I took some pics while I did my coolant flush today. Since my car is a 2004, I also changed the thermostat. I looked everywhere for a block drain but was unable to find one. Maybe behind the starter or motor mount? I gave up. Really wasn't a bad job and everything went as planned. Any questions, ask.

http://www.cincinnaticomm.com/james1...lantflush.html

Hope this is helpful for others. As for the thermostat, I purchased it from Rob at Needswings and it was identical to OEM I removed. Thanks Rob.

James

 

Great pictorial James!.......thanks. I say we make this a sticky please.

 

Using hose water is a bad idea, too many contaminates. That's why it's not supposed to be used in the battery. Distilled water is the only water to use.

Required coolant mix from the service manual. Distilled water is specified. It's cheap at Wally Mart.

Use coolant approved to MB 325.0, such as Mopar part number 05066386AA, or an equivalent Extended Life Coolant
with the Hybrid Organic Additive Technology (HOAT) inhibitor system.
The cooling system is designed around the coolant. The coolant must accept heat from engine metal, in the cylinder
head area near the exhaust valves and engine block. Then coolant carries the heat to the radiator where the tube/
fin radiator can transfer the heat to the air.
The use of aluminum cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, and water pumps requires special corrosion protection.
MoparT Antifreeze/Coolant, 5 Year/100,000 Mile Formula (MB 325.0), or the equivalent ethylene-glycol based coolant
with organic corrosion inhibitors is recommended. This coolant offers the best engine cooling without corrosion
when mixed with 50% ethylene-glycol and 50% distilled water to obtain a freeze point of -37°C (-35°F). If it loses
color or becomes contaminated, drain, flush, and replace with fresh properly mixed coolant solution.

 

Good luck getting enough distilled water to flush entire system. Batteries and coolant systems are two different animals.

 

Great tutorial James, I do have a suggestion with the flushing method though. I think that coolant can get trapped in the heating system and not be truly flushed out. If you were to operate the auxilary pump the water would circulate more through the heater core etc.

Personally I would not want water running all over the engine, so I would refill with water and run the car. Maybe do this twice and then add the new coolant. It may take longer, but it will be cleaner- the car that is. That is basically what the Repair Manual says.

CLEANING Drain cooling system and refill with clean water. Refer to drain and fill procedures in this section. Run engine with radiator cap installed until upper radiator hose is hot. Stop engine and drain water from system. If water is dirty; fill, run, and drain system again, until water....

 

Dave, Water was not running all over the engine. I did give it a splash but not intentionally. While the car was running with the radiator drain open, I did have the heat on and the heater hoses were hot so I know it was circulated through the heater core - I mentioned that in second to last pic.

 

I used 20 gallons of distilled water to flush my system(s) a few times. I know that's a bit ****, but that's what I did. I was very relieved that the original coolant was spotless of debris. (drained through a 5 gal. paint strainer) Fantastic how to w/ pic.'s BTW, great job.
I wish they would have given the srt6 a Red (or any other color,lol) drain valve on the bottom of the heat exchanger for the IC. Sure would have been a lot easier.

 

Nice photos and good information. When I do my coolant flush, I'm just going to use the machine at work that sucks the coolant out and then refills it. If I didn't have access to that equipment, then I would use your method. I like the fact that you really flush the engine and make sure it is clean. The machine doesn't really do that but its easy and quick. It takes about 10-15 minutes

 

I saw the heater was on but I'm surprised the hoses were warm. Live and learn I guess. I have a lot to learn still,I hope I have the time.

 

Great pics and write up. Thanks for doing this. I need to do mine soon too. I only have 20K on the car but it's the number of years I'm concerned about now.

BTW, your engine and undercarriage looks very clean too. Nice Car.

 

In picture 8 you removed the seal, was it replaced?

 

Bill, If you look on the new thermostat housing, it comes with the seal already on. It just sits in place, in the grove.

And guys, I am sure everyone has their own specific and different ways of doing this. I feel most comfortable and confident of doing it this way for my own vehicles.

Dave, the heater hoses were warm, not extremely hot, because I was constantly filling with cold water. You could feel heat coming out of the dash vents so I know it was circulating through the core.

Thanks guys.

 

I say this is a sticky for sure. Can you make it as a PDF file?
I'm adding it to the Crossfire index I started up.

 

Dave you do what ever you like with the information/pics. I don't have the resources for creating PDF files. Its all yours.

James

 

I PDF'ed for myself. Here it is.

 

James, I have never had to take the pan off, can it be done with the car on the ground or do I have to raise it?
This is on my to do list along with my first at home oil change on this car. I was going to get a top sider for the oil, it looks a little tight under there so I figured it was a no go.
I'd like to clean the pan while I'm at it, it was black, I think, now its a clay color. That's the only thing under the hood that I have not cleaned.

 

Dave, The belly pan must come off to gain access to the valve and also to allow the coolant to be caught in a pan. I have a small set of ramps I use for all my cars. My drive is slightly downhill and the ramps cause the car to be level.

 

I took the liberty of adding the PDF version to the Crossfire Documentation Library.

Excellent write up!

 

Is that your pan for the Turkey?
I've got a sloping driveway, I could do the same. My old ramps are too steep for the Crossfire.
Your post as a PDF file. CrossfireForum.org

 

James as always, great pictures. I'll be saving it for future use. Thanks!