Radiators

There is a green or white plastic knob at the bottom drivers side of the radiator. If you turn this, coolant will drain out.

If you have skinny arms you may be able to reach down behind the fan to the knob, otherwise you will have to remove the flashing underneath, 5 bolts total. I used a 1/4 inch Allen wrench in the center of the knob to loosen it.

# Unscrew the radiator header tank filler cap. # Loosen the bleed valve on the pipes leading through to the passenger compartment by rotating half turn (can be loosened by hand). This is located back left of Righ Hand Drive model engine compartment. # At the bottom right of the radiator is another valve. Reach down with a pair of pliers and twist anti-clockwise 1 turn. The full contents of the radiator system will drain away (except residual fluid in the internal heater matrix).

If it is a plug loosen counterclockwise

If it is a petcock loosen clockwise

On most cars if they don't have a radiator cap, then you can put it in the cooling system

by pouring it in through the upper radiator hose. Even if you are suppose to do this while engine is hot DO NOT because it will have the same affect as pulling the radiator cap while hot.

no the system is not a sealed system and you can do a flush and fill your self i have done it twice i would suggest if it currently has green coolant in it that you flush it and replace the radiator hoses and then fill with the orange stuff called gm dexcool i did this and have nor regreted it and i will do it on my next tracker i get

look along the bottom of the radiator itself, on the drivers side bottom corner you will find a wingnut, loosen it until all the fluid runs out.

The radiator petcock drain on a 1999 Pontiac Bonneville is on the bottom of the radiator. Look for a small black plug that looks like the plug found on a thermos or cooler.

If your asking how to get it to a shop, fill it with water, bring some extra with you and drive the car there with the rad cap loose. This way it will leak less because it cannot built-up pressure plus you can safely add coolant if you need to. As long as there is coolant ,even though it leaks badly, you can drive it. Good luck

Engine overheats When a car or truck overheats idling, in town, on the highway, while towing, etc. it is important to find out the reason to prevent engine damage. First, with the engine cold, make sure the radiator is full of coolant; if it is low, fill it and keep the radiator cap off while the engine idles to insure all air is bled out of the system. Check the coolant level daily; if the coolant goes down without visible leaks, it may be a head gasket starting to leak which will also cause the heater to blow cold air due to the lack of available coolant. If the coolant stays full, but the car continues to overheat, the next step is to replace the thermostat in the engine and flush the cooling system if that has not been done over the last few years.Buy a thermostat at a parts store and a PRESTONE flush kit which has excellent directions on the package.After completing these steps and the vehicle still overheats, have your cooling fan sensor/switch ( if equipped)checked out to insure it is coming on. Water pumps are seldom the cause as they are mechanical and will continue to work until their bearings give out. Finally, the radiator itself is often the problem as it tends to build up corrosion internally which prevents it from transfering engine heat to the coolant. Remove it and have it 're-cored'. One of these steps will solve the problem.

The radiator is not meant to stay full all the time. When over full the excess will flow to the overflow bottle. If that is not your problem, it is possible you have a head gasket leak and you are burning it or it is going to the crank case and you will have milky oil. All of these are conditions which will require service by a mechanic.

Open the radiator cap WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD and simply pour it in. I have had good luck with Barrs stop leak. If this doesn't stop it you will have to seek professional help. Good luck.

If you every desrire to use the heater again, you should refrain from the use of radiator sealents - this applies to all makes and models. They tend to plug the heater core just like they seal the hole you desire to seal.

Do not use sealant, pull the radiator and have it fixed.

Everyone I know has had to have the radiator repaired due to cracks in the tanks.

As does my 1996 Caddy Concours, this vehicle -=[REQUIRES]=- the use of radiator conditioner from GM, or Barr's Leak which is the same, even made by the OEM manufacturer of the tripple-marked-up dealer only item. Also note the requirement for non-corrosive coolant; straight bihydrogen monoxide (water) or the green stuff will cause you more problems than a shotgun blast to the front e

ANSWER

you can either pour it into the coolent tank or you can unplug the upper radiator hose from the engine and pour it directly into the hose i recommend pouring it directly into the hose

Well, lets see, would it be on the radiator?

what a smart aleck!

actually, to fill up the radiator with coolant, you have to fill up the resevoir. it is a round, plastic compartment, just above the washer fluid compartment on the top left side of the engine. There is a "maximum" line that you fill it up to.

on the inside bottom corner of the radiator, looks like a wing nut.

wich one radiator, engine or transmission (manual or automatic)... wich one radiator, engine or transmission (manual or automatic)...

It is a BAD problem since until the bubble is cleared, the engine will continue to boil over an spew coolant. If you don't have time to heat and cool the engine several times, thus allowing for uptake from the reservoir, you must apply immediate action. PLUS for some reason the bigger block v6 Mazdas have a tendency to rust up real bad and clog the heater core.

So here is my solution.

1. Put a large clean pan under the radiator plug and drain coolant. You will reuse since it is now $12 a gallon.

2. Remove radiator cap and cut the heater hose a few inches from the firewall or valve on the passenger side. Permanently Install a Tshaped flush fitting.

3. Re-install radiator drain plug and attach garden hose to flush fitting. Put a rag or drain spout on the open radiator.

4. Run the engine and flush via the garden hose until water runs clean.

5. put at least 4 ounces powdered oxalic acid or liquid phosphoric acid into the radiator and replace cap. Put cap on flush tee. Run engine at least 5 minutes after approaching normal heating range.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary.

7. After the last flush add 6 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda run for 5 minutes then flush to clear water.

8. Filter and refill with original coolant. Top off with fresh antifreeze/water.

9. carefully open lid on flush Tee to bleed air out of system.

NEVER use lye, sodium hydroxide, easy off oven cleaner, Drano etc. These lye based products will MELT aluminum.

from the top to the bottom

First remove both of the radiator's upper and lower hoses, then remove the two bolts that hold the brackets that hold the radiator in place. Unplug both fans electrical harnesses and the small hose that connects to the radiator overflow reservoir. Now you should be able to pull the entire radiator out of the car including both fans that are held to the radiator by four bolts each.

Yes, it can be welded, depending on the location of the crack.

Some radiators are repairablbe, depending on the construction of the radiator. Older style all-brass/copper radiators can be soldered (not welded) if the leak area is accessible and the surrounding metal is strong enough. Some newer style plastic tank/aluminum core radiators can be repaired if the leak is at the joint between the tank(s) and the core, while others cannot. The plastic tanks themselves and the aluminum cores cannot be reliably repaired.

there should be a drain plug on all radiators on the bottom of radiator on either bottom corner or possibly in middle on bottom

A bad radiator cap needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Fluid can leak out causing the car to overheat. Constant overheating can lead to expensive repairs. The average radiator cap costs less than $10.00, so it's worth the investment.

Generally, you should have about a 50/50 (%) mixed of antifreeze and distilled water. GM recommends using Dexcool antifreeze.

I would recommend that you use whatever antifreeze that is in there now and stick with the 50/50 mix.

Take Care,

Greg

Also take care that if your van came with Dexcool (red in color) DO NOT add normal anti-freeze (green) to it. The Dexcool is lifetime antifreeze, and it will GEL if you add normall to it and bye bye engine. If it's red top up with Dexcool, or flush and refill with normal. Regards Brash911

I'm pretty sure it goes from the top of the radiator to the engine block.

Most won't in the short term. If anything I would be concerned with heater core damage. Some cores are a days work to replace. At least drain the coolant and fill it with water, run it till hot, let it cool so you don't burn yourself and drain it again or pay someone the $50.00 to flush it. If there are any weak (corroded) areas of the heating/cooling system they could have a quicker failure.

remove your radiator form your car then poor some hot water in radiator till water comes out nice and smooth.

A bad thermostat, or in rare cases, a bad water pump.