GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I searched the genvibe.com for the coolant topics but all the topics are about the color/types of the coolant and the price/interval to change the coolant. These discussions have been very educational. However, my question is more fundamental than that!Where is the drain plug on the '03 Vibe GT? I looked under the engine for a while but I did not see any obvious drain plug for the coolant. Could someone take a picture and post it on this site?Thank you!

haven't checked the actual car, and this pic is from the Matrix manual, but it should be the same for Vibe. Not sure about the thing labelled Water Drain Plug, but the drawing seems to show the radiator drain plug/valve on the front of the radiator

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There is also this one if you want to drain from the block...On the 1zz engine on the back side of engine, about mid way up between cylinders 3 and 4. The 2zz on the front of the engine above the oil filter, may be off to either side. Both are 10mm plug bolts.

The picture was very helpful. Thank you.I will look and see if I can locate the Radiator Drain Plug. I think draining from the bock (from Water Drain Plug?) would be very messy.I will let you know if I find the same plug on the Vibe.

Quote, originally posted by Dr. DODO »The picture was very helpful. unfortunately, that picture is misleading. The valve control on my Vibe is on the engine side of the radiator, at the bottom corner pretty much straight down from the battery. Mine has a white butterfly vavle thing, and it does look like when you open the valve, the coolant drains straight down out the bottom f the radiator, not out the handle of the valve like older radiators do. here's a pic, looking back at the radiator from the engine side, the driver's side of the radiator

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The forum was down for a while over the weekend so I just saw this now.Thank you very much for posting the picture. I will look on my Vibe to see if I can find the butterfly valve like yours.Once again thank you.This is a great community!

Yep, that is what mine was supposed to look like, I've worked with them many time, but the handle portion is broken off. THe coolant is orange, so I am thinking its factory, but who knows, the car was a bit used when I got it.

Just changed my coolant again -- this time I will write about it so I can refer back next time. The radiator drain is easy to find, but not the engine block drain. (This discussion applies to GT 2ZZ engine only.) The block drain is directly above the front-to-back structural support and the right axle. Hard to see without a light, hard to get in there, hard to get a wrench on it. You will want to push some radiator heater hose on the fitting to avoid getting antifreeze in the face. I used a 10 mm socket, universal joint, and 6-inch extension.The radiator and block combined drained less than a gallon -- lots of dead-ends, even with the heater turned on. I was able to put in about the same amount, did not flush it. I like to know my coolant is really 50% water, and changing every 30K miles should make up for not flushing. (These days "extended life" coolant claims 5 years or 150K miles.) I used the yellow stuff, same ingredients as Dexcool without the gross color interactions.

In case this helps, here's a pic from underneath the car, close to the passenger tire, looking up at the rear of the engine. The passenger wheel driveshaft is clearly visible, and the drain tube and bolt are labeled.I hope this helps someone...it took me quite some time to find it!Please pardon the picture...it's from a cell phone camera with a trouble light for lighting.

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