Chrysler Repair: antifreeze replacement on a 1999 3.8l Chrysler T/C, radiator cap, air pockets

Question
My wife's '99 3.8l fwd Chrysler van is ready to have the factory antifreeze replaced.  Do you recommend any specific brands?  And can I just lossen the lower hose and remove most of the antifreeze tighten it up and add the new antifreeze and call it good, or do you highly recommend flushing with a garden hose with the proper fittings?  I need to make sure I do not develop an air pocket in the system that might cause a problem.
Thank You!
Dave

Answer
Hi Dave,
I have no favorite brand, but I would choose the orange color type at 50/50 concentration. Your capacity is either 13 qts, or 16 qts with the rear heater option. I would drain a slightly still warm engine via the draincock on the lower left corner of the radiator rather than remove the hose. Open and watch to see if the coolant drains out of the overflow bottle first, which it should, and that would indicate the system is tight. Then after it is drained from the bottle remove the radiator cap and drain the rest. If you don't have evidence of a plugged/compromised system I believe that reverse flushing with a hose is not necessary. But becaus of the age I would use a system cleaner that remove aluminum oxide (contains oxalic acid and a neutralizer). Simply follow directions on the can (dry powder usually is the type with oxalic acid), draining out each bolus of coolant as described for the original drop. Refilling thru the radiator cap, draining from the draincock. Also fill the overflow bottle to the min line. After a few runs, recheck the overflow as some air will inevitably be trapped in the system, be expelled, and lower the level in the overflow bottle. I have no problem with the garden hose/heater hose connector approach so you be the judge of whether that is warranted. If the system/old coolant appears to be clean it may not be necessary to do the reverse flush.
There appear to be no special issues to avoiding air pockets with the 3.8L as nothing special is stated in the Chrysler shop manual for that one.
Best wishes on your project.
Roland