Coolant Flushing - What's the considered method?

[Boatbuoy]

Hi Chaps,

I've got a minor coolant leak that only occours when the system is pressurised. I intend to fix it completely but in the mean time I need to keep topping the car up. Trouble is I've only had the car for two and a half weeks and I don't know what's in there already! So I think it's best to empty, flush through and start from scratch! I've found the obvious ports (filler, radiator bleed bolt, and cooling rail taps), are there any others, and whats the correct way to do it?

I know you wont let me down!

Regards,
Olly

[itiejim]

The bleed points are those you have identified. I just open them all, fill until coolant starts coming out of the rad bleed and close that. The continue filling until coolant comes out of the water pipe bleeds and close them.

Run up to temperature and bleed any air out of the coolant pipes.

Job done!

Be careful if you keep having to top it up though. If you are losing coolant you don't always get a lot of warning before it becomes critical! I'd make a permanent repair a priority.

[Tanguero]

There isn't a drain tap so if you want to drain it, I find that the easiest hose to pop off is the one to the thermostat. It's relatively easily accessible if you take the passenger side front wheel off.and you have room to get a container under it to catch the worst of the flood.

[longbow]

I use one of these:



Need a compressor though. It might even find your leak - it creates a partial vacuum inside the system before allowing the coolant to enter, and you'll hear it hiss if there is a leak somewhere.

[ridds]

You don't NEED to empty it. The only issue is with Green/Blue and mixing either with Orange/Pink.

Green/Blue is Silicate based and Orange/Pink is Organic Acid.

As long as you keep to what is in there you'll be fine.

Also a specific gravity checker is handy to check the concentration.

[JensenA]

The Red Anti-Freeze is the best one to use for the AJP or S6 engines. Halfords own brand is a good one.