Changing coolant and thermostat.

[Figit090]

I'm going to change my coolant and thermostat...and i was reading the TSRM on this and it mentions the engine drain plug, i was wondering if i need to uplug it, because it also mentions putting sealant on when you re-install it and if i can do just a good of a job w/out messing with the engine plug i will.

I was planning on running the engine with it all full of water and allowing it to reach operating temp to circulate, then drain it, and then fill it again with water after it cools along with radiator/coolant system flusher and then maybe again with water to get the cleaner residue out.

THEN i will fill it with coolant and try my darndest to rid the system of air...

does that sound good?

I bought a new therm. and gasket today too, so my cooling system should be good. I just have one more question......

on the base of my radiator there are two bolt-style plugs, and i took one out assuming it was the drain plug (later finding the REAL one) and not only did nothing come out but i'm wondering what it's for...there are two of them at either end of the radiator's base.. 11 or 12mm bolt plugs...painted over.

 

[supramacist]

I think if you lay on your back and slide under the car head first....., Look, left, squarely at the bottom of the rad. you'll see a tube and what kind of resembles a wing nut. I believe......, this is how you flush your' radiator. But i have a 91 model...., so it may be a bit different. I hope that helps and if it didn't......., someone on here will be more knowledgable than me.

 

[supramacist]

I have a tsrm as well......, it may as well be in greek or some shit. I like to get into things without help. It's like I never read the directions on my new video game until I have to. dig?

 

[Figit090]

yeah this one's a no-brainer....i found the plug as i mentioned but it was in parenthasis so i guess went un-noticed.

I drained it already successfully but i want to empty the damn reserve tank and it won't slide up and out.... is it supposed to? judging by its design i'd say yes but its stuck and i dont want to break something. do i have to unbolt it to empty it? i dunno if the low-level sensor comes out so i just decided to take out the hole canister and clean it while it's out.... i'll just unbolt it i guess

 

[Yellow 13]

I think theres a litlle clip on the back of the bracket you pry with a screw driver to get the reservoir off. I dont think its neccesary to drain the reservoir for a flush.

 

[Figit090]

I think theres a litlle clip on the back of the bracket you pry with a screw driver to get the reservoir off. I dont think its neccesary to drain the reservoir for a flush.

well mine was really dirty so i wanted to clean it, and i did all that and it's back on, but now i'm having issues with the thermostat...

- I forgot which way is up, the actual mechanisim is off-center and i would think there is a reason for that, i know which way it should point but not how it should be turned...i forgot to look when i took it off...

- when i bought my thermostat i also bought the rubber gasket that surrounds it but when i dissasembled the thermostat housing I found a paper gasket as well... black with a red line around it. do i have to have both gaskets or is the rubber one good enough? when i got the thermostat the salesman asked if i wanted the gasket and i said yes and got it...do i have to buy another?? I'm guessing i do but i'm not sure....

- the inside of the thermostat housing is covered in black residue, it almost looks like paint it's so black... and it's only on the lower half as if someone ran black fluid through the system, i know thats not it but what could have caused it? I'm thinking it may have been from extremely dirty coolant from maybe a blown head gasket but i'm not sure, its flaking off though so it doesnt seem recent.

 

[lagged]

you dont really need to take out the drain plugs. take out the tstat, take offthe hoses going to the radiator.

take a garden hose, and let water flow through where the tstat would go and just let it run for a while.

thatll flush out your motor real good. do the same for the radiator.

 

[Figit090]

i just checked the TSRM again and it told me which side to face up...the "jiggle valve has to be up, by the way, what does it do?

the jiggle valve seems to have made a slight marred dot on the thermostat pipe on the engine side, so im guessing that it was installed upside down and i'm wondering what effect that has on the engine... that things there for a reason but what?

 

[Yellow 13]

I can tell you a thermostat works by the spring expanding when it gets hot no clue wtf a jiggle valve does though...jiggles? Also on that other gasket you can spread some silicone on to seal it and keep it from leaking.

 

[Figit090]

I can tell you a thermostat works by the spring expanding when it gets hot no clue wtf a jiggle valve does though...jiggles? Also on that other gasket you can spread some silicone on to seal it and keep it from leaking.

OK, thanks. The jiggle valve is that little metal thing that i guess u could call a valve, it's basically just a metal cork in a pinhead sized hole, and it just floats there.......

I'll probably spread a bit of that on if i dont just get a new seal tomorrow... i was going to drive it to school but i'll just hold off for a day. thanks!

 

[supramacist]

I"m sorry figit. I didn't even read al of your first post. I just read the large piece of it and I assumed you were on the right track and just needed some direction. But....., I deffinitley jumped the gun on my responce. sorry about that. You may keep the old tstat so you can gut it and keep it as a spare. It may just get you home or to the parts store. Hard to say.

 

[Figit090]

it's ok! thanks for your help. Now i have new plugs, thermostat, and new seals for that. hopefully the seal on the thing before the Y-pipe doesn't bust when i remove it to get to my plugs i'm going to go work on this sucker....

 

[supramacist]

it may just be me......, but it seems that every time in my life i ever did anything with spark plugs it was a pita.

 

[Figit090]

well it just became one.....i'm posting in another thread for help...cause it sounds bad.