Hey guys, bought a DeWitts Radiator, installed it, just about ready to refill with coolant. Important to note this is a dedicated track car. Couple questions:

1) Got a free gallon of DeWitts Performance Coolant with the radiator. This stuff gtg with the C5? Says it meets GM specs, so I imagine so, but wanted to check.
2) Is there a burp procedure for the C5 more than whats listed for a change here: C5 Radiator Drain and Refill instructions. (iammoon.com)

Tip:
The Mishimoto Performance silicone lower radiator hose WILL NOT fit on the Dewitts radiator, no matter how much swearing, lube, or twisting you attempt. Just a no go. I ended up purchasing a Gates stock rubber hose. Upper radiator hose from Mishimoto is gtg.

 

Also have a DeWitts and did not have to do anything special when refilling

 

Good deal, just to be clear, you just followed that procedure from the website I linked, no buying a big funnel kit or anything.

 

Yes no funnel kit needed, no need to pull a vacuum on it, I didn't need to do anything special to burp air out

 

NVM I is dumb. I got it

 

The imamoon procedure is NOT the FSM procedure.

 

The only thing I would add/change to the noted procedure (step #11) is to only use distilled water or just buy the 50/50 premix coolant. It is also easier to premix the straight coolant with the distilled water ahead of time, before adding any fluid to the coolant system. This is especially true when first filling the system after installing a larger capacity aftermarket radiator.

 

I ended up using the DeWitts coolant, which is pre-mixed. I'll go back through and re-run the engine on steps to clear air from the system as dictated by the procedure. No need for mixing! I figured since DeWitts recommends their coolant alongside the C5 radiator, should be gtg.

 

I also have a DeWitts radiator. Something I've done in the past that I found helpful was running the car up on ramps to get the front end higher, or if you are lucky and have a knoll, or angled driveway, you could use that method. Seems to help getting the front end elevated, at least it did in my case.

 

If it is a dedicated track car, why would you not be running just water with some Water Wetter?

 

I live out West and would like to drive the car during some winter track days without draining and refilling all the time.

 

This, maybe a splash of coolant to help detect leaks by smell. If you lose a hose on track with a regular coolant mix you will be creating a dangerous situation for other drivers.

 

We’re living parallel lives. My 2004 vert is up on ramps in my garage for my winter project. I’ve installed new plugs/wires, new drive belts, new water pump, new t-stat, new surge tank, and a new Dewitt’s radiator with Mishimoto lower/upper radiator hoses and ancillary hoses. Funny, because I didn’t get any new coolant/fluid with my new Dewitt's radiator/fan kit.

Outside of the dreaded #7 Spark plug/wire removal and install, the project has gone smoothly until now when I need to attach the new hoses onto the new radiator. For the life of me, I can’t get the lower Mishimoto silicone hose to fit over the Dewitt’s aluminum radiator connector. I got the upper Mishimoto hose connected but still think I need to have it seated further up the aluminum tube over the second nipple. Below are a few pics. Do these look correct? Should the upper hose that connects to the water pump pe pressed further on or will the clamp be too close to the drive belts? The lower connection into the T-stat should probably be further pushed on as well correct? The smaller, auxiliary Mishimoto silicone hoses have worked fine with no install issues, just having issues installing the larger upper and lower radiator hoses.

I’m also not happy with the quality of the supplied Mishimoto stainless steel clamps so I’m going to swap those out for some Master Pro spring clamps before I complete the installation. I may also grab a new OEM rubber lower hose if I can’t get the Mishimoto Silicone hose any tighter. I’ve tried using a small amount of dish soap to help push it on but so far, it’s not working.

As to the system flush, since my original coolant is drained and will be disposed of, I plan to flush the system with 4 gallons of distilled water and run the car until the fans come on, drain, and then fill with the Prestone GM Dexcool mix. I will then check the surge tank over the next week to cap off if necessary. Lastly, I decided to also install a new surge tank cap just to be safe since the original one is close to 20 years old.

Upper & Lower Water Pump /T-Stat Connections



Upper Radiator Connection



Lower T-Stat Connection



Upper Water Pump Connection

 

I'll have to go look at my hose locations and see how far I put them on, but yours do look a little looser than what I recall. The lower Mishimoto hose is not going to fit. I found an old post on another Corvette forum talking about differences in OD on the DeWitts lower fitting. I bought a new lower stock hose and put that on, no issues.

 

This has worked for me with several street and track cars that sleep inside. No freeze risk.
Proper flush.
Fill with proper mixture of distilled water and Justice Bros. "Protector" and "Super Radiator Cooler".
2 bottles of each per car.
No antifreeze !!
Antifreeze is not a good coolant.