Series IIa coolant query

Series IIa, 2.25 petrol.

Is there anything required to drain the cooling system, other than
drain the rad and open the tap on the block? I've just changed the
coolant and flushed the rad, but I could only get about 5L of new
coolant in and the antifreeze mix is still full of muck.

BTW, the system works very well - no sign of blockages and runs cool.

TVMIA

Rich

Richard Brookman wrote:

> Series IIa, 2.25 petrol.
>
> Is there anything required to drain the cooling system, other than
> drain the rad and open the tap on the block? I've just changed the
> coolant and flushed the rad, but I could only get about 5L of new
> coolant in and the antifreeze mix is still full of muck.
>
> BTW, the system works very well - no sign of blockages and runs cool.
>
> TVMIA
>
> Rich

Did anything come out of the block? It is not uncommon for this drain to be
blocked by sludge. No other drains.
JD

So JD was, like

> Richard Brookman wrote:
>
>> Series IIa, 2.25 petrol.
>>
>> Is there anything required to drain the cooling system, other than
>> drain the rad and open the tap on the block? I've just changed the
>> coolant and flushed the rad, but I could only get about 5L of new
>> coolant in and the antifreeze mix is still full of muck.
>>
>> BTW, the system works very well - no sign of blockages and runs cool.
>>
>> TVMIA
>>
>> Rich
>
> Did anything come out of the block? It is not uncommon for this drain
> to be blocked by sludge. No other drains.
> JD

Now you come to mention it, the block did drain very slowly after the
initial gush, and was still dribbling rusty water when I got fed up after
about 20 minutes and shut it off. Does this drain tap come out completely
(I only loosened it enough to let the water out)? Would it be worth taking
off all the hoses and putting a hose through every available orifice?

Thanks for the advice.


--

Rich

Pas d'elle yeux Rhone que nous

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 19:49:46 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Brookman"
<[email protected]> made me spill my meths when he wrote:

>Would it be worth taking off all the hoses and putting a hose through every available orifice?

I flushed mine out in three parts, the radiator, the heater and the
engine. I was changing some of the hoses anyway and so already had
them off. I flushed out the heater until that was running clear,
likewise the radiator.

I blocked off different pipes to the engine so I could flush through
as much as possible in different directions and routes etc. For
instance, I closed the drain so I could flush through the block etc.
The crap that was in there was like oxtail soup and it was nice to
have it changed but it was only because it was a nice hot sunny day
and the kids were playing with water outside that I did it. Not too
sure I'd be volunteering to try it in this weather as you tend to get
pretty wet Then again, you could use the hot water supply from the
house The temp sender turned out to be duff and was reading high,
would have been cheesed off it I had gone to all that trouble on that
fault alone but the rad hoses were due for replacement so seeing as I
was already in there...

Learnt pretty quickly that the better way to undo a jubilee clip is
with the small socket and a ratchet extension rather than persevere
with the screwdriver and have the clip spin and stick the screwdriver
into a hand. You won't have this problem as your fingers will be well
numb by then
--
Wayne Davies - Mobile 07989 556213 - Harrogate, N.Yorks, UK

On Thursday, in article
<[email protected]>
[email protected] wrote:

> Learnt pretty quickly that the better way to undo a jubilee clip is
> with the small socket and a ratchet extension rather than persevere
> with the screwdriver and have the clip spin and stick the screwdriver
> into a hand. You won't have this problem as your fingers will be well
> numb by then

I have a cheap socket set [1] which has the small sizes, and the usual
extensions, UJs, and lever ratchets for those. Better than socket on
screwdriver for some hoses, but you do risk over-tightening.

[1]The good sockets got nicked about a year ago while the farming was
being wound up. These were a cheap metric set from Lidl, if we had any
odd jobs to do. But it would have been worth getting to fix the heater
hose.

--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.

Wrought under license granted by Her Majesty's Apostropher Royal AD MMIV

Richard Brookman wrote:

> So JD was, like
>
>> Richard Brookman wrote:
>>
>>> Series IIa, 2.25 petrol.
>>>
>>> Is there anything required to drain the cooling system, other than
>>> drain the rad and open the tap on the block? I've just changed the
>>> coolant and flushed the rad, but I could only get about 5L of new
>>> coolant in and the antifreeze mix is still full of muck.
>>>
>>> BTW, the system works very well - no sign of blockages and runs cool.
>>>
>>> TVMIA
>>>
>>> Rich
>>
>> Did anything come out of the block? It is not uncommon for this drain
>> to be blocked by sludge. No other drains.
>> JD
>
> Now you come to mention it, the block did drain very slowly after the
> initial gush, and was still dribbling rusty water when I got fed up after
> about 20 minutes and shut it off.
> Does this drain tap come out completely

There are probably different taps fitted, but yes, it does come out (mine
does anyway) allowing a piece of wire to stir up the sludge.

> (I only loosened it enough to let the water out)? Would it be worth
> taking off all the hoses and putting a hose through every available
> orifice?

Definitely!

>
> Thanks for the advice.
>
>

The 2a handbook only required water in the cooling system, and the earlier
models required regular topping up as there is no overflow tank. This means
there has probably been a lot of foreign material added over the years, and
also a lot of corrosion, so a good cleanout is probably indicated.

JD

So [email protected] was, like

> On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 19:49:46 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Brookman"
> <[email protected]> made me spill my meths when he wrote:
>
>> Would it be worth taking off all the hoses and putting a hose
>> through every available orifice?
>
> I flushed mine out in three parts, the radiator, the heater and the
> engine. I was changing some of the hoses anyway and so already had
> them off. I flushed out the heater until that was running clear,
> likewise the radiator.
>
> I blocked off different pipes to the engine so I could flush through
> as much as possible in different directions and routes etc. For
> instance, I closed the drain so I could flush through the block etc.
> The crap that was in there was like oxtail soup and it was nice to
> have it changed but it was only because it was a nice hot sunny day
> and the kids were playing with water outside that I did it. Not too
> sure I'd be volunteering to try it in this weather as you tend to get
> pretty wet Then again, you could use the hot water supply from the
> house The temp sender turned out to be duff and was reading high,
> would have been cheesed off it I had gone to all that trouble on that
> fault alone but the rad hoses were due for replacement so seeing as I
> was already in there...
>
> Learnt pretty quickly that the better way to undo a jubilee clip is
> with the small socket and a ratchet extension rather than persevere
> with the screwdriver and have the clip spin and stick the screwdriver
> into a hand. You won't have this problem as your fingers will be well
> numb by then

Cheers Wayne. I had another go at the weekend. This time I poked around the
block drain until it delivered a good squirt, then put the rad plug back on
and left a hose dribbling water into the top, and out through the block. I
left it like this for a good hour until clear water was emerging, then
drained down again and refilled - this time with the antifreeze first (5L)
and topped up with water, so at least the concentration will be OK. It took
a total of about 8 litres this time (compared to 5 before), so I must have
cleared something out. The coolant now looks clear and I'm happy that it's
all OK for the winter. I think I'll follow your advice round about next
July It's a bit chilly round here at the mo.

--

Rich

Pas d'elle yeux Rhone que nous