My friend has an 01 vert with about 10K miles on it. The coolant has never been changed. I volunteered to help. Any advice? Is there a drain petcock? Does the system need to be vented during filling? Etc. Thanks for any help.

 

Do a seach and you will see lots here on the subject. I just did mine last weekend. Very easy job.

 

plastic petcock lower right corner its white ish i used a small allen wrench to turn it then undo the coolant tank cap whoosh close an fill with dexecool 50/50 mix i took of my thermostat housing to drain more out big mess thou and now squeeky belt but i have a new one

 

Here you go:

Document ID# 642884
2001 Chevrolet/Geo Corvette


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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.


Park the vehicle on a level surface.
Remove the surge tank cap:
Slowly turn the cap counterclockwise 1/4 to 1/2 turn and stop. Do not press down.
Allow any residual pressure, indicated by a hissing sound, to be relieved.
After all residual pressure stops, continue turning the cap counterclockwise.
Raise and suitably support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
Place a drain pan under the drain ****.
Open the radiator drain ****.
Allow the cooling system to drain completely.
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
DO NOT use cooling system seal tabs, or similar compounds, unless otherwise instructed. The use of cooling system seal tabs, or similar compounds, may restrict coolant flow through the passages of the cooling system or the engine components. Restricted coolant flow may cause engine overheating and/or damage to the cooling system or the engine components/assembly.



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.


Close the radiator drain ****. Tighten
Tighten the radiator drain **** to 2 N·m (18 lb in).

Fill the cooling system through the surge tank.
Fill half the capacity of the cooling system with 100 percent DEX-COOL® coolant.
Slowly add clean drinkable water to the cooling system until the level reaches to the base of the neck.
Start the engine.
Allow the engine to idle for 1 minute.
Install surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant temperature reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Refer to step 2 above in order to remove the surge tank cap.
Start the engine.
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.
Install the surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Refer to step 2 above in order to remove the surge tank cap.
Top off the coolant as necessary, 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above FULL COLD mark on the surge tank.
Rinse away any excess coolant from the engine and the engine compartment.
Inspect the concentration of the engine coolant.
Install the surge tank cap.

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Document ID# 642884
2001 Chevrolet/Geo Corvette

 

Thats what I call a procedure. Thanks.

 

I will add a short note to this post about changing your coolant. I just changed mine in my Z a few weeks ago. Only a half gallon or so old coolant came out of the radiator on a gravity drain. My friend, who is a GM certified mechanic, pressurized the recovery tank to get the rest of the half gsllon or so coolant out.

 

I lowered my car back to level while draining, got out all but 2 quarts.

 

I have not done it yet, but I was told by a pretty wise member, just to disconnect the lower hose and out comes the old coolant. I have also heard that the plastic drain part breaks real easy.

Just thought I would add this info,

Clayton from Las Vegas

 

OK, I'm "old school", and I'm planning on servicing my '01's cooling system soon.... If you don't drain the block, how does the "procedure" get all of the old coolant out?



The block DOES have drain plugs, doesn't it??

 

I dont think the block has coolant drain plugs.

 

If you don't drain the block, how does the "procedure" get all of the old coolant out?

You have to fill the system with distilled water and take a drive to get it all diluted and blended before dumping the system again. If you are a/r like me you can do this twice and dilute what remains in the block to clean distilled water.

Quote from above:
Inspect the engine coolant for the following:
Discolored -- follow the flush procedure below.
Normal in appearance -- continue with the next step.

The factory procedure is kind of lame - I would never mix old coolant with new, discolored or not.

Would you change your oil and filter by draining only half of the old oil?

 

That's exactly what I was getting at.......

 

That is perfect that is how I will do mine... Thanks for the good info...

 

I just changed my coolant this weekend and I agree that the factory procedure (page 6-337) takes a lot of time and does not purge any of the coolant in the block unless your solution to pollution is dilution.

On the driver's side and near the front of block is a relatively large brass plug that has a hex head fitting. I believe that this might be the block drain. Has anyone tried removing this plug? If so, what size of hex wrench does it take?

 

Do you want to deal with air pockets and block leaks, NO.
I would just follow procedure and then drain again in a couple years and not wait 5,6 or 7 years.