Klondike

I've been thinking about doing the throttle body coolant bypass. I was wondering if anybody has any trick ways to drain coolant without splattering all over the place.

JrRifleCoach

Drain it out the knock sensor hole?

Klondike

I don't need to drain it all out, Just enough to be below the thermostat level so It won't drain out of the throttle body when I do the bypass. I could drain from the regular petcock but it splatters all over the place. Thought of siphoning from the pressure tank with a little plastic tube, but I can't get it deep enough into the system to take it down very far. Just thought somebody had some clean trick to lower the level some without the usual mess.

Cliff Harris

I have used a turkey baster to lower the coolant level in the radiator. The trick is to put your finger over the hole when you pull it out so the coolant doesn't run out all over the place.

erieaddict

Siphon it out of the radiator, use a piece of clear tubing and just siphon half the radiator out into a gallon jug or bucket. Just did this on a intake gasket replacement and it worked great.

Ranman#1

AGENT 86

Is there no drain valve on rad base ?

Paul Workman

A neat trick I've seen a couple guys use is one of those long, flat, rectangular Tupperware storage boxes you can get at WalMart, or Target, etc.

They're about 3-4" deep, so they'll just slide under the air dam, and they're about 12-18" wide and about 3 feet long (long enough to catch drips that run along the frame rail when the rad petcock is opened).

RUU

^ this

Aardwolf

I just use my wet/dry shop vac. If I want to get all the water out I tape a 3/8" hose to it so it gets deep into the block or radiator.

PLRX

94z07fx3

I do that on blow. I pull the thermostat and disconnect the lower radiator hose at the radiator. The upper hose I disconnect from the radiator and just use my hand for seal (imperfectly) the vac to the upper hose. Then I let it blow out as much as will come. Ditto for the radiator.

Klondike

Thanks for all the comebacks guys. Had to put the C4 on hold over the weekend. Had to put lower control arms and struts on my Son's car. Then Sunday, went over to East Texas with a friend to retrieve a '51 Ford F3 that a friend wants to make into a rat rod. (We had to remove the current resident rat first, then drag it out of the barn with a tractor!)
Can't really siphon the radiator on the '96 cause I can only siphon from the pressure tank, which is over on the passenger side and mounted kind of high. No cap on the radiator. I used the big Tupperware box trick last time I did the thermostat and it worked pretty well, so I'll probably just do that again. BUT, I had to replace that box cause my Wife had her Christmas stuff in it and she pitched a wall-eyed fit!

don hall

Just a humble suggestion..... don't bother.

Klondike

Probably the most thought out reply of the bunch!
The under hood temps are insane enough. It's just so hot most of the year down here in Texas, I didn't think I needed that 210* water constantly flowing through the throttle body.

don hall

Hot water flowing thru the TB does not cause any harm, nor reduce performance. Some believe that diverting the coolant away from the TB will allow cooler air to enter the TB.

Stop and think..... with the vette traveling at 65 mph, the air molecules are not just hangin' out absorbing heat before entering the TB, they are moving at 65 mph (or faster, due to the funnel shape of the air cone).

At least the coolant is being 'cooled', and aids in reducing engine heat...... the more coolant flow, the better.

If you feel the need to bond with your vette, grab a wax can, pad, polish rag, and a six pack.

desertmike1

BOOT77

I put these on my cars as much as I change stuff around, wonder if the knock sensor works with a T-adapter?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-61106

don hall

TBSS/85vette

That's what I use, got it from Wal-Mart.