Radiator Drain Plug

LandsEnd · 09-11-2008, 11:00 PM

How do you get to the drain plug on the radiator? (6th Generation)
How many gallons come out from just draining the radiator then refilling it with green antifreeze/distilled water (50/50)?

***talkinghorse*** · 09-12-2008, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LandsEnd

How do you get to the drain plug on the radiator? (6th Generation)
How many gallons come out from just draining the radiator then refilling it with green antifreeze/distilled water (50/50)?

There's typically a little access hole in the cowling beneath the radiator...you have to stick a screw driver up thru there to reach the drain plug. You'll probably get ~1.5 gallons out of the radiator...if you buy a gallon of coolant and mix it 50/50, you will have enough to refill it.

LandsEnd · 09-12-2008, 10:58 PM

I think its time to change my coolant. 33,000 miles, & cars 4.5 years old - probably the original coolant. Can I use green coolant from Walmart with distilled water, & not bother with the probably expensive Nissan coolant which is an hour drive from here? I don't want to deal with trying to get all the air out of the system, so what percentage would just draining the radiator get out (I also have a syphon I can use to get it out of the reserve tank.)? Will this be good enough?

So I turn the drain plug with a screwdriver, and it all comes out of that hole?

Love_00_Max · 09-13-2008, 07:10 AM

DONOT monkey in the coolant dept, u will invariably get burnt. Pitch in the $22 and get Nissan Long Life coolant and do a flush.

BTW, there is enough documentation on how to flush. Radiator drain plugs are made of some really soft plastic, very easy to strip. I prefer to remove the lower radiator hose for draining, messy but then does the job eventually.

Getting the air off the system is very easy, take the radiator cap off, raise the front of the car on jack stands and run for 20 min. No air will be there...

***talkinghorse*** · 09-13-2008, 08:06 AM

Agree wit Love00Max...spend a few extra dollars and buy the coolant that is properly formulated for the system...it could save you bunches of money in the long run.

I've always drained the systems via the drain plug as (that's what it's intended for, and)it is easy to access...as Love Max said, however, it is made of some sort of nylon/plastic material, so be careful not to strip it.

Concerning the percentage, I would say that you will replace roughly half of the coolant by just draining the radiator. I do this procedure to my car every 30K (or every other year) and the cooling system still functions perfectly after 10 years.

Concerning the overflow reservoir, I usually R&R for a good cleaning. You could siphon the old coolant, but it's really easy to unbolt and remove.

LandsEnd · 09-18-2008, 08:54 PM

I will get the Nissan Long Life coolant, and use distilled water. (Read a antifreeze -sticky on here that made me think this was wise.) A screwdriver will get radiator plug off because from antifreeze - sticky on here it looked like a different tool which I dont have is used, but if a screwdriver works I would rather use that then spend money on another tool. Yes, I will be very careful not to strip the plug. Glad I was warned about it before hand. 3 Nissan dealers where I live all right around 1 hour away exactly lol, so I'll wait until I'm in the area to get my coolant then make a special trip for it. Still debating on to flush, or not. Hopefully by next month I'll have it done. Thanks.

Nissan Long Life Coolant is GREEN? (I have green in my car now.)
Screwdriver will work, or special tool which is called what?
If I were to flush the system would I need 2 containers of coolant instead of 1 since I would be adding pure coolant to the radiator to make up for the water in the engine block?

Love_00_Max · 09-18-2008, 10:36 PM

Many stealerships stock some crapy.. coolants not authroized by Nissan like Peak, G05 etc. When you go into the stealership (I would call before stepping my foot into these stealerships if they indeed have the Nissan Long Life Coolant) be adamant about what you want. Some org members from Canada stealerships to use some coolant other than OEM. That is a step in the wrong direction. You need only one gallon of full strenght coolant for a complete flush.

Nissan coolant has a distinct deep green dye unlike OTC green coolants that have a lighter and brighter color. When using a star screwdriver for the drain bolt use the biggest one you have that has a lot of surface area and digs deep into the plastic bolt. That way your chances of stripping is greatly reduced, if you indeed think you are stripping, stop and drain via lower radiator hose.

Flush is the way to go...

1) Remove lower radiator hose (LRH) and drain radiator and reconnect.
2) Remove block bolts and drain block and keep heat to high with blower set highest.
3) If the block bolts are hard to get, then fill radiator with distilled water, remove upper radiator hose (URH) and plug the upper radiator hole at the radiator end with towel. Connect a water hose the one I got was from Home Depot for $5 and of 4 ft length, it is deep blue in color which fits snuggly onto the URH and clamp it and point the extended hose to a gallon bucket. Start car and keep filling the radiator with distilled water while thermostat opens and sends out the coolant out of the block via the URH to the gallon bucket.
4) Run thro 4G of distilled water, and after sometime its only water that comes off the URH.
5) Stop and reconnect URH and drain the radiator and fill the radiator with full strength Nissan coolant (leaving 1/2L for overflow tank).
6) Block has 3.5-4.0L of distilled water and radiator 3.5L of coolant (total capacity is around 7.5L including heater)
7) Start engine and cycle thro for the water and coolant to mix.
8) Fill overflow tank completely with 1/2L coolant and distilled water.
9) Purge remaining air in system but opening radiator cap on an inclined drivethro and keep running for 45 min.
10) All air is out of the closed loop system. Fill overflow tank to full and check levels for a week.

LandsEnd · 09-19-2008, 11:30 AM

Is a Philips screwdriver a 5 star screwdriver? I'm doing what talkinghorse does just draining the radiator, and getting half out. I won't have to get air out of the system now will I since I'm only doing the radiator? My mechanical skills are practically a zero. I can do oil changes, and thats about it.

***talkinghorse*** · 09-19-2008, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LandsEnd

Is a Philips screwdriver a 5 star screwdriver? I'm doing what talkinghorse does just draining the radiator, and getting half out. I won't have to get air out of the system now will I since I'm only doing the radiator? My mechanical skills are practically a zero. I can do oil changes, and thats about it.

It's made for a phillips head, but you can also use a flat-blade screwdriver. Recommend you crawl under there and scope it out before you begin.