fleels03

I'm trying to do a coolant flush on my 98 xj as it was looking pretty rusty. It's my first time doing one, so everything I do I'm just trying to go off a tutorial. However, I've gotten two big issues so far. Number one, The clamp on the upper radiator hose just won't come off. I've spent at least an hour trying to pry it off, no luck it's rusted shut. Second, I can't figure out how to empty my coolant overflow. I have the hose that leads to the radiator cap off, but nothing comes out when I flush it. I was hoping this job would be simple enough, but it's tough luck so far. Is it okay if I skip the step of flushing the engine bay with the upper radiator hose or will that lead to an imbalance? And is there something obvious I'm missing with the overflow or...? Any help is appreciated!

StealthyMcStealth

Welcome to the forum. For the hose clamp, when that has happened to me I cut the old clamp off with a Dremel Tool and a cutoff wheel then put a new clamp on. The overflow bottle you may need to remove from the engine bay and clean it with a garden hose. Good luck.

PatHenry

If the clamp is rusted really bad the hose will likely be stuck on the radiator. If it's really old you might just want to get new hoses while you're doing the flush.

MonacaYankee

Take the coolant overflow bottle out. There are two small bolts holding it to a bracket. To clean the overflow bottle, fill it with shaved ice and shake the ice around in the bottle. Try using a set of vice grips or large channel locks on the clamps.