HELP! how do i change the coolant!?

[judoman]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to change the coolant on my 1996 VS commodore v6 wagon. I've flushed it, but am having trouble refilling. I've only got about 3.5 L into it, but now the level is at the top of the radiator cap, so I can't get anymore in.
I've now taken the top off the engine, found the little bleeding screw above the top radiator hose, and opened that up. The level drops a little bit, then fluid comes out.

So ... now what? Close it all up, run it for 5 minutes, and hope it doesn't overheat, and then if i'm lucky the level will be down enough to add the rest of the 12 L?

any advice greatly appreciated! I don't really know what I'm doing with cars.

cheers,
Charlie

 

[ozsmoka]

Hey judoman,

Either the systems not fully drained or you have an air lock in the system. Im no expert but Id just give the motor a quick run with the radiator cap off, if you have an air lock you should see a heap of bubbling then the level will drop straight away. Turn the motor off then repeat till you get the required amount of fluid in.

If you find the fluid is really dirty after 'flushing' the system and replacing, you probably havent drained it sufficiently.

In my limited experience- replace both top and bottom radiator hoses with every coolant flush. I always get leaks when trying to do it on the cheap lol with out replacing hoses. Then it only costs more in replacing the fluid each time you have to replace a leaking hose.

I hope this helps

 

[Harvs82]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to change the coolant on my 1996 VS commodore v6 wagon. I've flushed it, but am having trouble refilling. I've only got about 3.5 L into it, but now the level is at the top of the radiator cap, so I can't get anymore in.
I've now taken the top off the engine, found the little bleeding screw above the top radiator hose, and opened that up. The level drops a little bit, then fluid comes out.

So ... now what? Close it all up, run it for 5 minutes, and hope it doesn't overheat, and then if i'm lucky the level will be down enough to add the rest of the 12 L?

any advice greatly appreciated! I don't really know what I'm doing with cars.

cheers,
Charlie

I've done this more times than I care to remember, and I can gaurantee you that you will never get the 12 litres in...

Easiest way is as follows (assuming you are using the genuine holden 50% concentrate coolant as recommended)

Make sure heater controls are on full heat. Remove the lower radiator hose, remove thermostat and top radiator hose from the top of the block, and flush clean water through the block, till clean water is flowing out of the bottom radiator hose. Then flush the radiator until clean water is coming out of the outlet. Connect the lower radiator hose. Pour the whole bottle of concentrate into the radiator, if it doesn't all fit, pour some into the thermostat outlet, and reinstall thermostat. Top up radiator if needed with more clean water. Clean out overflow tank, and fill with remaining concentrate and top up with water, about one inch above the MAX mark. Start the car up and let run for atleast 15 mins, and open the bleed valve on top of the thermostat cover, until no more air comes out.

I figure with doing it this way, you will end up with 6 litres of water and 6 litres of coolant concentrate, thereby giving you the correct 50/50 mix.

Cheers

 

[Fatboy]

Nice explanation Harvs!