Hello everyone, I tried looking under coolant flush /fill procedures but maybe I am not using the sight correctly, it has been years since I have been on here regularly like I used to until recently. I recently had the over flow nipple that the coolant recovery tank hose attaches to on the radiator break off while installing a new serpentine belt. I know it requires the blue coolant, what is the best way to get the rest of the coolant out of it, I purchased two of the jugs of 50/50 mix blue coolant, not sure what the total capacity is with just radiator removed and what capacity is if the system is flushed and emptied of old coolant.
It looks like previous owner used the new one size fits all green that mixes with any color because I can tell its a mix of green and blue but mostly blue. I want all the old coolant out so I can use fresh proper coolant. I appreciate any help, I will get used to the form again, a lot has changed since I was a regular. I appreciate any help.
In case I forgot to mention, this is on a 2009 QX56 4 X 4 .
One last thing, I am installing a new OEM radiator and also want to know if the OEM radiator cap is the best option, I was looking at a 45psi rated Stant radiator cap but wanted to get opinions first.

https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... 9%2FCO.pdf
See pages CO-10 to CO-13. Nissan recommends (and I do to) a vacuum refill process. Because of the height of the heating system above the water pump level, big VK vehicles can be a complete PITA to purge with regular techniques like jacking the front end.

Vis the coolant, blue and green could always be mixed if you didn't mind turquoise. You just can't mix either one with orange, that makes jello. Your '09 would originally have come with green.

Wish I had known about the vacuum technique first, I have the radiator pulled out, there is no dealer anywhere near me to get this done in ND and I am not able to haul it. So what are my options since i already am into the job, will doing it the usual method damage anything or cause irreputable issues?
Thanks for the help.
[/quote] Just wanted to add in case it makes a difference, I have not drained the block yet, only the radiator was removed.

All you can really do is jack the front end about 18" with the cap off and the front and rear heaters on full blast, then top off after the 'stat opens and cross your fingers. To be certain, do several cycles of warm up and cool down with the car still jacked, topping off the overflow bottle after each cool-down cycle. It's a time-consuming PITA, but you're basically letting the vacuum generated during cool-down serve the same purpose as the vacuum refill tool.

Well thanks for the info, I remember hearing about the raising the front end method, not going to be easy to lift that 7300 pound pig 18 inches off the ground! So just leave the over flow cap off until your done running it each time?

No, only the first time. After that it will suck in coolant from the overflow tank each time it cools off. When the overflow level stops going down, it's bled.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Thu May 12, 2022 10:58 am

All you can really do is jack the front end about 18" with the cap off and the front and rear heaters on full blast, then top off after the 'stat opens and cross your fingers. To be certain, do several cycles of warm up and cool down with the car still jacked, topping off the overflow bottle after each cool-down cycle. It's a time-consuming PITA, but you're basically letting the vacuum generated during cool-down serve the same purpose as the vacuum refill tool. leave the overflow cap off/

I have a question, won't the coolant start shooting out the radiator when the radiator cap is removed if I start and run it to let the thermostat open so i can top off the overflow res? I need to have the radiator cap off to fill the radiator before starting it I assume then once the reservoir is up to proper level then install radiator cap but

Get yourself a refill funnel and replace the cap with the funnel the first time you warm it up. Otherwise yes, be prepared for a little mess as the air bubbles migrate out.
https://www.amazon.com/Kauplus-Radiator ... B07W5T22XX

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Fri May 13, 2022 4:23 am

Get yourself a refill funnel and replace the cap with the funnel the first time you warm it up. Otherwise yes, be prepared for a little mess as the air bubbles migrate out.
https://www.amazon.com/Kauplus-Radiator ... B07W5T22XX

Thank you so much for your time. I found out the hard way, I installed a new serpentine belt and had the radiator cap off, when I started it it shot coolant everywhere.
These newer cars are a lot different, system is pressurized I guess. I will let you know how it turns out.

Well I got the system flushed with about 4 gallons of distilled water, until it was pretty clear, then added the blue coolant.
I ended up buying a coolant vacuum type fill kit that operated off of about 90-100 psi compressed air from my air compressor, I paid about $97 for the kit including shipping, the OEM Nissan radiator I lucked out and found a brand new one for $203, which was cheap because everywhere I looked they were $500 minimum. Anyway I got the system vacuumed and then used the kit to suck the new coolant up in the coolant system, it worked like a charm, no issues and was relatively easy for someone who never used one of these before.
I had to connect it to the reservoir though instead of the radiator cap area to get a good vacuum.
Thanks so much for the help and advice!
I fabricated my own foam seals on each end of the radiator out of reflective foam sound deadener padding by layering it 3 layers and then used 3M super weather strip adhesive to attach them to end of radiator, worked like a charm. The old foam was dry rotted and fell off when removing old radiator, I also replaced the OEM radiator cap with a 45 psi STANT one, OEM specs it said.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Thu May 26, 2022 4:11 pm

I want to thank you for all your help, info and advice on resolving my repair. Much appreciated!

You're most welcome, happy motoring!