top radiator pipe and coolant draining

[sawychri06]

i need to remove the top radiator pipe on my vp and want to know what is the best way to do it without draining all my coolant. can i siphon it out of the tank and then replace it when i have finished. ??

[Vt-Brrrlina]

maybe undo the bottom one..... and empty into a bucket.. then undo the top bugger all will come out...... then re use whats in the bucket and top up a tiny bit of water

[sawychri06]

and this might sound dumb but where do i fill it up from do i fill it up from the tank or the radiator.

[Vt-Brrrlina]

when u refill the radiator.... fil lit from the radiator.. turn ur heater on and start the car.. and top up till its full... should be fine

[sawychri06]

so i shouldnt fill it up from the coolant tank.

[Vt-Brrrlina]

nah from the rad

[sawychri06]

also mate why do i have to turn on the heater when putting the coolant back in. by the way this is all happening so i can put in an after market temp gauge

[Vt-Brrrlina]

ok when u take the hose off and release some of ur coolant, air will fill the spot... hence when u poor coolant back in u may end up with an air pocket in the system.....

by turning on the heater and waitin till the thermostat opens u will see a bit more coolan sucked into the system which u can then top up from the top of the radiator leaving no air pockets and properly running system.

edit: the heater core uses coolant hence turning it on...

[sawychri06]

oh cheers mate
thanks for that

[sawychri06]

ok just another quick question after filling up the radiator do i put some back into the coolant tank

[levymetal]

fill the overflow up to the marked level. take it for a drive, let it cool, and check to make sure it's still at the correct level (and add coolant if it's not).

[Cheap6]

On a V6 the cooling system will have to be bled too. There are previous (numerous) posts on it but use a funnel sealed against the radiator filler neck (e.g. soft drink bottle with the base cut off and neck taped with electrical tape for the seal), fill it with water above the height of the bleeder screw - small brass screw on the thermostat housing at the engine end of the top hose - open the bleed screw (valve) and wait until the stream of coolant is constant before closing it. Do it again with the engine running.