COOLANT CHANGE AND FLUSH(double click pics):
Advisory: I'm no expert. Just sharing my experiences. Be sure towear SAFETY GLASSES as boiling hot coolant burns your eyes out and burns any exposed flesh.
Procedure to Drain, flush, and refill coolant1. Move heater "Temp" control lever all the way to "Hot" position.
2. Open drain plug at the bottom of the radiator, and remove radiator cap.(there is a hole to access plastic drain plug, but difficult to reach. I removed one 10 mm screw holding undercover. plug on driver side of radiator)3. Remove drain plug on cylinder block. -coolant is removed-(see pic)4. Close drain plug and tighten drain plug securely. -apply sealant to the thread of drain plug-
(A little ambiguous here. You can supply continuous water with garden hose. They seem to be saying leave radiator plug open. I guess the engine wont over heat as water level drops as it escapes out radiator drain)5. Open air relief plug(10 mm).(see pic)6. Fill radiator with water and close air relief plug and radiator cap.(Note: pouring cold water into hot engine will crack engine, if engine not running)7. Run engine and warm it up sufficiently.8.. Stop engine and wait until it cools down.9. Repeat step 2 through step 8 until clear water begins to drain from radiator.10. Drain water. Replace plastic radiator drain plug. Goes in straight or it will be damaged.11. Open radiator cap and air relief plug.12. Fill radiator SLOWLY with coolant up to specified level. Too fast and air wont be able to escape.(maybe keep track of how much coolant has gone in. Capacity is 7.25quarts(with reservoir) or 6.75 liters(?))13. Close air relief plug.14. Remove reservior tank, drain coolant, then clean reservior tank.15. Install reservior tank and fill it with coolant up to "Max" level and then install radiator cap.16. Run engine and warm it up sufficiently.17. Race engine 2 or 3 times under no-load.18. Stop engine and cool it down, then add coolant as necessary.19. find a steep hill and park your car with engine on the high side. run car with rad cap off and relief valve open. shake the car by sitting on
[email protected] A Tip Quick Tip. After flushing your cooling system, make sure you fill up your cooling system completely. The KA24 engines seem to like to trap air in the system and needs to be bled completely. My friend and I both own 240sx's and after she had a mechanic flush her system, she noticed her car would overheat at idle. Upon inpecting the cooling system, I noticed there were no leaks, and no coolant. An easy way to bleed the system is to run the engine, and keep adding water/coolant into the radiator while shaking various parts of the car. I liked to just push down on the front bumper. Shaking the front end side to side also helped. It took about 30 minutes of this to get all of the air out. At least as much as my body could take!
P.S. This applies to SOHC and DOHC models.Where is the coolant drain plug on the block?It is on the left side of the engine (looking from the driver seat). It is very close to the O2 sensor below the exshaust manifold cover. You can not see from the top Rise the car slightly, and look up from behind the left front wheel and you should see it. It is a 14mm short bolt. It is hard to undo from underneath the car. However use about 6" extension and unscrew from the top. Make sure to wear safety glasses. This should be on all the S13. Allen AlqadiEmail:
[email protected]
Air relief plug location:
Coolant engine block drain plug location:
Coolant engine block drain plug location(again):
Cautions:
1. Cats love Coolant. Unfortunatley, it is deadly for them. Dilute any spilled coolant with water. Dont leave out open containers of coolant.2. Always wear SAFETY GLASSES!!3. Cold water in a hot non-running engine will crack engine block, so ensure engine is running or engine is cooled.
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Modified by vancouverbc at 6:01 PM 2/9/2008
Modified by vancouverbc at 9:58 PM 2/27/2009
Modified by vancouverbc at 5:50 PM 5/27/2009