Ok, I've read quite a few posts where people seemed not to be flushing their system. From personal experience air can be trapped in the cooling system. Yes, it will eventually come out, through the overflow, but do you really wana wait and risk it???

Anyways, flushing your system is quite easy and cheap. For about 20 bucks you can flush the whole thing in 15-30 mins.

Here we go.

This is what you need.
Prestone Flush kit

It has self explanitory directions
Here is the next step.
Basically cut the water hose that goes from the firewall to the "Octopus" looking diverter valve. Insert the T fitting provided!

This is what it looks like done!
There are two lines coming from the rear firewall. Those lines are coming from the heater core. I've cut in to the top one on the firewall, since that way I can flush the heater core too. I believe you can skip this, but I don't see why!
Here is the pic of the hose on the firewall.
.Just follow this line, and cut where you want!

The T-fitting is basically a hook up for a garden hose.
So, get your gargen hose and screw it on the T-fitting. No, I am not kidding .
NOTE. DO NOT FLUSH THE SYSTEM IF THE ENGINE IS HOT! WAIT UNTILL ITS COOL!
Open up the radiator cap, and drain the radiator on the bottom. It helps later if you keep the bottom drain plug open, but you can close it. ONce thats done you are ready to flush. Use that snorkle looking yellow piece in the kit in the cap opening. Just stuff it in there (fits prefectly). That piece is ment to give you control of where you want the water to go. I don't use it, but you can.

Next step is to flush it. Now, there are flush fluids you can use, and they are self explanatory. Use them before you flush since you will have to run the engine with that stuff in.

Once you are ready to flush everything out turn the garden hose on and watch the spectacle. Within seconds the water will start coming out of the radiator. Don't worry, its what its suposed to do.
Let this run for a while, 5min-10min. its up to you. If your radiator has not been flushed for a while I'd leave it in for longer. Basically you want to see clear water coming out of the system.

Once that is achieved turn the garden hose off. Cap your T-fitting tight. Now your total cooling system has about 50% water. Now, if you put your drain plug back on the radiator after you drained it, now its the time to drain that water out of the radiator. Do this so you can have 50% water in the system.
If you left it out you don't have to worry about this step. Just close it.
Fill the rest of your cooling system with pure antifreeze. If you want to run straight water, or other additives its up to you how much of a mixture want. For every other common folk, just top it off with pure antifreeze.
Turn your car on, let it warm up to operating temperature. The thermostat will open, and some of that stuff will go back into the motor. Not much since its already filled from inside . Anyways, top that off and close the radiator (with prefereably a new cap). Now, double check all the stuff you were touching. Make sure that the T-fitting is secured and clamped tight.

If everything checks out you are ready to drive!

Have fun.

 

I usually toss a Bars Leak in after a flush. Just something else to ponder.

 

sasa ole boy, you got some time on your hands dont ya? I found an easier way though, get a 5/8" and 2 3/4" caps and get rid of it all together atleast till i get ahold of a standard heater box, no point in having all that on there if its not going anywhere

 

Preventive maitenance! I agree!

Irocbirdbuilder, Paul, I wanna keep my heat during the winter . However, if its just a summer ride, than most certainly AWAY WITH IT!

 

Give me some feedback on this, if you've done it or not. Let me know if it helped somebody. I just want to get the flushing (at least one way to do it) across so that people don't have to come here and ask silly questions. They are still GOOD questions, but are a bit silly.
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The diverter valve is the shiznit man. It looks like a giant octopuss over your engine. makes everything harder to get to and it really serves no purpose. Its one of those things where GM designers did not revisit preliiminary designs.

 

Blue intake?

 

Ford blue at that! I did it so that it will remind me to replace it.

 

I just did this with the Prestone super flush fluid and kit on my 84 Camaro. First time flushing the system and it was pretty simple but took me some time(double checking everything).

 

How about running the hose through it and taking the rad out.