[Handige]

Hello eveyone,

Can somebody please tell me what would be an easy way to drain the coolant without having a bath in my garage?

Yes, I know about the drain plug at the underside of the radiator, but that only drains the radiator and expansion bottle, the engine however will still be filled with coolant (unless you do it with the thermostat in the open position and then burn your hands undoing the plug).

No, there must be some other way to drain the system completely.

Thanks in advance for any help or sugestions.
Alex

 

[munichp38a]

Look into the RAVE description of draining the coolant, there are two drain plugs on the engine, but according to RAVE only one side must be opened.

Sigi, who had much experience with coolant during the last 2 weeks, after having leaking heater core o-rings and whining water pump (Should be good now :dance:, I hope)

 

[Handige]

Sigi, I was afraid that I had to undo these plugs.....
I am shure it will turn my garage into a swimming pool!
Maybe I will buy one of those big "trugs" used by the guys that are into plastering houses. (knauf goldband if you know what I mean).

Thanks,
Alex

 

[munichp38a]

Why do you want to drain it completely?

I just looked at the cooling system layout in RAVE again, but the lowest hose connection to the engine is on the water pump, so it looks like the only way is this plug...

And yes, you'll make a mess wherever it is standing.
Please remember that ethylene glycol (if your coolant is green (pre-99 models)) will go through your skin and destroy your liver, so don't go swimming in the pool you'll create!

Sigi

 

[SID]

Why do you want to drain it completely?

I just looked at the cooling system layout in RAVE again, but the lowest hose connection to the engine is on the water pump, so it looks like the only way is this plug...

And yes, you'll make a mess wherever it is standing.
Please remember that ethylene glycol (if your coolant is green (pre-99 models)) will go through your skin and destroy your liver, so don't go swimming in the pool you'll create!

Sigi

Oh! I have just done my O rings and flushed the cooling system of old coolant. The new antifreeze is BLUE and contains Ethylene Glycol and Bevat Ethyleenglycol. Is this the wrong stuff to use on a 96 4.6 and if so why? Thanks...

SID.

 

[Handige]

Hello munich,
I need to drain the fluid because I want to use "IRONTITE" ceramic sealer to see if I can repair my coolant leak.
Alex

 

[onetime]

Hi Used this stuff it really easy and works if damage is not too bad here how i did it.

Firstly put the car in high mode or extended if you have rovacom etc.

Open the drain hole at the bottom of the radaitor let the coolant run out, make the the expansion cap is off too.

Then put a hose pipe in the top of the expansion cap hole and switch on, watch the coolant run out until clear water this may take a few empty buckets but it must be done and irontite doesn't like coolant as you already know.

Before you do all off this you can add a cooling system flush product if you want.before you drain but i did not the first time.

When its has run clear, refill the system with water, use the line to the top left of the radaitor (return line)to bleed the system of large amounts of air then should self bleed threw the return line and expansion cap.

Once engine is warm and self bleeding add the irontite , then take for a run of around 50 miles. when completed this is bit you wont like you have to drain the system again whilst hot, (this is how the sealer sets over night or for aleast 12 hours it the engine heat that does it.) Watch your hands it will be hot. but not that bad garage will be wet.

refill the coolant after 12 hours with correct mix and away you go, i have used irontite and seal up, seal up is better in my opion as it has copper in it, also i added kseal to the coolant mix afterwards too.

You don't need to drain the whole system you just need to know the coolant has gone by flushing it totally,

Hope it works for you
cheers
Onetime

 

[Handige]

Hi Onetime,
You need the system to be totally empty in order to let the irontite "cure" overnight.
Irontite only cures when in contact with air instead of water.
So, If you only drain the radiator and leave the engine filled, you might aswell not drain anything at all...
Alex

 

[munichp38a]

I was told that the blue and green antifreeze are the same and can even be mixed (I already did this for topping up), but as it's a Range Rover: if in doubt, go for the solution intended by Land Rover, there's always hope that they thought at least one thing through...

Now it's filled with a 50:50 mix of glysantine (green stuff by BASF, don't know if it is sold under this name in other countries) and destilled water.

Sigi

 

[munichp38a]

Alex, do you know where it's leaking or is it just vanishing?

Sigi

 

[onetime]

Thats want i said to drain while hot and leave over night at least 12 hours, done this twice now and it worked for me, cheaper than a cos cast block. Didn't know you could just drain the radiator, when i have done it hot it comes out like a high pressure tap and leave until stops running and leave the expansion cap and radiator plug off.
Onetime

 

[Handige]

All I know is that I've gone thru a complete engine swap 3 times and still uses water....
I have a rebuild engine with top-hat liners and pressure tested the heads.
Also have new valvetrain.
I pressure tested the system....no leaks anywhere.
Also the footwell bellow the heater element is dry.
Last thing I am going to do before adding the Irontite is by-passing the heater core by joining the inlet and outlet water hoses. If then it still uses water, the leak must come from the inside of the engine somewhere.

Alex

 

[PaulP38A]

a tip to help drain the heater core...
disconnect just one of the heater pipes between the rail and the firewall (at the rail end), and blow hard in to the hose pushing out the coolant from the heater core.
Wipe the end of the pipe before blowing so you don't "kiss" too much of the old coolant.

From memory, I think there is about 8-9L of coolant in the system.

Cheers, Paul.