I am at the 5 year mark, how do I change the coolant?

 

Here you go!

Chuck

The procedure follows:


Draining and Filling Cooling System

Caution
With a pressurized cooling system, the coolant temperature in the radiator can be considerably higher than the boiling point of the solution at atmospheric pressure. Removal of the surge tank cap, while the cooling system is hot and under high pressure, causes the solution to boil instantaneously with explosive force. This will cause the solution to spew out over the engine, the fenders, and the person removing the cap. Serious bodily injury may result.

Important
If the procedure below is not followed a low or high coolant level condition and/or vehicle damage could result.


1) Park the vehicle on a level surface.
2) Remove the surge tank cap:
3)Raise and suitably support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
4) Place a drain pan under the drain plug.
5) Open the radiator drain plug .
6) Allow the cooling system to drain completely.
7) Inspect the engine coolant for the following:
Discolored -- follow the flush procedure below.
Normal in appearance -- continue with the next step.

Notice
When adding coolant, use DEX-COOL® coolant. If silicated coolant is added to the system, premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine coolant will require change sooner-at 50 000 km (30,000 mi) or 24 months.

Notice
Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.


8) Close the radiator drain plug. Tighten.
Tighten the radiator drain plug to 2 N•m (18 lb in).

9) Fill the cooling system through the surge tank.
10) Fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® coolant and deionized water.
11) Start the engine.
12) Allow the engine to idle for 1 minute.
13) Install surge tank cap.
14) Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant temperature reaches 99°C (210°F).
15)Shut off the engine.
16) Remove the surge tank cap.
17) Start the engine.
18) Allow the engine to Idle for 1 minute. Fill the surge tank to 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above the COLD FULL mark on the surge tank.
19) Install the surge tank cap.
20) Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant reaches 99°C (210°F).
21) Shut off the engine.
22) Remove the surge tank cap.
23) Top off the coolant as necessary, 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above FULL COLD mark on the surge tank.
24) Rinse away any excess coolant from the engine and the engine compartment.
25) Inspect the concentration of the engine coolant.
26) Install the surge tank cap.

 

have fun

 

Nice write up!

 

I can spin the valve to drain the radiator but nothing comes out. There must be some trick to it.

and I just found out it's only supposed to spin 1/4 turn.

 

Dealer is doing mine tomorrow..it's less than $100...worth it to me

 

the car has to be on a level surface then you can jack it up... does it have to be level when jacked up or i can just jack the front end????

 

I just had mine done last week at the dealer. It just so happened that I had the "Service Steering Column Lock" issue. I also had just turn 30K miles so it was due. Cost was $99. Well worth it as far as I am concerned.

 

Damn, I paid $140.00 at the dealer.....

 

Damn, I did mine at home and it cost me the fluid and beer. I think I saved over $100.00 based on your cost.

 

OOPS! IF it rotates more than 1/4 turn, you probably broke the pin off.
It should rotate so that the pin lines up with a slot in the radiator housing, then pull straight out to get it to drain.

 

what if all i have are ramps, so only the front end is up, at an angle.. will it drain fully? i already bought 3 gallons of dexcool, but i think $50 is worth it for my local shop to take care of it...

 

You cannot perform a 100% change out at home, special equipment is needed to flush the block out. So you quys that had the dealer do it are better off because it was a complete change out, not partial, which you will see after the "numbers" don`t add up at home.

Ref. owners manual amount required vs. what you drained and actually were able to replace with new coolent.

Good luck,

 

I wondered about this as well. Plus, don't they backflush it to remove any scale etc.??

 

To quote Ed McMahon, "you are correct sir",,, I spect.

Peace bro.,
Les

 

how many gallons comes out from a flush? (the initial drain before they flush and reflush with water)

also as far the the new stuff that goes in.. 2.75gal coolant, 3 gal water?

 

Bleh, as long as your old stuff isint gunked up too bad, following the procedure outlined above is totally fine and it'll only cost you about 25 dollars to do.

 

I just changed the coolant in mine for the very first time earlier this year, and it didn't look gunked up (although perhaps the original owner might've done it, even though the car only had 32k on it when I bought it in 2004) All I did was drain what was in the rad and then refill it, then I drove around for a day and repeated the procedure the next day. I figure I got 80-90% of the old coolant out this way, and I certainly saved myself a lot of money compared to having the dealer do it. I really don't think a complete flushing of the system is an absolute necessity, as long as you get most of the old stuff out you're ok. If there is any worry you could always do the drain and refill procedure 4 or 5 times, that would certainly get out 99% of the original coolant.

 

good info but a pay for job for me