Neglected Cooling System? Try this... - Cheap Coolant Filtration - No More Plugged Heater Cores!

[@Moonless6491]

Dude, this is brilliant. I finally have an option now. I keep blowing out my heater core and it runs great for a day, then gets clogged again. I want to block the crud before it gets to the core.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

This will work. You'll be changing filters on a near daily basis for a bit but it'll catch it. Would be wise to flush the cooling system while it's open.

[@scotth9828]

Thanks so much for the video! Lincoln mkx and ford edge people should see this.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

For those, I'd say a simple bypass setup would work great!

[@rondellschuyler7074]

Good video. Chrysler 200s are having this same problem using HOAT extended life antifreeze.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Interesting. Coolant filters are always a good option. Helps with quite a few things

[@rondellschuyler7074]

@@NotSoGrandGarage I now highly recommend them. Many cars and trucks from 1995 and newer have a heater core that is only changeable by dropping the dash. Far cheaper than $1000 dollars to drop dash and change heater core. I am sold on the idea.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@rondellschuyler7074 for sure. Will also save on water pump wear.

[@simpleman4224]

Great info buddy! Gonna do this! 👍👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It works well. Id suggest an actual coolant filter which can be had pretty cheap these days

[@cetate93]

Slick, using an oil filter head will let it flow past if the filter gets plugged through the bypass valve in the filter.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

So far, it had worked fairly well. Only issue is it is a restriction in flow at idle. I'll turn it into a bypass setup before too long.

[@averyalexander2303]

It will not, the water pump definitely can not produce nearly enough pressure to open an oil filter's bypass valve.

[@kurt5490]

​@@averyalexander2303Good to know. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@Moonless6491]

@@NotSoGrandGarage You might be able to use an aux coolant pump and hook it up to a relay so it only runs when the car is on. Also if the oil filter is higher up, it may flow better?

[@averyalexander2303]

Great idea, I may do this to my car (a K24 swapped Civic) using an actual coolant filter. It's not dirty or having cooling problems, but I don't like seeing occasional little specs of crap floating around in the coolant. My heater core gets no flow for most of the year since I'm in the south, so if I do this, I'm thinking I'll put a heater core restrictor in the bypass hose under the intake manifold to create a pressure differential with T fittings inline before and after the restrictor and hoses going from the T fittings to a filter adapter. This way I get constant filtration and don't alter or significantly restrict the normal flow by forcing all the coolant through a filter. Since my system is pretty clean, a partial flow setup should be more than adequate and way better than no filtration at all.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

For that, I'd tee the lines as you mentioned and set it up as a bypass. I've got part numbers for a true coolant filter head and filter. I'll try to post them in a bit. I've built a few of these over the years.

[@averyalexander2303]

@@NotSoGrandGarage Thanks for the suggestion. Now that I think about it, I could also use the small throttle body coolant lines to run coolant through the filter since they also circulate constantly and I have them capped off anyways. I guess it doesn't matter much either way, it won't take much flow for the filter to do its job. I have hose, fittings, clamps, and a remote oil filter mount, so I just need to find what size my filter mount is and get a coolant filter that fits it.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@averyalexander2303 that'll work!

[@johnbrizendine7716]

Awesome video!!! I ended up doing something very similar with all of my vehicles coolant and power steering lines a few years ago, just as a preventative measure and I was very surprised at how much gunk the filters picked up, even with regular maintenance on the engine filters and fluids. Since the power steering runs at such high pressure, I put the filter on the return line to the reservoir, not optimal, but better than the original design of not having a filter at all.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Not a bad idea at all.

[@simri7474]

Could I do this same setup on a 99 firebird V6?

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

You can put a coolant filter on anything.

[@williamvaughan1218]

Suprised coolant through a paper oil filter would even be effective due to paper fibers swelling from water.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Works good oddly. Now I haven't checked but many wix filters aren't paper... so this one may not be. I'd have to look it up.

[@williamvaughan1218]

Apparently to buy a base that supports a actual coolant filter its double the price so your idea is better for sure

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@williamvaughan1218 I've done both. Actual coolant filter heads are a bit more expensive but the main thing is they are designed to be in a bypass loop. I wanted the full flow of the heater core going through the filter. Eventually, I'll likely pull the setup off the truck for him once I get a couple filters changed that are relatively clean.

[@williamvaughan1218]

Apparently if you get a filter with synthetic fibers they filter lower microns and flow better too so you might use one of those now that it's somewhat clean. Winter is coming and I'm going to haft to address these issues now that trucks cost 80 to 100 grand.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@williamvaughan1218 yup. Best to keep the oldies on the road. Id rather not have a payment I don't need.

[@rodneyblair515]

Can you safely add black oil to your fuel on a 24 valve Cummins 2002 model

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Others have done it. If the oil is clean (filtered to 1 micron absolute or centrifuged), I'd say yes... but in small quantities to see how things go. I'd start at 10%... but keep in mind there is always a risk. The VP44 can be picky... so be careful.

[@rodneyblair515]

Thank you for your feedback

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@rodneyblair515 No problem!

[@mahogany_maho]

i really need to do this but... well, I really have no idea how lol

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Well.. there are a few different ways. They make actual coolant filter kits that tee into both heater core lines or you can cobble something like this together and it works fairly well. Remote oil filter adapter and a couple hose barbs.

[@lawjye4169]

Is there enough pressure being generated in this system to account for all of the extra hosing? I have a Jeep Liberty 08, am trying to prevent the clogging in the same way, don’t know how extensive to make the piping.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

You can do a bypass style system instead of full flow meaning you tee both lines going to the heater core and off those have the filter. This is how most coolant filter kits are designed. With full flow like this setup, at idle, the hear cools off as it doesn't flow through the filter as well.

[@lawjye4169]

@@NotSoGrandGarage okay I see. I think it’s a good setup for clean out the system for some time. Flushing I realize does an inadequate job because it’s done under conditions that aren’t realistic : engine off and coolant system cold. Having this active filtration seems so much more effective. I’m going to try it this week.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@lawjye4169 it certainly can't hurt.

[@lawjye4169]

@@NotSoGrandGarage can the added resistance to the system damage the water pump you think?

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@lawjye4169 highly unlikely... especially if setup in a bypass format.

[@tocisamazing]

Bad head gasket?

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

No symptoms of that. Doesn't overheat... passes a combustion gas test... no unexplained coolant/oil loss. The entire cooling system was plugged solid with gelled sludge/coolant that smelled like swamp water. Apparently a common outcome of blending dexcool with other coolant types.

[@johnbrizendine7716]

@@NotSoGrandGarage Dexcool will naturally do that to itself if you do not change/flush it as per GM maintenance schedule. Dexcool is not compatible with ANYTHING, even the original gasket materials that were used for intake/exhaust gaskets(the v6 engines had coolant ports in the manifolds as well and the original gaskets were not compatible with it) If you use dexcool you must flush it and add fresh coolant or it will turn into sludge. I don't remember the exact schedule for it now, but it was something like 30,000 or 40,000 miles or something like that, or 2 years. There are quite a few different tech service bulletins(TSBs) regarding it.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@johnbrizendine7716 facts. I'll never understand why GM thought dexcool was a good idea.

[@kurt5490]

Holy crap! I'm learning from you just reading thru the comments! Stay away from dexcool. Thank you.