Radiator fluid change
 

Engine 1.6L
Year 2000
Model DX

Thinking about changing the coolant... any advise? Tips or tricks? Should I even do it myself or just take it in?

Also, same questions for changing out transmission fluid...

Thanks for the help!

Just do it yourself its not hard.
Drain look under the radiator for the screw
flush with water
I usually run some coolent flush with water untill the car gets warm, it really cleans out alot of gunk.
Then I flush with water again to get the flush out
Then fill with the proper coolent mix.

Theres a new dexcool based coolent I want to try supposed to be really good, maybe when it gets warm again.

So drain out the old coolant
Put the drain plug back in
Fill with water and coolant flush and run engine
Remove drain plug and drain that
Replace drain plug and fill with water and run engine again?
Remove drain plug and drain water
Replace drain plug and fill with coolant/water mixture

I guess what i'm not sure about is what is meant by 'flush' Does that mean just poor water into the radiator with the drain plug removed and let it drain as it gets filled?

close when I say flush I mean have the top and bottom of the radiator open and run water through it with a garden hose. JUst in and out open the whole time. JUst run untill the water is clear.

By "coolent flush" I mean a little bottle of stuff you get at a car store labled coolent flush.

So just a small change to your stuff

So drain out the old coolant
run water through
Put the drain plug back in
Fill with water and coolant flush and run engine
Remove drain plug and drain that
Run water through
Replace drain plug and fill with water and run engine again? (optional)
Remove drain plug and drain water
Replace drain plug and fill with coolant/water mixture

When you run engine be sure you do it with the heater on and untill it gets warm this way everything gets cleaned.

sounds easy enough, thanks!

Another option is install the Tee fitting to a heater hose - BUT i think i cracked the heads on my '86 Rustang (aluminium heads) with the cold water...

Use ONLY soft, de-mineralized water (de-ionized) for the coolant mixture. Collect used coolant and properly dispose of at AutoZone, PepBoys, etc... check for a local drop off site. It is illegal to dispose of coolant on the ground or on the street.

i swear the bucket tipped over by itself , i swear !!! j/k

Seriously theres not problem with ethelene glycohol. The only real danger with it is if it pools and animals come and drink it (theyll die). If you properly wash it down a dain there will be little to no envormental damage, its just an alcohol

But legaly you need to dispose of it at an auto zone or something.

Sorry Zerocover, I beg to differ. Antifreeze is toxic no matter how well you "dilute" it down the street. It'll eventually make it's way to the ocean via storm channels (where I live) and pollute the water where I sometimes surf. It may pollute groundwater that you drink! Yeah... it's not as bad as cyanide... but please collect and dispose of it properly in your area! About 15 years ago, I used to let it drain down a local alley until I read about antifreeze toxicity in college. I've posted a few links to dispel the belief that it causes no harm to the environment:

http://www.seco.noaa.gov/ENV/Factsheets/antifreeze.html

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/antifree.htm

http://www.hazardouswaste.utah.gov/A...gFactSheet.pdf

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/CALMAX/Guest/2001/Summer2.htm

http://www.green.ca.gov/EPP/Vehicles/Antifreeze.htm

Remeber You Need to dispose OF this Stuff Legally advance will gladly take your waste, I think alot of auto motive places will, its usually there policy.

All of the links youve posted are filled with propaganda and mis information, my favorite quote was "A cat can die by simply licking its paws after walking in a puddle" well the cat could also choke on its own hair simply by licking its paws too, or we could all get struck me meteors.

Its toxic to ingest in significant quantaties. It creates oxalic acid in the body which is some really bad stuff, long term (if you survive) it would have no ill effects. Alone its not dangerous or corrosive. The reason its so dangerous is that it has an extremely sweet taste which makes animals drink a whole lot of it. This is also why its added to wines and whiskys (illegally but people do drink it and usually no ones the wiser).

If everyone were to drain there radiator coolent out then we might have a problem but when was the last time anyone changed there coolent. THe only reason I do it is because im anal about maintnence. I know people that have never changed the coolent and dont even think its neccessary.

One environmental worry I do have is if you've never changed out your coolent it is possible for the coolent to have accumulated enough dissolved metals to actually cause a problem. Although remember this is metal from your engine and radiator so there might be some extra problems.

I respectfully disagree but you are entitled to your opinion. This is a "meteor" we can all control. As a scientist myself, I do agree that some of immediate danger to humans and pets is a little stretched. Any spilled fluid will evaporate relatively quickly and pose little danger. The anhydrate (dried-up) salts/metals left on the ground will enventually leach into the watertable or get mixed with surface water.

http://www.usedoil.com/pdf/MSDS-Used-Antifreeze.pdf

Bottom line: Use the long-life antifreeze/coolant FL-22 and bring the used stuff to an approved drop off site -- which are free.