Ranger Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Well, as the title says, I changed my coolant today. The good book says the the Northstar holds 12.5 qts. (a pint more than 3 gals). I was only able to get 1 1/2 gals. out of it. Ok, with what was on the garage floor maybe 2 gals., and I had to coax the last 1/2 gallon out of it with a shop vac blowing in reverse. Where in the hell does the other gallon hide? It really bugs me that I was only able to do 2/3 of a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Same thing when I changed my coolant. I was only able to do 7 quarts. You will notice that the radiator doesn't get completely empty, if you just remove a hose. Removing the drain plug, will get maybe another quart out. The lower hose isn't at the bottom of the side tank. Also, there is still coolant in the lower section of the block. No way to get it out, except maybe putting the car on a turnstile, and flipping it upside down . If you really want to get fresh coolant in there, just change it again. That last gallon will be mixed with the two new gallons. So the next change, will leave practically fresh coolant in there. I wouldn't worry about it though. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 The GURU once addressed this situation...to sum up his response, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! The work you have just done is good enough to resore full anti corrosion protection to your cooling system. This is EXACTLY why he said to mix the coolant with equal parts of distilled water, 50/50 mix, BEFORE you start adding the new stuff. The mixture ratio is more important than the amount. If it REALLY bothers you, change it again in 4 years instead of 5. Sealant tabs? Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I was at the Cadillac dealer the other day having a leaking transmission cooler line replaced, and had the good fortune of meeting one of the finest Cadillac mechanics I have come across. He had me come out into the service bay and gave me a set of gloves so I could actually see and feel every concern he had with the car. I was very impressed! I knew about all of the things he mentioned, but appreciated the honesty he displayed. I then asked him the best way to change the coolant because the coolant in my surge tank is greenish. He told me that some dyes that can be added to coolant to look for leaks can turn Dex-Cool greenish, and that the coolant tested okay. But since I told him I would feel better changing it, he said the best way to do it was to take the return line off at the top of the surge tank and run the engine. Keep pouring fresh coolant in the surge tank as the car pumps the old out through the return line until clean coolant comes out. Sounded good to me, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Don, I removed the drain plug with a "special tool" (home made) so the radiator was completely drained. Lucky I could see the lower hose much less remove it. JohnnyG, Yup, premixed before adding. It's the ONLY way to do it on these cars. Suppliment Tabs? Why would you even ask? I've been around here long enough to know better. Stuffed 4 of them in the upper hose. Charles, I know at some point in the system the coolant can take more than one path so I am not sure if that method would work or not. The other thing is that the coolant I removed did not have any suppliment in it, thus it looked just as clean and orange as the new stuff I was putting in. It would be pretty hard to tell the difference between old and new with that method. P.S. While I don't frequent my dealer other than warranty work, I sure wish they'd let you into the service bays. They stop just short of armed guards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I also remember the GURU say to just remove bottom radiator hose or drain plug and drain radiator once a year and replenish sealant (2 or 3 tablets) and top off with 50/50. No need to completely drain. Then again, if someone would rather drain as much as possible there is no harm done--It's a matter of preference. Today, MSN.com had an article about 20 things people do to cars that wastes money. One happened to be "Changing your antifreeze every winter." It said the following: Change it only when a hydrometer suggests it will no longer withstand temperatures 30 degrees below the coldest your area sees in winter. Your dealer or oil-change shop should be happy to check it for free. Every two years is about right. But you also should keep your cooling system happy by running the air conditioner every few weeks in winter to keep it lubricated, checking for puddles underneath the car and replacing belts and hoses before they dry and crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Yeah, I remember all the quotes that you guys mention from the Guru, so I was not surprised when I did not get all the coolant out, just disappointed. I guess I still remember the days when you opened the petcock, drained it, without measuring what you removed and simply put back in what the manual said it would hold....... and it took it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 I also remember the GURU say to just remove bottom radiator hose or drain plug and drain radiator once a year and replenish sealant (2 or 3 tablets) and top off with 50/50. No need to completely drain. Then again, if someone would rather drain as much as possible there is no harm done--It's a matter of preference. Today, MSN.com had an article about 20 things people do to cars that wastes money. One happened to be "Changing your antifreeze every winter." It said the following: <blockquote>Change it only when a hydrometer suggests it will no longer withstand temperatures 30 degrees below the coldest your area sees in winter. Your dealer or oil-change shop should be happy to check it for free. Every two years is about right. But you also should keep your cooling system happy by running the air conditioner every few weeks in winter to keep it lubricated, checking for puddles underneath the car and replacing belts and hoses before they dry and crack. </blockquote> MSN.com is misinformed and spreading bad information... A hydrometer only indicates the freeze point pf the coolant. The reason to change the coolant is to replentish the corrosion inhibitors. A hydrometer will not indicate the presence or lack of corrosion inhibitors in the coolant. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 No need to be a purist (at least not on this subject). For all practical purposes the fluid will be clean as a whistle after several periodic drains and refills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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