changing the coolant

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mugatea
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changing the coolant

Post by mugatea »

I recently bought a 1999 (t) xsara and want to change the coolant as a precaution. My uncle and I found what looked like bleeding valves but nothing happend when we turned them.

Can anyone help?

In the picture below I've cirlced what we thought were the bleeding valves. I've also taken a pic of the other side of the radiator in case anyone wants to instruct me and it comes in handy.

Please help

Jamie

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Homer
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Post by Homer »

Top one certainly looks like a bleed valve.
Bottom one a drain plug?

You may have to overfill it to get water out through the bleed valves though, even going to the extent of inserting a piece of tube into the filler neck to raise the water level further.

I used to use a length of household wastepipe with some rag wrapped around to seal it (this was on a BX though).
swiss_steve
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Post by swiss_steve »

Turning these valves doesn't always fully 'break the "o" ring seal' on these plugs because they're a tight fit, particularly if they been in the car for some years without being moved. You have to both turn them (90 degress I think), then physically pull them out to get the coolant to flow.
If you remove these plugs and still the coolant doesn't come out, use a hose pipe in the top-up filler (on the lefthand side of the rad) as the sludge in radiator has probably blocked these drain plugs.With a forceful water flow, it usually shifts any stubborn residue. Keep flushing the system until the water runs clear.
Proud owner of two Citroens:-
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alan s
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Post by alan s »

Yep, the one at the bottom of the radiator is a drain and the top a bleeder.
I think you'll find in both cases that they will actually screw out until they either come out completely or at worst come clear of what they are screwed into and are retained by a bit of plastic that is supposed to both stop them coming out of the hole and doubles as a scale remover if you wriggle it around.
That appears to have not been flushed for a while, so chances are there's a bit of a grotty mess inside. Have heard of owners running a cupful of vinegar in the coolant for a couple of days before flushing to act as a mild cleaner. They reckon it works well, so might be worthy of thought.

Alan S
RIP Sept 19th 2008.

She said "Put the cat out" She didn't mention it was on fire!!
mugatea
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Post by mugatea »

thanks guys. I feel much better about doing it now. I'll let you know how I get on when I do it tomorrow.

Jamie
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