Help with draining the antifreeze

[dtownfb]

I was in the process of changing the thermostat on my 2000 Olds Intrigue and had trouble draining the coolant from the engine. I finally got the radiator drain loose (Hint: 1/4 turn to the left and pull at the same time) but could not get the engine block drain loose. I used Liquid Wrench and still could not get the nut loose.

I'll give it another try tomorrow morning but can anyone give me a suggestion on how to drain all the coolant from the engine in case I can't get the engine block drian loose?

Thanks.

[Jimmy Olsen]

Originally Posted by dtownfb

I was in the process of changing the thermostat on my 2000 Olds Intrigue and had trouble draining the coolant from the engine. I finally got the radiator drain loose (Hint: 1/4 turn to the left and pull at the same time) but could not get the engine block drain loose. I used Liquid Wrench and still could not get the nut loose.

I'll give it another try tomorrow morning but can anyone give me a suggestion on how to drain all the coolant from the engine in case I can't get the engine block drian loose?

Thanks.

Might try a suction gun inserted via the thermostat opening.

[dtownfb]

Thanks Jimmy. I'll keep that in mind.

[tmartin000]

I'm just asking, not telling.

But, isn't it worth the $79 to have a machine do the radiator flush? Oil Can Henry's or Jiffy lube? I mean, does their machine do a good enough job?

I know mine needs it too.

[dtownfb]

tmartin: After spending about 6 hours playing around with the radiator drain, stripping the engine block drain, struggling with 9 year old clamps and hoses, yes it is better to pay $79 to have someone else flush your cooling system.

I've been trying to learn more about my car and doing the basic maintenance like this. Plus I wanted to try my hand at changing the thermostat. Now that I have experienced it, no need for me to do it again.

I used a hand suction pump to drain the engine block. It actually worked very well. I estimate I only got about half of the coolant out of the engine block but it was very easy to use.