Eventually we're going to do a heads / cam upgrade on Brian's LT1. The process is straightforward and not particularly "difficult" but it is involved. Perhaps the single worst part about the job is that no matter how careful you are, you end up dumping coolant all over the floor when you pull the water pump, or radiator, etc.

Brian had said that he would like to figure out some way to avoid the mess. Since it will very likely be done at my house I am inclinded to agree. The less time we can spend fighting with a mess, the faster the install will go. Oil isn't a big deal, it comes out pretty cleanly. The biggest issue is coolant. I can drain the radiator into a bucket pretty easily but the block presents more of a problem. Even pulling the knock sensors to drain the block results in "unstable" fluid flow that is very hard to contain without some amount of spillage. For those who have done this before you know that antifreeze and concrete to not like to seperate from each other in a timely manner.

I know places like Eastwood sell kits for changing the oil from the top, basically it is a glorified vacuum. Is there any such thing for coolant, anybody ever use one, recommendations, affordable?

 

Maybe using some compressed air with the knock sensors are out. Rig up something to blow into the stat housing and out one or both sensor outlets. May make more of a mess though. Are you woried about the coolant trapped in the heads or waterpump? I'd just get a sacrificial bath towel and throw it under the car (over the opti too), wring it out as neccessary. Just thinking aloud here, you have done this stuff lots more than me...

 

Go to a chain parts store and get one of those large open plastic catch basins. They are typically about 2 feet across and have a spout and cap so you can drain them into bottles after you're done. They should run about $5-6. I hve a big yellow one and it works great for catching coolant from the radiator drain or when removing hoses.

Another thing that will work after you have the coolant drained and begin to pull the heads is one of those 2'x4' metal oil drip pans. They have a lip around the edges and it will contain a fair amount of fluids. You can line the pan with old newspaper to soak up a lot of the stuff.

 

I use a small "water-bed" pump, like a Little Giant pump. I bought two hose-end to barbed 1/4" fittings and clear plastic tube. Get tubing rigid enough to shove down ports and hoses, but flexy enough to drive down channels, etc.

This method makes changing a transmission filter a dream; and you can measure how much comes out to replace it. I just stick the tube down the dip-stick pipe and pump it out.

 

You can lay some construction plastic under the car and spread a layer to kitty litter or dry-rite on top to keep fluids off the floor and contain them for easy disposal.

 

Hey, a coolant bath is all part of the fun of draining the coolant.

 

Mayhaps but I've done it enough times that I care not to continue. It's not so much of the initial bath as it is the mess on the floor. My dad does a lot of woodworking and we usually have lots of sawdust. I just hate spreading that all over the floor and trying to clean it up. It cleans up nicely if the car is out of the way, but usually the fluids aren't making a mess until after the car IS in the way.

 

Nathan, no one hates a coolant mess more than me. The last time I drained the coolant. I spread floor dry on the flloor before draining. What coolant the bucket didn't catch, the floor dry absorbed, and easily swept up.

 

One other thing to consider trying. For $20.00 you can go to just about any department store and buy a plastic 1-piece kiddy pool thats 12" -14" high and 8' dia. This should be able to catch about anything if you are working from above.

PS if it's too tall it's relatively easy to cut down to what ever works for you. Use heavy duty sissors or some tin snips.

 

I like that idea...thanks

 

If you cut the bottom off an empty plastic gallon milk container, you can use it to direct coolant from the knock sensors into a catch pan, rather than have it shoot all over. Kind of like a giant funnel.

 

I like the large plastic sheet idea. Takes care of all the stuff that runs along various frame and suspension parts while you catch the bulk of it in a drain pan.

as far as the problem...even when I worked at the dealer and we had a machine that sucked it out using the shop air, flip a couple valves and the new coolant was sucked back in using the vacuum in the system, still a mess was made. There is no greater attractive force than coolant-to-where you are/need to be standing.

 

Long, very narrow funnels have helped me redirect coolant coming out of the knock sensor hole and coolant drain plug hole on my LT1. Try finding one made of somewhat pliable plastic so it can be squeezed into position.

Get each plug loose enough to finish off with your fingers and then put the funnel in place. Reach over the funnel to get each plug all the way out. With a little bit of practice I have been able to prevent all but a few drops of coolant from hitting the ground when draining these plugs.

Prior to pulling the WP, and assuming you aren't reusing all of your coolant, you can then proceed to flush the rest out of these two holes (and the radiator drain valve) with a water hose by spraying into the thermostat hole. Eventually all of the actual coolant will be flushed out into your funnels, and what remains will be so diluted that when the WP comes off, whatever fluid splashes onto the ground shouldn't stain the ground.

Hope this helps prevent some mess!

 

I cut the bottom 8-10" out of a plastic 55 gallon drum. It's a freebie and it makes a great catch-all for such things.

 

DYN-O-MAT 3'x7' hold 25 times its own weight in any liquid, California Car cover co. $25 or you could spend all day cutting up old gallon jugs of 2% milk.

 

Have a shop vac with sawdust or the like in the bottom, when you make the mess vac it up and dump in the trash can.

Yer done

 

Hey I have one of those pans too it worked great changing my opti.

 

I drain the radiator outside, i have a gravel driveway, close the radiator, then drive car in garage.

 

I bought one of these vacuum canisters.
Have used it pull fluid out of radiators, blocks, transmissions.
Works really well, and cheap $$$$ enough.

http://www.pelaproducts.com/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search.html...ela%20Products

 

Agreed. I spread a layer of kitty litter across the entire surface of this pan, lay the actual drain pan on top of this pan, and try to direct as much of the coolant as possible into the drain pan. The flat pan catches the rest.

Be well,

SJW