Radiator issues is it..safe 2 put texaco 50/50 antifreeze in a 97 2500 suburban? ive been putting water in it every other day, but my brother ran it dry sunday & now its needing water daily. scraped up a few dollars & am considering taking 2 a shop, which i cant afford, or buying antifreeze.which do you suggest

Get the car towed to a garage that has heat and allow the water to thaw out. Then, drain the cooling system since there is too much water and not enough antifreeze in it. Now is a good time to repair/replace the leaking radiator. Refill and bleed the cooling system with a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. If you don't repair the radiator, keep some 50/50 mix available for topping off to prevent freeze-ups in future.

Never ever put undiluted coolant/antifreeze in your vehicle. It is to thick and will cause even more overheating and other problems as well. One fan should run almost the instant you turn the A/C on.
The other fan is controled by coolant temperature. You should check the fan relays, fuse's and coolant temperature sensors for proper operation. Also clean the condensor and radiator fins with a good stream of water from a garden hose, not high pressure water at a car wash. The water pump may be worn out as well.

put a 50/50 mix. remove radiator cap when cold,start car let run 1 min and dump 50/50 mix till full, a little will come out cap when thermostat opens this is normal,when thermostat opens coolant will go down,continue to fill till full,put cap on and fill reservoir to cold mark,check reservoir after you run a day and fill if needed to the full cold mark again

Not likely water pump unless pump is leaking. You need to figure out where the antifreeze leaked out. Can you see anything leaking with radiator full and engine running? I have some tips at http://www.fixya.com/cars/r5929960-s_thermostat if you want to troubleshoot. Let me know if you have questions.

You can put it in the recovery tank (white plastic most of the time, sometimes black), maybe 1/2 gallon at a time 50/50 antifreeze to water mixture.

Run the car, and watch the temperature gauge.

Sometimes, if the radiator is cool, you can undo the cap by pushing down and twisting counterclockwise and add directly to the radiator.

1. Step1.Shut the motor off and leave the vehicle parked for at least an hour. The engine must be completely cool before it's safe to touch.
   
2. Step2Mix water with coolant before adding it to the radiator. Use half water and half antifreeze. Coolant freezes at a lower temperature and boils at a higher temperature than plain water, so it continues to circulate and cool the engine at temperatures that would freeze or overheat water. Antifreeze also has additives that deter corrosion in the radiator and engine.
   
3. Step3Pour 50/50 antifreeze and water into the coolant recovery reservoir. The container is marked to show full coolant levels for hot or cold engines. Fill the tank to the mark for a cold engine to ensure enough fluid for the radiator and the rest of the cooling system.
   

You need to make sure you get any air pockets out of the engines coolant system before you drive anywhere. If you dont see the air bleeder try this. Fill the radiator and put the recovery bottle about half full. Put the cap on the radiator and let the car run for 5 minutes then turn it off and let it cool off. Carefully remove rad. cap and see if it needs more coolant.If it does not put cap back on and let it run for 10 minutes.Turn it off and let it cool then check it again.
Dont be in a hurry! To many people will drive with an air pocket and over heat the engine! Most of the newer cars do trap air if you let some of the coolant out.
Wear safety glasses when removeing radiator cap slowly,to be safe.
I hope this helps you.

a radiator flush chemical may be a bad idea if the radiator is rusted up inside.drain out as much as you can, fill with distilled water only, then idle the car till it is at full operating temp. then drain the water and do the same thing one more time. after that, fill with your 50-50 mix of antifreeze/water and that will be about as clean as you can safely get it.

Okay! So what I did was cut my car completely off for two days, I drained the radiator by unplugging it, I took the water hose and just let the water flow in and out from the coolant housing under the hood in the right hand corner, I also let the water flow into and out of the radiator, I plugged the radiator back up after just a few clear coats of water flowed through, I filled with 1 1/2 containers of Peak 50/50 Antifreeze/Coolant. I later in the day noticed that one of my fans were out and the other one wouldn't stay on. I ran a kill switch from the inside to the fans, only one is working due to the motor on one of them but I can guarantee that my car hasn't over heated or ran hot since I did this coolant flush. And also when you put the new coolant in make sure that the car is excessively cold. If your fans aren't spinning then that's another reason. I wish you luck.

I think you may have a hex head plug in the bottom of the radiator, although they do not now offer this option for draining... If so, get a long 1/2 or 3/8 extension with a 14 or 15 metric socket and loosen it after removing the fill cap. Make sure it has cooled down... else, you will have to loosen the lower water line from the radiator to drain... you should do this again wiht water into to get the best results... remember the water will not enter the block fully until the thermostat is open ie you must refill and check several times when refilling... put you new antifreeze in first then finish with water.. or you may mix small amounts ie, 1/2 gall at a time to get a 50/50 mix. good luck