Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 19:40:45 EST Trying to drain all of the coolant from a system: a) is unnecessary; and b)
has risk unless you really know what you are doing.
Here is the procedure which has worked well for me over the years (n.b., this
will have to me modified to account for the air-separator tank);
This may sound like a lot of work, but it isn't. The most difficult part is
deciding the appropriate mixture to add to the coolant-overflow tank.
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 20:22:00 -0600 When my car was at MazMax here in Houston last fall(turbos were being pulled), the
mechanic gave me this tip which is fantastic. Remove the top coolant hose
from the throttle body (is in the rear near the firewall) when refilling the
system.
Today I did a cooling and heater system hose replacement job, along with
eliminating the coolant separation tank( installed the 86-88 pressure cap
neck). I removed the top hose when I started filling the system. This was the first
time in 6 years that the system almost took the full amount, about 8 quarts. After
filling, replacing the hose, and running the engine for 2 minutes, it only took about
1 pint more. Then I drove the car until fully warmed up and let it cool
down; it then took about 1/4 cup more. During this the overflow tank was filled 1/2 way of
course.
From Rob Robinette:
You will need 1 gallon of antifreeze and 2 gallons of distilled (not mineral) water. You can get the water from the grocery store for
about $3. You will also need a fillips head screwdriver, a 2 gallon bucket, a cloth rag and a funnel.
The coolant system capacity is 9.3 US quarts (2 gallons, 1.3 quarts) and you won't be able to drain that last 1.3 quarts of coolant so
1 gallon of antifreeze and 1 gallon of water will give you about a 55% antifreeze to water ratio. This percentage will give you max
protection from freezing, down to -40 degrees F. If you don't need that much freeze protection 35% antifreeze will protect you down
to 3 degrees F and will actually cool the car more efficiently.
Warning: Don't try to drain the coolant system unless the car is really cool or you may get burned. Start by relieving the pressure by
opening the coolant cap on the engine (not on the plastic overfill tank). Then put the cap back on to minimize the amount of fluid that
will drain onto your hand when you remove the plug. The drain plug is in the bottom of the radiator and is accessible from beneath
the car (you may have to raise the front end). There is a 1 inch round hole in the plastic engine bay floor about 1 foot from the spoiler
and near the center line of the car (it's the only round hole I saw). Completely remove the drain plug, put the bucket in place and then
remove both coolant caps to help the system drain. Warning: Antifreeze smells and tastes great to animals and it will kill them, don't
leave this stuff lying around. Take it to a recycling station.
Flush out the system by pouring in about a half of a gallon of distilled water. Wait for it to drain and reinstall the plug. If you want to
really flush out the system then fill it with distilled water, replace the radiator cap and run the engine for about 3 minutes with the
heater on full hot and then drain it again. If you do the double flush you will need another 2 gallons of water. Add the water and
antifreeze to get between 35% - 55% antifreeze. I recommend alternating between the two fluids because you can't be sure how
much fluid will actually be needed to fill the system. You can minimize the air bubbles in the system by gently squeezing and
pulsing the large diameter coolant hose that runs by the right side of the intercooler. Check the fluid level in your overflow tank (white
tank near the front right wheel). The only way to replace it's fuel is to suck the fluid out or remove the fender wheel liner and take out
the tank. I just added some water and coolant to get the level close to the F line on the dipstick.
IMPORTANT: You must "burp" the coolant system. Run the car for a about three minutes (don't drive it yet because you may be low
on coolant) and shut it down. Put a rag over the engine coolant cap and open it up, pulse the big coolant hose, and top it off. You will
need to do this several times. The first time you drive it take some water with you because you may get the "Add Coolant" buzzer
and you don't want to drive the car for more than about 30 seconds with the buzzer on. Remove the radiator cap and top off the
coolant level before you drive the car for the next three drives and you will have a well purged coolant system.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 01:30:30 -0500 To purge cooing system:
This should be done anyway because that little black expansion tank will
split from the heat. If you don't do the mod on the webpage, replace the
expansion tank anyway with the one from Pettit (approx $135) to enhance
reliability.
If you still loose coolant, have the cooling system pressure
checked and the spark plugs checked for coolant- you may have a more serious
problem.
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 08:45:00 -0500 When you drain your cooling system, you should also remove the drain plug
on the left side of the block. It's located between the two rotor housings
just above the oil pan on the left side. It takes a 14mm wrench. If you don't
do this, the system will not drain completely.
Only use distilled water with your antifreeze + waterwetter solution.
The cooling system should be drained and refilled yearly. If you have
been using tap water in the cooling system, then this
causes mineral buildup, especially in the radiator. In turn this causes loss
of cooling. If this is the case; then you will have to flush the whole system
and then run some aluminum safe cooling system cleaner for a while to desolve the
mineral buildup.
To help bleed air out of the system when refilling, remove
the top cooling system hose from the throttle body.
________________
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 11:26:09 -0500 Did you take out the block drain plug, located on the mid-housing, just
above the oil pan rail? If not, you left a lot of fluid sitting in the
engine block.
________________
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 00:03:17 -0400 When filling, a way to get more coolant into the cooling system is to
disconnect the ~5/8" O.D. coolant line which ties into the throttle body
(this hose runs parallel to the firewall). This effectively burps the
system and allows about 1 additional quart of coolant (about 6 total) to be
poured in. Another tip is to pour very slowly... I think the fill rates
are mentioned in the service manual.
(I think this is an elaboration on Chuck's tip above (Chris credited the idea
to him, anyway. --Steve)
>anyone know a way to unclog a radiator?
Take it to a radiator shop. They call the process "boiling the
radiator". I had it done to a massive 4-row unit in the old '69
Firebird I had. I can't remember if this is dipping it in acid or
similar. I would guess it is some sort of chemical reaction like
this, since I think it is lime that builds up inside.
--Steve
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From: KAWalanski
From: "Westbrook, Chuck"
From: tom
Coolant Air Separation Tank Elimination from Rob Robinette.
From: "Westbrook, Chuck"
From: "Steve Wynveen" (wynveen@ticon.net)
>I was following the how-to's on changing coolant today (the one on Steve
>Cirian's site) and I can't put in the reccomended amount. I've only been
>able to put in in less than 1 1/4 gallons. Rob Robinette's blurb in the
>how-to said that it takes 2 gallons.
From: rxnut@juno.com (Chris Sychlovy)