AtoZ

95 ex vtec automatic
the owners and service manuals list the cooling system capacity as 7+ us quarts, almost 2 gallons. i've owned a few other vehicles, and most of them have the same approximate total cooling system capacity. whenever i drained the system at the radiator petcock and at the lower firewall heater core hose to do a flush and then refill, i always find that i'm only putting back slightly over a gallon, not anywhere near the two gallons. does this mean the system isn't completely empty? as you know, all vehicles call for a fifty % mixture of coolant and water. should i make the solution stronger to account for the missing 3/4 gallon, such as a 60 or 70 % coolant to water ratio, since i empty the system by backflushing with water?

casper.hughes

ok i didnt know that all vehicles call for 50/50 some cars are manufactured for colder weather and 50/50 will not hold up in -20 degrees but idk if that is correct i might be wrong but did you remove the drain bolt on the block

GhostAccord

The Coolant capacities are as follows

Automatic Trans
Full Overhaul = 6.8L
Coolant Change = 5.3L

If you back flush with water and you figure that you cold possibly have 2.8L of water in your system. I would use more like a 80-90% mixture for the last bit of fluid. That would give you closer to a 50/50 mix.

AtoZ

no, i had previuosly cleaned up the top and underneath of the engine and didnt want to get those areas all messy, or foul the O2 sensor (of course I could put a plastic bag around it). also, i have to lie on my back and didnt want a face full of coolant.