Auto Question; Honda Accord

[rflnomad]

Hi all.
Daughters car. 02 Accord with 2.4L Vtec 4 cylinder. Car was overheated and had motor failure. rebuilt by dealer and now (few months later) got hot again. Towed to Dads house (of course!) I look at radiator - coolant mixed so I figure another motor failure. But... oil is not mixed on bottom of cap on valve cover and dipstick is clean.
Car runs and runs well. So I drian coolant and refill with just water to start flushing and flushing. Less and less of the oil/water mix comes out, but still some in there.
So, is ther a better way to REALLY clean out the cooling system? I have the heater on full so ALL the water is moving. I actually thought about putting Dawn dish liquid in there to keep breaking down the oil.
Any hints would be appreciated.

[papat]

Use a non foaming soap like for a dishwasher if you use powder get a gallon jug full of hot water add a cup powder soap shake well "the jug" then pour that in radiator fill and run engine up to temp. Drain you may still have to do this a few times then flush with clear water. Was the oil in the cooling system from the last failure? If it was I would have a talk with the dealer.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

How about one of the flush systems that companies like Prestone makes? I have never used them but it might be worth a shot.

[rflnomad]

I will try the dish soap. Never thought about the anti-bubble part of it. makes sense.
I feel there was only the first failure in reguards to the oil in the coolant. i think it was never cleaned out correctly. I may be wrong, but until I get the cooling system clean, I will never know. I will send it in for a system pressure check in a week.

Have considered the system flushes, but new radiator & hoses are on car. I thought those products were made for older clogged systems. I think this is full of oil from the first failure and not cleaned properly.

Thanks.

[ringadingh]

Papat's suggestion should work, don't use Dawn soap it will foam like crazy in there and be hard to remove.

[cactusjack]

My dad used to flush cooling systems with a little bit of dry Drano powder in the cooling system. I don't know that I'd try that with a modern vehicle, though.

[Cajunrider]

Don, Does it get hot idling or while rolling at highway speeds? Check to make certain that the 12v cooling fan is kicking on when the engine warms up.

[rflnomad]

No, the fans turn on when it idles for a few minutes. I haven't been using the A/C to make sure the fan works on its own.
Needle never seems to move much from the mid point. When fans kick on, needle moves to cooler side slightly....just like it should.
I will try the dish machine liquid and see. It runs well, i just putted it around for a bit to see how it acted. Then I said "Lets see..." and put it to 6400 rpm in the first 3 gears.
No change.

Thanks for the suggestions from everyone.

[macmac]

There is a chemical tester that doesn't cost much. I have one, but can't recall what it is called. There is a clear tube and cone shaped rubber that seals most any rad. You fill it with a blue fluid that comes in the kit, cap the container, start the engine and if the fluid turns another color it is beathing in exhaust, and that means a blown head gasket or a cracked block/head.

The cap end has a squeeze ball and valve. obviuosly I haven't used mine in a very long time.

I am not sure i would clean a lot, untill you stop the leaks.

Most any Napa or like place should have that tool in stock.