[Scout255]

Just wanted to add that you can turn the drain **** to the point that it comes out of the radiator and the coolant drains incredibly fast....

However, their is an o-ring on the drain **** that can come off and stick to the radiator sealing surface untill the coolant flushes it away and it ends up in your drain pan. I found this out right after I had filled up the system fully, as when I was pouring the old anti-freeze into an old container, the o-ring was at the very bottom of the drain pan. Thank god it didn't just get flushed into my waste antifreeze bottle, or I never would've understood why my radiator was leaking under pressure...

I ended up having to quickly unscrew the drain **** (with new coolant pouring everywhere), reinstall the oring, and quickly screw it back in.

All in all, next time I do it, I will definately NOT remove the drain **** completely.

Hmm, didn't know that that word was filtered.... Uhhh, replace **** with plug I suppose.

[STI Sibb]

Originally Posted by a14ypzz

is it better to flush out the coolant system with water or w/e before doing this?

It's not necessary, but all it requires is your time and a gallon or 2 of distilled water if you want to flush any remaining particulate out of the system.

Some people will refill the system with distilled water, run it, then drain it as a cheap and safe way to flush before adding the coolant mix. There are other methods out there as well, but none of them are necessary for "changing the engine coolant" as prescribed in your owner's manual. As with the coolant filling procedure, be mindful of the temperature gauge. It takes several cycles to remove all of the air from the system.

[manny07sti]

What about water wetter? Recomended??

[theGraySTiG]

Originally Posted by manny07sti

What about water wetter? Recomended??

there are track guys who use just water and wetter, but if you don't need it, i wouldn't bother. just some coolant and water should be fine for most people. if you track your car and never see freezing temps, it might be worth it.

[starxidiam]

how long will a coolant change take for a first timer?

[WRX-One]

Really, the longest part is waiting on the old coolant to drain out, followed by burping the system. Actual, thinking labor is only about 20 minutes. Then it's just waiting around and cleaning up your mess.

I just did this yesterday as a matter of fact. It took me about an hour to an hour and a half.

[starxidiam]

well it might take me 4, I'm one of the most unlucky people. It took me about 3 to change my oil. 2 of the skid plate screws would not come off, it took forever to get the drain plug off and the oil filter. I guess i didn't have the right tools.

[STI Sibb]

Originally Posted by starxidiam

well it might take me 4, I'm one of the most unlucky people. It took me about 3 to change my oil. 2 of the skid plate screws would not come off, it took forever to get the drain plug off and the oil filter. I guess i didn't have the right tools.

Always plan for Murphy...even in the most simplest of circumstances .

Also, never believe anyone that says, "That's easy!!!". It probably is in hindsight, but wasn't the first time.

If you have everything, I would plan on it taking 2 to 3 hours your first time.

[AgentofDarkness]

What about the coolant in the engine block and in the heater core? If you drain just the radiator, won't some coolant be trapped in the block and the heater core? In autoshop we would use a coolant flush machine where it should pump new coolant in and drain the old stuff out. Is this not necessary?

[motorcross242]

i followed these instructions perfectly.
after i finished draining and plugging it back up i filled then started the car with the rad cap off and warmed the car up a bit and "burped this system". a little foam was purged(assuming it was conditioner?)
i then waited for it to cool and added more coolant.
i again warmed it up with the cap on tight and let it cool and added a bit more fluid. i massaged the hose and could hear coolant flowing through and added more and more coolant.
i did this about 3-5 more times.

after a day of driving i noticed that an inch had been taken from the overflow. i filled to the appropriate Full mark

then the next day after driving i noticed when it was cool that the overflow had increased about an inch over the f mark.

after a few days of driving, my temps never spiked and have stayed perfectly below the mid point on the dash.
i also have tried squeezing the rad hose and it felt full of coolant.
anything im missing?

im just wondering if im full and good to go. i believe i've added something like 6 quarts.
i've checked the level after a few good runs and the level at the top of the system is full. should i drain that excess fluid in the overflow or leave it????