I'm sure these questions have all already been asked and I have searched minimally but I have not been satisfied. And I am in finals week out at school so my brain is mush. Anyhow, I need to drain some coolant to fix the leak on my thermostat/ water pump housing. So,

1.) What is the cleanest way to drain some coolant? I do not have a drain pan or access to a shop, just a parking lot. I have heard pulling the lower radiator hose is the easiest way, I just don't want to make a mess. Any creative suggestions?

2.) Do you put gasket sealant on the actual thermostat or just that metal ring that should come with it?

3.) What are the best RTVs/ gaskets and the most effect way to utilize them?

4.) Thank you.

 

This is a pretty simple topic, so I will answer for you. There should be a little plastic screw with wings on it that you can back out and drain the radiator at the bottom. Mine is on the passenger side and it should be on the back side of the radiator. You can loosen it and tighten it back up with your fingers.

Ideally when you take the thermostat off you will already have a clean and smooth mating surface... lets be realistic... you're driving a jeep. You'll probably have to use some sandpaper or something to prep the surface on the head where the gasket goes because you will probably have a little rust. All you need to do is get the right gasket from the dealer or a parts store and put it in place.

Please do not put anything on the thermostat itself.

 

And please go buy a drain pan... they don't cost much. You could face legal problems if you just drain it into the parking lot. Not to mention everyone would think you're an idiot.

 

Some of the aftermarket radiators dont have a drain, like mine. Not much else possible than removing the lower rad hose. And yes, don't just let this pore unto the ground and into the storm drain. The stuff is poison and because of the smell and taste (maple sirrup) is very attractive for pets and other animals, who will get very dead .

Removing the thermostat housing is pretty straight forward. Clean the mating surfaces thorouhgly. Use a gasket (like felpro) and, if you want to do the job once and minimize leaks, apply a thin smear of gasket maker to both sides of the gasket. Don't overdo it, more isnt always better, just a thin smear, you dont want that stuff to glog up the thermostat.
Make sure you re-install the thermostat correctly (spring towards engine side) and re-install the thermostat housing. Don't overtorque it, because you run the risk of cracking the housing, and then you can do it all over again.
All in all, it shouldn't be too much trouble.

 

i just did the antifreeze in my xj. i don't know if all cherokee radiators are like this but but drain **** is a piece of junk. to access it properly i had to remove the grill header panel (where the headlights are: http://teamcherokee.com/grille-heade...che-1991-1996/) which wasn't hard but added about 20 to 30 minutes to the job. at first i managed to squeeze a pair of pliers in the tiny space without removing the header panel but i couldn't get the plug to go back in straight.

definitely get a drain pan and dispose of the antifreeze properly. you'll want to bleed your cooling system when you're done as well to ensure no air is trapped. to bleed, simply run it with the radiator cap off and heat on full blast. as the fluid level drops in the radiator add more antifreeze.

 

I hate to say it. But this is bad advice if it has never been taken off before. The only thing you may accomplish is causing a leak or busting it completely. Get yourself a drain pan and loosen the lower hose and drain a little at a time.

 

My radiator have a drain at the bottom with a little sticking out. I took a reservoir tube from a junkyard and attached it to the drain and cut it off so there's 12 inches remaining, and tucked it up on the body.

Whenever I need to drain the radiator, I can do so cleanly without contaminating the coolant. I put the hose over a clean bucket or pan or whatever. That way the coolant won't touch the dirty unibody or anything else.

Saves me money cause if the coolant is still good I can just put it back when I'm done doing whatever needed done.

 

As stated, don't use the rad drain plug.....that's an accident waiting to happen. Buy as large a plastic pan as u can find AND a jug of 50/50 premix. Loosen the bolts that hold the stat cover and let coolant drain into the pan before removing the bolts. Remove hoses fro stat cover after draining coolant. By loosening the stat cover bolts u will drain the least amount of coolant as necessary. Clean the gasket surface on both the stat cover and cylinder head thoroughly. Apply a thin coat of RTV to both sides of the gasket and just snug the bolts down. Don't crank the bolts down hard.....just snug. Dispose of drained coolant properly.

Having everything ready in advance will make for a quick and easy gasket change:

Plenty of paper towels, old news paper under the pan, tools ready, I use alcohol to clean gasket surfaces, RTV and new gasket, fresh 50/50 coolant, what else.

 

This one is only $6.50 at Lowes.Home Depot has them too for less than $6.00

 

^^^^^excellent.

 

I've never heard anything bad about using the drain plug. Strange, but I believe you. Are you saying that it is bad to use it on an older radiator that might have weakened structurally? That is the only explanation that would make sense to me.

 

Ancient plastic exposed to salt and heat cycling will just snap. Like trying to remove anything else plastic under the hood.

 

yeah I tried to remove my OE plug and decided not to as I foreseen an issue arising with a pair of pliers...

you can buy like aluminum pans (turkey etc) at walmart for like a buck...This can double as a funnel if you don't have one as you can crease it and reuse your coolant, and newspaper is your friend don't want to leave a puddle for animal to lap up...

as far as rtv sealant, Permatex Black is the best on the market, that is a fact and I don't care what anyone else says

 

Guess you don't care that Ultra Black is better. It's blacker.

 

thanks for that.... exactly what I meant.... Ultra Black......