Tools Required
J 26568 Coolant and Battery
Tester
Draining Procedure
Caution: To avoid being burned, do not remove the radiator cap or surge tank
cap while the engine is hot. The cooling system will release scalding fluid
and steam under pressure if radiator cap or surge tank cap is removed while
the engine and radiator are still hot.
- Remove the coolant pressure cap.
- Raise and support the vehicle. Refer to
Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle
in General Information.
- Place a drain pan under the drain cock.
- Open the radiator drain cock.
- Drain the cooling system.
- If a complete engine block drain is required,
remove the engine block drain plugs.
- Inspect the coolant.
- Follow the appropriate procedure based on the condition of the coolant.
• | Normal in appearance -- Follow the filling procedure. |
• | Discolored -- Follow the flush procedure. Refer to
Flushing
. |
Filling Procedure
Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice in the Preface section.
Notice: The procedure below must be followed. Improper coolant level could result in
a low or high coolant level condition, causing engine damage.
- Close the radiator drain cock.
Tighten
Tighten the radiator drain cock to 2 N·m
(18 lb in).
- If the engine block drain plugs were removed, perform the following procedures:
2.1. | Apply pipe sealer to the drain plugs. |
2.2. | Install the drain plugs. |
Tighten
Tighten the drain plugs to 18 N·m (13 lb ft).
- Lower the vehicle.
- Open the cooling system bleeder screws.
Important: Use a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL antifreeze
and clean, drinkable water.
- Slowly fill the cooling system with a 50/50 coolant mixture. Refer to
Approximate Fluid Capacities
in Maintenance and Lubrication.
- Close the cooling system bleeder screws.
- Install the coolant pressure cap.
- Start the engine.
- Run the engine at 2,000-2,500 RPM until the engine reaches
normal operating temperature.
- Allow the engine to idle for 3 minutes.
- Shut the engine OFF.
- Allow the engine to cool.
- Top off the coolant as necessary.
- Inspect
the concentration of the engine coolant using J 26568
.
- Rinse away any excess coolant from the engine and the engine compartment.