| Author | Message | ||
     Richard Harvey New User Username: windy_weekend Post Number: 8 Registered: 01-2020 |
Hi all Went to start a coolant flush/refill this today and ran into a problem before I could even start that I figured needs solving before proceeding further - The workshop manual states that to refill I need to 'disconnect the radiator to expansion bottle hose from the radiator, and hold the hose above the level of the radiator top tank'. It looks like the hose is neatly connected to the radiator with a couple of setscrews and brackets (see red circles in photo). problem is I can't get these out. They unscrew okay but then just turn and turn, and no amount of wriggling or force seems to be able to disconnect them, meaning I can't get the hose off to hold it up above the radiator when I refill. Questions - 1. The system clearly needs to have the right amount of (no) air in it when I refill. Can I simply disconnect the end of the hose from the radiator and hold this up (i.e. the end is above the radiator when I refill), or must the entire hose be lifted? What would the implications be of simply lifting the end and not the entire hose (doesn't the whole thing need to get filled anyway)? 2. If the entire hose must come out/up, does anyone have any ideas or suggestions how I can even get these setscrews out to enable the hose to come out? Would love to hear thoughts before I proceed any further and screw something up. Thanks all.   | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 2079 Registered: 04-2009 |
Dear Richard, The objective is to ensure no air is left in the system. How you achieve this is not really important in my opinion. To open the system in any part of the circuit and elevate the connection to eject all air is IN MY OPINION just as good as the procedure in the manual. | ||
| Richard Harvey New User Username: windy_weekend Post Number: 9 Registered: 01-2020 |
Thanks Omar. That gives me some comfort. I'm sure I could thread the other end of the pipe down to drain it once everything else is out of the system. | ||
| Darryl Watson Experienced User Username: inox Post Number: 138 Registered: 04-2015 |
Hi Richard, I've re-filled filled the coolant in our 1990 Mulsanne S several times. The method I use is as follows. 1: Fill the expansion bottle to the maximum level. 2: Re-fit the bottle cap. (It omits this in the manual). 3: Disconnect the small hose from the rear/top of the radiator. (Slacken hose clip and pull off hose). 4: Tuck end of hose into a gap in the bonnet hinge with open end of the hose higher than radiator outlet. 5: Remove filler on top of the rad. 6: Using a funnel small enough to fit into the hole SLOWLY fill the radiator until water comes out of the pipe on the top rear of the radiator. This seems to take ages. (To minimise mess I fit a bit pipe from the rad into an old bottle or similar). 7: Re-fit hose 8: Re-fit filler plug. Do Not over tighten they can snap off. Not a major issue but an inconvenience. 9: Remove expansion bottle lid then follow rest of service manual re setting heating to defrost and running the engine until warm and maintaining water level etc. After a run check the coolant level again. Regards, Darryl | ||
| Mark Aldridge Frequent User Username: mark_aldridge Post Number: 697 Registered: 10-2008 |
I use the same method as Darryl,but I always jack the front up so that air will migrate to the front of the engine. | ||
| Richard Harvey New User Username: windy_weekend Post Number: 11 Registered: 01-2020 |
Thanks for the info folks. Will be trying this out shortly. Did a dry run on my daughter's 1980 Camaro and it seemed to do the job. Was confident enough to even take the rad completely out for a reverse flush. Will see if I'm up for the same challenge on my SZ! |
