Need help...

[Vtec 4 Life]

I'm trying to drain the coolant out of my '88 Trans Am GTA (5.7 TPI). There is water mixed with the coolant due to an overheating issue over the summer and water being the only thing accessible at the time to take the car home. With the temperature dropping rather quickly, I would like to drain the coolant from the motor ASAP. Can anyone tell me if there is a drain plug on the block and if so where? If not, what would be the best way to drain out the coolant from the engine? Any help would be greaty appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[UncleBob]

Originally Posted by Vtec 4 Life

I'm trying to drain the coolant out of my '88 Trans Am GTA (5.7 TPI). There is water mixed with the coolant due to an overheating issue over the summer and water being the only thing accessible at the time to take the car home. With the temperature dropping rather quickly, I would like to drain the coolant from the motor ASAP. Can anyone tell me if there is a drain plug on the block and if so where? If not, what would be the best way to drain out the coolant from the engine? Any help would be greaty appreciated. Thanks in advance.

are you storing the car or are you just looking to get the right ratio of coolant and water to protect it from freezing?

The simplist answer is pull the lower radiator hose, let it drain for a couple hours, and then fill it up with a 60/40 ratio to account for what little water will be left in the engine

that'll protect you to -30* F. Just run it at least once up to full operating temp after you do this, so that the mixtures mix well and you're done

[curtis73]

Good advice, unclebob. There are two drains in the block; one on either side. They should be a brass plug just above the oil pan rail about midway front-to-back on the block. I might suggest treading lightly. Brass plugs tend to get corroded into the threads and they're very soft. If you break one out it is a pain to fix. I suggest you take UncleBob's advice.

They sell cheap tools at the parts store to test your coolant's properties. They look like a turkey baster with little balls in it. The balls are all a different density. You suck up some coolant and depending on which balls float and sink it will tell you what is in there.