A Tale Of Three Coolant Changes

[Johndouglas]

After a busy day I can sit back feeling very satisfied having changed the coolant and antifreeze in three of our fleet.

 

I started with the easy one, the Pug 306. Easy because there’s bags of room down behind the radiator and also it has a half-turn&pull drain plug situated at the bottom of the rad. Just a matter of waiting for it to empty then close the valve and refill with 50/50 mix. There’s only one Schrader-like valve which I leave open as I refill. Once fluid leaks out, I close the bleed cap, rev the engine for a short while and finally top up the reservoir. Job quickly completed.

 

Then it was on to the Saxo. This time not quite so easy. There’s no drain plug so it means disconnecting the bottom hose. However there’s still room to do it from under the bonnet. Only benefit is that it drains quicker. Once the hose is replaced, the reservoir is refilled with 50/50 mixture. Again there’s only one bleed screw adjacent to the reservoir. Job not quite as easy as the 306 but not at all time consuming.

 

Then it was the turn of the Xsara HDI. Citroen have saved a few pennies by not fitting a drain plug in the radiator bottom. There’s not enough room to work between engine and radiator, so it all has to be done from underneath, which needed ramps. The HDI has an undertray which unfortunately needs to come off for access. Since there’s no drain plug the bottom hose also has to be taken off. Once the hose is replaced the reservoir can be refilled and bled. Altogether a much longer and dirtier job than the first two cars.

 

I use an Ethylene Glycol-based concentrate from Screwfix which they do for less than 9 quid a 5ltr can. It’s mixed with an equal amount of distilled water which is saved all the year round from a dehumidifier. I aim to change the coolant every two years, so as it drains away, it has a very healthy appearance without any signs of discolouration.