up. The flush water is tap water and it was drained before refilling.  I have since used this tool extensively in other applications and have found it works quite well to clean blocked heater cores, radiators, and engine blocks.  It has saved me the trouble of removing  a dash and replacing heater cores.  I have yet to have it cause damage from over pressuring the system.  I think you would have to have a severely damaged component to have this happen.  I have also used the tool to clean sugar contaminated fuel tanks after disposing of the contaminated fuel.  The alternative of simply draining and filling or using a hose is just not good enough to clean the system.  I look forward to making more videos to follow-up to this discussion.  I appreciate everyone watching.
Schreck.

[georgesandoval]

Awesome explanation! 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

[synthmaniacmoog]

Brilliant. Everyone needs to watch this.

[GatesNorthAmerica]

Hi Parish, the nearest one to you would be MB Automotive Incorporated at 1190 South Wolf Rd, Des Plaines. Thank you for your interest!

[adnandeanismail]

This idea is supper and is going to
Change how to flush the cooling system for ever

[rodguitarezz]

Gates hoses, belts, and thermostats #1

[Daedalus]

Thumbs up for the mechanic not dumping coolant all over herself like I always seem to.

[heavymechanic]

@ShortFlame Perhaps you need a good seal to hold the special type of lube on the shaft you mentioned?

[indiandy]

Thanks for that very interesting. I have to flush my kia soon so I have a good idea what is going to be happening.

[unfundedopportunities]

Performing this procedure on a truck is easy. I'd like to see you flush a front-wheel drive car, with its overly cramped engine compartment, and no radiator cap - an overflow tank only.

[StilettoSniper]

Very nice tool, I've witnessed it in use in the shop. It really does a decent job on dirty systems, once you get used to the quirks of using it. On really, really bad systems, I've found that it helps quite a bit to perform a chemical flush, letting the engine cool and draining out the chemical flush prior to using this tool.
I am somewhat surprised that ballcock valves are not included in the water and air feeds to avoid the need to quickly disconnect the air supply in between uses. Sure, the end user can modify the tool to include these, however, given the rather premium price of this tool ($500+), I don't think the inclusion of a water and air shutoff mechanism is an unreasonable demand. I would give this some serious consideration.
Despite the tool's obvious utility (and my own tool addiction), I can't justify purchasing it for use as a DIYer, even in a multi-car situation (in fairness to Gates, I do not believe the 91002 is targeted at the DIY market). I've chosen to settle for the more affordable Mityvac MV4570 flush gun that allow me to perform a similar cleaning process, albeit without the benefit of the patented water pulsation feature or the integrated stream pressure regulation. With due care with regard to water and air pressure, and judicious use of the air trigger, it does a decent enough job for me, especially when used subsequent to a chemical flush.

[scdevon]

I always do a "rolling coolant change" by extracting what's in the expansion tank (around a half gallon) and replacing it with a fresh 50/50 mix once a year. The expansion tank is an active part of the circulated coolant on my 4.6 Ford. Never had rust or a bad heater core and my original 2003 water pump is still kicking. You can cause problems by power flushing. Always use Prestone.

[GatesNorthAmerica]

If your radiator is contaminated with rust we recommend purchasing a new one. Once the new on is installed, flush the entire system using the PowerClean Flush Tool. It sounds like your heater core may be corroded or blocked as well, so have a tech flush the core to see if the issue is resolved. If not, you may need a new one.

We also recommend determining what the OE spec coolant is and only refill with a 50/50 mix of that and distilled water.