time to change my radiator heater core and hosesin my 2002. after 2 summers in vegas its on its last leg. someone did put stop leak in it before i bought it. idk who but im planing on changing radiator, heater core, hoses.

1. should i flush the engine before i do the swap so no crap in the motor goes back into the new parts? and what should i use?


2. Dexcool or green antifreeze? i know that its a pretty big discussion and many people have different opinions so lets here the different points. remember i live in extreme summer heat and cold winters.


3. do i need a speacial tool to remove the trans cooler line or oil cooler lines? mine has both. i did a 96 a few weeks ago and only needed a open ened wrench. these cooler lines look different.



how many gallons will i need to refill the whole system?

 

1. Yes, regardless of your choice in 2.
2. This has been extensively discussed in other threads so there is no point in doing it here. Search for it and you'll find the relevant discussions.
3. Not unless you consider a small flat blade screw driver a "special tool".

As far as how many gallons, 1.5 gallons of antifreeze concentrate will get the system full. The total capacity is ~12qts so 6qts will be just about 50%. Top off with distilled water. Of course, this too has all been discussed before.