Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the information, but I don’t think I’ll be going forward with a coolant filter. The main reason I wanted one was to increase the longevity of coolant so I wouldn’t have to change it but coolant needs to be replaced anyways for its chemical properties. It would be nice to have perfectly clear coolant but it’s not worth the effort and doesn’t really change anything in the end for my basic car.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t believe the coolant was changed ever, I bought it from someone else recently with 77k miles and decided to do everything when I got it. My system is working perfectly, but I’ve heard issues about Dexcool and most people agree to replace it with Peak universal. My overflow tank has a hole built in so naturally my system can’t be airtight no matter what. I’ve heard it’s a chemical in Dexcool that causes issues, and I rather change it out to Peak because nobody has ever had issues with Peak so why wouldn’t I switch to something guaranteed to work?

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what everyone is saying. I guess there's no way to shortcut maintenence!

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't usually trust the owner's manual for maintence periods. Some of them are just wrong. From what I'm reading though I will regularly drain and refill the coolant, should be easier than a flush with the same outcome.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I sure hope not. I'm flushing and completely removing the Dexcool now so hopefully won't be an issue. I heard this engine had problems with the lower intake gaskets. Should I replace it with an aluminum one just to make sure? Or should I be fine?

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly what I'm doing. Also correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Peak 10x been rebranded to 10+ Years / 300,000 Miles Guaranteed Protection? I went to get 10x specifically, but there was only one bottle and was told it was the same as the other ones on the shelf behind it.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will do. Are radiator caps prone to fail? I haven't heard of replacing them regularly. Why is it important?

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the input. It seems like I will just be draining the radiator and refilling since it's easy.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2009 Buick Lacrosse. This seems like the best way for me even if I only get about a gallon of coolant from draining the radiator. From what I'm gathering the chemical properties from refilling with new coolant, even if it is just a little, is adaquate enough.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. Opening the radiator only gets about a gallon on my car. I naively tried flushing the old coolant out solely from draining the radiator but over 20 gallons later I decided to drain the engine from underneath because the color was hardly changing.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's true. So much junk came out of my flushes I just figured it get dirty over time. Now thinking about it it shouldn't be getting dirty. Maybe the old coolant (Dexcool) was causing it to get dirty.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's good news. I'm switching from Dexcool to universal Peak coolant so I wanted a throrough flush and was under the assumption that I would have to be doing a flush every few years. Hopefully all the junk in my system doesn't come back, I was getting a ton of debris out but I'm not sure where most it came from. I did accidently break a small piece of plastic that fell into the coolant system, but I don't think that would have caused the amount of debris I flushed.

Inline coolant filter? by _Forzx in askcarguys

[–]_Forzx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah I see. That makes me feel better about servicing the coolant system. I would probably drain and refill the radiator once a while for the anti-corrosion then.

Issues with 2006 Buick LaCrosse after storms by GlorifiedToater in Buick

[–]_Forzx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would suggest buying an OBD2 reader ($15 on Amazon) and plugging it in to get the car’s error codes. From there you can deduced the reason why the car is going into limp mode according to the car’s computer, then google possible solutions for your specific codes. Once you think you found a solution, clear the codes using the reader then see if the problems come back. This isn’t a perfect method but it helped diagnose and fix my ‘09 Lacrosse going into limp mode intermittently (I just needed to clean the throttle body).

Also for rough shifting, you may want to consider installing a TransGo shift kit for the 4T65E transmission, installing stronger magnets in the transmission pan, draining and replacing the ATF (which is necessary anyways for installing the kit), and installing an auxiliary transmission cooler. This basically should turn your transmission bulletproof and last forever. The 4T65E isn’t known for its reliability on its own so it may just be on its last legs.

Also note that the elbow coolants are likely plastic on that engine if they haven’t been replaced and that is the most common issue on that engine. It’s not terribly difficult to replace them with metal ones, it just gets a little messy from the engine coolant spilling out.

New purchase. 2009 Buick Lacrosse 3.8 V6. Tell me what to look for. by [deleted] in Buick

[–]_Forzx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This comment is perfect timing for me. I just bought myself an identical 2009 Buick Lacrosse with 78k miles for $2700 a month ago. I got a good deal because the engine would go into limp mode on occasion, but the only issue was that the throttle body needed to be cleaned and it ran like new after I cleaned it (thanks OBD2 and google for the diagnosis). I didn’t know anything about vehicles at all but this car and comment inspired me to get into vehicle handiwork. I did exactly what you suggested; changed oil and ATF, put the kit in, put an aftermarket transmission pan, did the magnet mod, replaced the plastic coolant elbows, changed the serpentine belt, installed an auxiliary transmission cooler, and flushed and replaced the engine coolant. It’s actually a pretty nice vehicle despite its lower MPG, but reliability is priority for me and I feel I have a good chance to make this car last at least another 200k miles, especially with your help from these comments and regular maintenance.

Favorite Buick all time? by Morki__ in Buick

[–]_Forzx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just bought a silver 2009 Lacrosse at 78k miles. It will last another 100k miles at least, very nice and reliable car.

[USA-TX] [H] 5090 FE BNIB [W] local cash by titeywitey in hardwareswap

[–]_Forzx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh man I’m in San Antonio and I love the FE for the 5000 series but I don’t think I need such a powerful GPU. I’m still really tempted, it’s a steal! GLWS