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I am looking to drain my radiator and found this "plug" installed where I thought a petcock was supposed to be. Is this something a PO installed or is it factory?
It looks like someone tried to remove it with an open wrench, and also a magnet doesn't stick to it.
Also - it will not budge with some medium force with a 6 point socket on a 7" ratchet. I'm afraid to pull too hard and damage the radiator itself. I tried removing the plug with a cold engine and a normal operating engine temp., but it won't move with the force I'm limiting myself to.
I'm also afraid to apply external heat to any radiator. "Scaredy Cat", right?
Should I leave it alone, because too much force will damage the threaded bung in the radiator?
SherryRed.... I think that's a radiator mount/isolation pad. Not the drain that you are looking for. You are correct in looking for a petcock and it should be located in the bottom radiator tank probably opposite of the lower hose. If you recently replaced the radiator, it may have a plug in lieu of the openable petcock. Keep looking. It's hiding in there someplace.
My '66 had the same plug and it was also very tight. I used a six point socket on a breaker bar and applied a little "shock" to the bar with a hammer in both directions. You do have to be careful to not apply too much shock or pressure because you're dealing with an aluminum radiator. With some patience it eventually came loose and now has a brass petcock. I know there is controversy about using brass in aluminum, but I've never had an issue using this combination on several cars over many years, so you can use your own judgement.
Sherry Red... I admire your patience with the plug. Hell, I didn't even know that there isn't a tank at the bottom of the radiator. In any case, if you don't remove the plug could you not still flush the radiator by draining thru the lower hose? I know, Captain Obvious here. Fortunately, I haven't had to service my cooling system yet and most likely would have ruined my rad by using a breaker bar on the plug.
Keep us posted on your progress!
Yes, removing the lower rad hose is another option - one that I'll probably use when I need to refresh the cooling system.
In this particular case - I was looking for an easy way to remove some of the coolant out of the system so I could remove the heater hoses without making a mess. Since I am replacing the heater hoses anyway, I made a cut in the old hoses to aim for my collection pan instead.
I know DeWitt's currently has a sale on new radiators, but I'll hold off on that purchase as long as I can.
Instead of removing the bottom hose and making a mess do what I did on my Duramax (doesn't have a drain plug). Remove the top hose and pump it out (maybe pump out the surge tank first)
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66 radiator drain plug?
