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[stuart30]

Sorry if this has been coverd already,i have looked before asking.

I intend to replace the coolant this weekend...anyone fancy explaining what needs taking off and where to find it and i have climate control so this would need flushing as well im told,again if some kind soul could point me in the right direction id be most greatfull.

First time im actaully going to get my hands dirty so an idiots guide might be best...

[sounds2k]

take off the plastic engine undertray, there is a red  plastic cap on the bottom of the radiator (right-hand side as you stand facing the car), this is the drain point ... unscrew it and the coolant will come out - take the cap off the expansion tank to help speed the flow. It won't drain completely though, as I found when changing the water pump. Heater matrix is not quite as easy, I think you take off the pipes where they feed to and from the matrix - driver's side bulkhead from memory?

[JasonH]

On my car (facelift) you can drain the coolant just by reaching under the car and undoing the drain screw by hand.

On the bottom of the radiator on the drivers side is a small red plastic knurled knob. Unscrew it by hand and the coolant will come out of a small nozzle next to the knob. Open the expansion tank cap and the flow will increase.

This will drain about half of the system. Getting the rest out is more involved and may not be worthwhile.

I put a hose in the expansion tank and wait till the water runs clear out of the draincock.

If you want to catch the coolant coming out a garden hose fits loosely over the drain nozzle.

Filling the car up is an art. You'll need to fill the expansion tank, then turn the car over and top it up again. Then run the car up to temperature with the expansion cap off (keeping an eye on the level). When cool top it up again. After your first journey check it again.

Squeezing the hoses helps get the air out too.

When adding the new coolant try to add it 50/50 coolant/water incase you misjudge the amount. What I mean by that is that if you add 5 litres of anti-freeze you may find the system full with no room for water. Total system capacity is something like 9.7 litres, but draining only seems to get half out.

[JasonH]

Oh and don't be surprised if on your first journey you suddenly get a low coolant warning - that'll be a large air bubble coming out. Probably worth having some coolant/water in the car in case there's a lot of air in the system.

[sounds2k]

I seem to remember that the advice when running the engine immediately after changing the coolant is to set the heater to fully on, so that the coolant flows through the heater matrix too.

[TheBoy]

The red tap won't get it all out, so not a particularly effective coolant change.  I would imagine bottom rad hose and a flush through with hosepipe. Also, OP has climate, and the chances are, the hbv will be open, so may need to disconnect matrix hoses and flush that through as well.

[stuart30]

The red tap won't get it all out, so not a particularly effective coolant change.  I would imagine bottom rad hose and a flush through with hosepipe. Also, OP has climate, and the chances are, the hbv will be open, so may need to disconnect matrix hoses and flush that through as well.

The boy is right i do have climate but its not working as in it dont blow air out and never gets above luke warm,so would that doing the coolant change....when ive had it changed before on previos cars the guy who does it always whacks the temp on full and blowers on full.

Im starting to think it might be best left alone... :-/

[JasonH]

My suggestion is the easy way; getting some of the heater matrix hoses off is tricky.

In this weather, with no frost risk, you could just do the easy flush a couple of times with water and see what comes out.

Mine's got climate too and setting that on max makes no difference when trying to drain the system.

It sounds a lot harder to do than it actually is.

[JasonH]

From my recent experience removing the main coolant pipe from the back of the engine, I'd say that the coolant that drains from the draincock is about half the system and includes the radiator and expansion tank.

When I removed the metal pipe from the back of the engine about another 4 litres came out - so that was trapped in and around the engine.

When I filled back up I got about 9 litres in, so only about 1 litre was trapped in the car (in the heater matrix perhaps).

However I would never recommend removing the metal coolant pipe to the rear of the engine for a coolant flush - it was one hell of a job!

[tunnie]

The red tap won't get it all out, so not a particularly effective coolant change.  I would imagine bottom rad hose and a flush through with hosepipe. Also, OP has climate, and the chances are, the hbv will be open, so may need to disconnect matrix hoses and flush that through as well.

The boy is right i do have climate but its not working as in it dont blow air out and never gets above luke warm,so would that doing the coolant change....when ive had it changed before on previos cars the guy who does it always whacks the temp on full and blowers on full.

Im starting to think it might be best left alone... :-/

Stuart if you can hang on for a while, there should be a maintance guide for this comming soon. Mine also needs doing, I am getting it done with the help of TheBoy, but I shall take some pictures as we do the flush and make a maintance guide.

[stuart30]

The red tap won't get it all out, so not a particularly effective coolant change.  I would imagine bottom rad hose and a flush through with hosepipe. Also, OP has climate, and the chances are, the hbv will be open, so may need to disconnect matrix hoses and flush that through as well.

The boy is right i do have climate but its not working as in it dont blow air out and never gets above luke warm,so would that doing the coolant change....when ive had it changed before on previos cars the guy who does it always whacks the temp on full and blowers on full.

Im starting to think it might be best left alone... :-/

Stuart if you can hang on for a while, there should be a maintance guide for this comming soon. Mine also needs doing, I am getting it done with the help of TheBoy, but I shall take some pictures as we do the flush and make a maintance guide.

Thats me waiting then...

Yeah that would be great...Look forward to reading it and having a go.

[Markie]

yeeha how to guid coming - that gives me a day off today, wa intentding doing this!

[tunnie]

The red tap won't get it all out, so not a particularly effective coolant change.  I would imagine bottom rad hose and a flush through with hosepipe. Also, OP has climate, and the chances are, the hbv will be open, so may need to disconnect matrix hoses and flush that through as well.

The boy is right i do have climate but its not working as in it dont blow air out and never gets above luke warm,so would that doing the coolant change....when ive had it changed before on previos cars the guy who does it always whacks the temp on full and blowers on full.

Im starting to think it might be best left alone... :-/

Stuart if you can hang on for a while, there should be a maintance guide for this comming soon. Mine also needs doing, I am getting it done with the help of TheBoy, but I shall take some pictures as we do the flush and make a maintance guide.

Thats me waiting then...

Yeah that would be great...Look forward to reading it and having a go.

We are also going to do a Oil Change Guide as well, showing pictures of the oil filter change, sump plug & colour of the oil. Very basic I know for some people here who can remove a gearbox with there eyes closed.

But for us newbies to car mechanics i think it will be usefull.

[stuart30]

Tunnie that would be great....

[summat]

We are also going to do a Oil Change Guide as well, showing pictures of the oil filter change, sump plug & colour of the oil. Very basic I know for some people here who can remove a gearbox with there eyes closed.

But for us newbies to car mechanics i think it will be usefull.

Don't knock it - it's hard enough even finding the bloody thing, such a guide would be useful (although personally, in all honesty, the joys of hot oil running down into the armpit have long since evaporated - with a local quik-frauds type affair in centre of city it can be almost as cheap to get them to do it - and get free parking for the afternoon).