Coolant Flush

03Vibrator · Post by **03Vibrator** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:39 am

I am having my mechanic perform a coolant flush on my 03 GT. Question: Should I have him drain it from the radiator or from the block? I don't think it has ever been flushed (100kmi) And should I go ahead and purchase new rubber hoses from Autozone so he can replace them?Last question: Thermostat? replace it? leave it?

JohnC · Post by **JohnC** » Tue May 19, 2009 3:23 am

drain it from the block and the radiator, and put new hoses, radiator cap and thermostat on it. most shops perfer to supply the parts (they get them at a discount so they make a little off the parts too). i hated it when someone brought thier own parts in, especially if they were incorrect parts. let your mechanic supply them.

03Vibrator · Post by **03Vibrator** » Tue May 19, 2009 3:42 am

Well I work for a Volvo dealer and I thought it would be easier on him if I just supply them.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Tue May 19, 2009 1:59 pm

6 years and 100,000 mi - first coolant change? 2003 manual said do this at 24,000 miles or 2 years. Apparently 5 year coolant not used in the '03's.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Wed May 20, 2009 6:10 am

Quote, originally posted by jake75 Â»6 years and 100,000 mi - first coolant change? 2003 manual said do this at 24,000 miles or 2 years. Apparently 5 year coolant not used in the '03's. oops. i haven't done it either. had the car for 3 years at ~thank you.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Wed May 20, 2009 10:49 am

The last time I had a coolant "drain and fill" on my '03 it was a dealer special at $49.99. I think it is regularly about $80. I don't know what kind of "flush" they did if any. I don't drive many miles so tend to pay more attention to time. As one who has experienced too many radiator and heater core leaks in a lifetime I tend to go overboard on this. When they first changed the coolant at 2 years/12,000 miles they told me it was Dexcool but that would be a 5 year coolant. They replaced that with Dexcool and I changed it 3 years later when they were running the above special. At $50 I don't think it is time/cost effective to do it yourself. At $80 maybe.

djb383 · Post by **djb383** » Wed May 20, 2009 11:54 pm

The GT engine may be easier to "burp the air" than the base engine but be sure to check the coolant level at the radiator (ENGINE COLD) for several days after the coolant re-fill. Coolant level needs to be up in the neck of the radiator. The system seems somewhat tricky to "burp", at least from my experience.

pljenkins · Post by **pljenkins** » Thu May 28, 2009 6:55 am

I did a complete flush of my base '03 a couple of years ago. I did the drain from the radiator. Since I was doing a flush and fill, I think doing it from the radiator sans the engine is academic.I do recall it being a pain in the *** to burp the thing... Just took a lot of time.

bodhi_tree777 · Post by **bodhi_tree777** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:59 am

Quote, originally posted by pljenkins Â»I did a complete flush of my base '03 a couple of years ago. I did the drain from the radiator. Since I was doing a flush and fill, I think doing it from the radiator sans the engine is academic.I do recall it being a pain in the *** to burp the thing... Just took a lot of time.here's a dumb question from someone who's never done it. How does one burp the air out? Proper procedure (or a link) for this on a 2ZZ engine would be awesome. I'm at 70,000 miles and I've never done anything with the coolant (had it since 43k miles and it was a lease before that, so it has probably been serviced before at least once). How hard is it to change the thermostat in these cars?(I know, I know.. "search", goes the chorus, but I'm feeling lazy and conversational

djb383 · Post by **djb383** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:21 am

You refill the radiator with the proper coolant/distilled water mix, start the motor and set the heater controls to hot (A/C off). With the rad cap off, engine running, watch the coolant level in the neck of the rad. As the engine warms up, the coolant level in the rad will drop. Keep the rad topped off. When the heater is finally blowing HOT air (this may take a while), the system, for the most part, is 'burped' of air. For the next several days, remove the rad cap (ENGINE COLD and NOT RUNNING) to check the coolant level. Add coolant if needed. When the coolant level remains consistently in the neck of the rad, the cooling system is fully burped/purged of air. When the engine is cold, the coolant level in the overflow bottle should be somewhere between the cold/hot/low/full marks on the side of the bottle.

hbutko · Post by **hbutko** » Sun May 31, 2009 2:47 pm

I just changed my thermostat this past weekend, Not too bad.disconnect neg. terminal from battery.Drain Radiator (valve on drivers side of radiator near the bottom)Remove alternator, This is a good time to inspect your belt and consider replacing it. Remove alternator by putting a wrench on the belt tensioner nut and pull towards you while you slip the belt off the alternator pulley. Dont put excess stress on the tensioner its somewhat fragile.Remove the alternator electrical connections and the top and bottom bolts to remove alternator.Now you can see the thermostat cover, remove both nuts and pull cover away.Remove old thermostat, and clean surfaces.install new thermostat with gasket with the air bleed hole at 12 O'clockreassemble everything.Refill radiator with a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze.Fill radiator to the top of the neck and start engine and let it warm up.keep adding fluid to radiator, you now have to burp the system by reving the engine with the cap off, you'll see bubbles burst as the come up. repeat until no more bubblesbutton it up and take it for a ride and check the fluid levels again and burp if neccesary.Keep an eye on the fluid levels for a few days.

Attached files

Coolant Flush

Coolant Flush

Re: Coolant Flush (03Vibrator)

Re: (03Vibrator)

Re: (jake75)

Re: (tribalman)

Re: Coolant Flush (03Vibrator)

Re: (pljenkins)

Re: (bodhi_tree777)

Re: (bodhi_tree777)