removing coolant in a GT4

What are you looking to do:

1) Empty the collant system completely?, if yes for what reason?
2) Get most collant out and refill with new collant?

 

Open the front trunk, remove one end of the hold-up rod, push the trunk lid to vertical so you can work easier. Or, you could remove the lid all together.

Reach in, find the plug, and undo it. Coolant will run all over.

Jack up the car, crawl underneath, find the block drain plug, and undo that. Coolant may splash you in the face, be careful.

 

OK its not pretty but this how best to get the most out the collant system without having to try and get the block drain point open - most are stuck solid.

1) Remove the expansion tank cap

2) Remove the air bleed on the front radiator.

3) Remove the sensor for the fan switch on/ off on the bottom left on the Radiator( while looking at the car fornt the front)

The engine will start draining out through the switch point.

When it stops draining close the bleed line on the radiator.

Now here is where it gets unpretty, unless you have a suitable adaoptor for your expansion tank cap.

Use your lung power and blow through the expansion tank cap sealing it as much as you can. This will force what ever remaining water is in the block out via the hole in the bottom of the rad.

Once this stops replace the thermostatic switch for the fans back into the radiator and reopen the bleed line at the top of the rad.

Make sure the front end of the car is on lower ground than the rear before you start to refill via the expansion tank.

Fill with 50% Ethylene Gylcol with rust inhibitor and 50% Deionised water (make sure you use DI water, having just had to remove the heads on my own car and deal with Aluminium Oxide corrosion preventing the heads form coming off easily - YOU WILL THANK ME FOR THIS IF YOU EVER HAVE TO DO THE SAME)

Once the bleed valve starts to let water out tighten it up. Start the engine let the temperature start to rise and slowely open the bleed valve until all the air left in the system is gone.

Recheck the level in the expansion tank.

Done

 

ok, dont laugh and throw stuff at me, but where the heck is the expansion tank on a GT4?

( ducking for cover).......

my GT4 wont be delivered until the weekend, and nowhere in any of the pics, have i seen an expansion tank like my GTB/GTS's have. this is great timing, as i will most likely be doing all the fluid and filters on the car, depending on how the car looks.

 

Use an aircompressor, instead of lung power.
The expansion tank the rear most right handside black thingymagig with the coolant cap cover on it.

 

see thats just it, all i see is what looks like a fuel vapor canister, and nothing that looks like a coolant tank. its been a long time since i have seen a gt4 in person, and i was not looking for the expansion tank then! bear in mind my car is not here yet......
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duh, i see the expansion tank in the very top right corner..........duh....

 

That big round cylinder is the carbon canister, 6 inches further to the right, 3 inches higher is the expansion tank, in black with a coolant cap on it.

 

I have a much easier way but you will have to wait for my write up and pictures.

 

I have been real busy sorry! first open the heater valve while driving. I open the petcock on the engine and I remove the front hose that goes to the heater this gives the least amount of spillage. I change it every year so the little left behind i dont worry about. You could pour a couple of quarts of distilled water in the tank if you wanted it all to come out. I also use a funneland tube under the engine petcock. I have it down to spilling less than a cup!! I will do a whole write up with pictures in the next couple of weeks. I am using dexcool buts thats a whole other story. I have had no ill effects in 7plus years running it even though horror stories abound about it. I have heard if you ever switch you cant go back more on this in my article. I use distilled water, Im not sure exactly what the deionized water is but my goal is to not build up minerals. inside my aluminum tubes are clean as a whistle. Rob I have heard the no rosion stuff is good too but may stop using all additives soon.

 

Guys

DI water is usually a cheaper form of distilled water. It goes through a reverse osmosis filtration process to remove all of the dissolved solids/ minerals that can cause:

1) Build up / crud in the cooling system
2) A "minature" battery effect between the aliminium of the block and the Cylinder Head studs resulting in the formation of ALimimium oxide around the cylinder head bolts.

Making it a complete Bast&*d of a job to get the heads off without a special lifting plate!