Draining + refilling Antifreeze

  1. Newbie Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 4
    #1
    Hi Everyone,
    Im new to Saxperience!

    My mum has a a mk1 saxo 1.1i 1999.
    Ive done a serivce on it but need to change the antifreeze as it looks like its seen better days!

    Im always as bit weirry of draining and refilling as i know you normally end up with airlocks, and if unnoticed you can damage the head ?

    Its the red antifreeze isnt it ?

    Ive found these instructions as a general guide, wondered if one of you would be kind enough to check over them to see if there right ?

    1 Draining the Cooling System

    2 Open the radiator cap with the engine cold.

    3 Crawl under the front of the car and look at the bottom of the radiator. Find the radiator "drain cock" (also called the radiator petcock). The drain cock is a small plug or T-shaped bolt located at the bottom of the radiator. Sometimes it's plastic.

    4. Place a large pan - 5 gallons or so - under the radiator. Open the drain cock with your hand or an appropriate-size wrench. Allow the radiator to drain into the pan.

    5. Close the drain cock.

    6. Refill the radiator with water until the water is at the top of the radiator or just visible.

    7. Replace the cap.

    8. Run the engine for 5 minutes to circulate the clean water.

    9. Stop the engine, allow to cool slightly and repeat steps 1 through 4.

    10. Adding Coolant and Burping the Cooling System

    11. Add a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 antifreeze to the radiator. Fill it right up to the top.

    12. Fill the overflow/coolant reservoir with the same 50-50 mixture.

    13. Leave the radiator cap off, turn the engine on, and let it run until the radiator "burps." There may be pockets of air trapped in the system: You'll see the coolant level drop and may see a large air bubble come to the top as the system burps. Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature gauge throughout this process.

    14. Refill the radiator to the top and the coolant reservoir as needed.

    15. Put the radiator cap back on.

    16. Add more coolant if the engine runs hot after this procedure - there may have been another pocket of air that burped.    [/I][/I]
    Is it really as simple as above? !!![/I]

    Thanks guys...
  2. Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Sep 2007 Jail - Whitby Posts: 15034 520bhp Honda Jazz
    #2
    The way i do it..

    1. take bottom radiator hose off

    2. drain everything

    3. open all 3 bleed points

    4. cut the top off a 2 litre bottle and tape it to the top of the radiator so its like a funnel

    5. put pipes back on

    6. fill the radiator and bottle to the top

    7. start the car

    8. start with the lowest bleed point, and wait for constant water to come out with no air and close it

    9. work your way back up from lowest to highest closing the bleed nipples as they stop pushing air through..

    10. Leave car running until fan comes on and check temp

    11. let the fan come on 2 or 3 times.

    12. pretty much done, once the bleed nipples are shut, take bottle off, and put rad cap on
  3. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 9100 Amazon green VTR 16v, Inferno RS clio 182
    #3
    As above but I find the best way to ensure a nice clean system is to remove the thermostat then bolt the housing back on without the stat inside, unbolt the top pipe from the rad nd then run a hose through the top pipe and it'll flush the block through. Same thing goes for the radiator, flush it one way then reverse to get the debris and crud out
  4. Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Sep 2007 Jail - Whitby Posts: 15034 520bhp Honda Jazz
    #4
    What Gandi said, if you are refilling it, better off to flush it through and get any bad little bits of shit out
  5. Newbie Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 4
    #5
    Thanks for all your help, where is the 3rd bleed point, found 2 on right of radiator cap.
    One at bottom and one at top, cant see a 3rd ? !

    Also does anyone know roughly how many litres it should hold?
    1.1i saxo 1999


    Cheers
  6. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Jul 2010 Morley, Leeds Posts: 8469 Civic ep3 type r powered by TDI NORTH
    #6
    http://www.saxperience.com/forum/sho...eding+radiator

    Try that mate and its roughly 4.5 litres.
  7. Newbie Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 4
    #7
    Hi,
    Drained antifreeze today, took bottom pipe off, bid of sludge came out, so decided to put antifreeze in with water 50/50 and use that for few days and give it another flush sat when i have more time, then hopefully will be a clean drain when i do it next !

    Followed instructions from here http://www.saxperience.com/forum/sho...eding+radiator

    Opened all 3 bleeding points, filled system, closed the bleed point on top of rad grill, then allen key point and the then dustcap one, when they all had a clear run of water come through.

    The bleed point like a dustcap almost came through with running water as soon as i started car ?
    So put cap back on, i was expecting that to be a few mins as it says "once the car is a little warm and the thermostat opens the Third bleed point will start to bubble and leak once it stops bubbling replace the top(WARNING WATER WILL BE HOT)."Then put heating on full blast.
    Left car running for 10 mins but no fan come on ?
    So turned engine off and came on here !!!

    What shell i do next ?
    I wont use the car until i get any replys !!!

    Really want to get it ok then use it for a few days and do again sat to get a clean system.

    Thanks
  8. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 9100 Amazon green VTR 16v, Inferno RS clio 182
    #8
    You might as well do it now, flushing it out takes an extra 5 minutes tops.
    What I do is get the pop bottle upside down in the rad filler neck with the bottom half cut off, with all bleed points open. I then pour in the coolant slowly via the bottle and then lock the bleed points off in the sequence in that thread - coolant should start to come out of the bleed points when you are pouring in, the car does not need to be running. So anyway after coolant has come out in a steady stream from each and they have been locked off, top up the radiator pop bottle to over half full and start the car. Let it get hot until the stat opens next to the top hose, you'll feel hot water start to run towards to the radiator. The bottle will now start to fill up a little and you'll see the coolant mixing together in the bottle.
    Wait for the fan to cut in and off a couple of time then shut the car off and leave it to cool fully with the rad bottle in the radiator neck. When done the bottle will be empty and then check the amount in the radiator and top up if necessary, put the cap back on and then its done.
  9. Newbie Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 4
    #9
    Do i need to drain and start again or can i just skip to the bleed part as l already got all the anitfreeze mix in there ?

    Really wanted to take it to work and use a hose to flush etc...

    Can i just open all 3 bleed points, close in seqence, shut off when steady stream and then top pop bottle up to half way and follow your steps ?


    Thankyou
  10. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 9100 Amazon green VTR 16v, Inferno RS clio 182
    #10
    no need to drain it, but if you havent flushed out then I personally would as theres no point doing the job twice in my view. You could just buy some more coolant at a later date but whatever anyway, but yes do the above.