I'm needing to do a radiator flush on my 89 vette. What's the best and cheapest way to DIY? I'm no mechanic.

 

Kmoylan - oops...wrong forum. Mods will redirect shortly! Welcome to C8 forum though.

 

The first step is to ask the mods to move your question to the C4 section.

 

You can't put the "BEST" & "CHEAPEST" categories together.

Then you add "I'm no mechanic"?

You can go to ANY auto parts store, see what they recommend that's within your budget & talent. They'll walk you through it.

 

YouTube works wonders for most car repairs. I replaced my radiator, water pump and window regulator on my DD C6 by watching YouTube videos.

 

Get a lisle spill free funnel and an airlift.
Uview makes the air lift part number is 55000

John

https://youtu.be/qA0Yzzmm3Vc

 

Pull the radiator out its not bad. Youll want to take a garden hose to the backside and keep flushing the fins I bet they are packed
If you really wanna scrimp put it back together get it warm with no cap on and slowly open the petcock on the bottom, keep adding fresh water youll eventually get all the old stuff out. Turn your heater on when this is happening

 

Is this flush just for regular maintenance? Or do you have symptoms such as overheating or leaks? If your system is working OK, there's no need to pull the radiator IMO. These cars suck up junk from the road surface and can accumulate between the radiator and condenser, reducing airflow and cooling effect. I was able to get a vacuum attachment into the cover on the upper passenger side of the radiator shroud, pulled out 90% of the debris in there. Also you might want to spray water gently from the backside to remove debris stuck in the fins. Don't worry about getting the fans wet.
FLUSH: Drain the radiator, heater core (hoses at firewall), engine block (remove knock sensors). Blow air through the heater core to get it all out. Drain the expansion tank and other parts of the system. Flush the entire system with fresh water several times. Drain completely. Reattach everything and refill with fresh coolant, using the proper mixture, dilute as necessary assuming there's around 1 quart of plain water remaining in the system. Run engine to full temp, let it cool completely (this is called heat cycle), then burp the air with the bleeder. Some systems are self-purging of air, I'm not very familiar with the L98. Took me about 2 hours to do a careful job on my LT1. It helps to have the car jacked up or otherwise lifted in the air for accessing knock sensors and catching all draining fluid from the various areas. Pretty easy job on a car in good condition.