millwright71 Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Been a long time since I have posted. I changed the coolant in my 02 DTS today. Drained radiator per service manual instructions. The manual says capacity is 12.5 quarts. There will be 2 quarts left in engine with no way of draining. I installed sealant tabs into the hose that crosses the radiator from pass side to drivers side. My question is that I put about 1.25 gallons in through the surge tank, idled the car with A/C on and set at 90 degrees. The temp gauge got up to normal. I am currently leaving the car cool down to ambient temp. Why did it not take at least 2 gallons? How do I know for sure it is filled correctly? I now have an over full surge tank. I hope the level goes down when it cools and i can get at least 8 quarts in it. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Millwright71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Sounds like you did not measure how much coolant you actually removed. And I doubt if you removed much more than 5 or 6 quarts from the system. The correct coolant level in the reservoir is 2 to 3 inches below FULL when the system is cold. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 The best thing to do is to flush the system. In the old days I kept a hose trickling into the radiator with the drain petcock open while the car idled until the drain lost all color. This probably isn't a good idea for a reverse-flow cooling system like the Northstar or LS series bow-tie small blocks. You could fill and drain it with water three or four times to get most of the old coolant out. Others may have better ideas. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 Rev the engine 3 or 4 times to 3000 - 4000 RPM to purge any air in the system. That will likely bring the tank level down some. Check it again after the first drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 It may take a couple of heating-cooling cycles before you'll get rid of the air in the system. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millwright71 Posted November 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 Thanks Guys, After gettin some rest, I drained my catch basin into the gallon containers, and sure enough, I only drained off a little over a gallon. I removed the excess from my surge tank, and will drive it to heat cycle it a couple times, then top it off if it needs it. As always, thanks for the info, that's why I keep coming back to this site. Millwright71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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