Coolant filling problems

[Dickie936]

Hey all

Was just wondering if I'm doing something really dumb.

I drained the coolant and, upon refilling, it just doesn't want to play ball.

It's taken me a day so far to put 4.5 liters in but now it just won't take any more.

I've opened the valve at the top of the radiator and the one behind the frunk. I've even blown down the reservoir to pressure the fluid forward but to no avail.

I turned the engine over, ran it for 30 seconds but it just has no effect.

Thought it might be a blockage but upon putting a bit of air pressure in the resevoir a load of old coolant sprayed out of the tap behind the frunk (it went everywhere).
I'm stumped now..... help!

[pauls0212]

you should have a pipe on the one near the wiper motor, this needs to be held up to stop fluid coming out(it gets quite high).
explaining a bit more this one will be the last one you close after the top of radiator.

[Call the midlife!]

Need to run the engine longer and have the blowers on full at max heat, helps if you jack the rear of the car up slightly too but make sure the ends of the bleed hoses are higher than the mouth of the expansion tank.

[Carolyn]

When you drained it, how much came out?

[mr2garageswindon]

Did you drain the engine block, front to rear metal pipes and the radiator?

[Joesson]

The drain points midway along the length of the car have not been mentioned above, so I'm thinking not all of that was in came out.

[Call the midlife!]

I can wholeheartedly recommend not touching the mid pipe drains, just pull the main hoses at the ends off...

[Joesson]

I can wholeheartedly recommend not touching the mid pipe drains, just pull the main hoses at the ends off...

I did read that they can be a "problem" but was fortunate with mine.

[1979scotte]

It takes ages be patient.
Have done this twice without issues.
Got to open the valve with the clear hose on inside the frunk and get it nice and high.

@househead and myself did one not long ago.

[Dickie936]

Done!!!

My goodness, what a spanner.
So after 1.5 days I finally figured out that I hadn't opened the radiator bleed valve quite enough. I opened it enough to hear air through the bleed tubing I'd fitted but not enough to actually open the radiator up.

In light of me therefore not having drained all of the old stuff I positioned the tubing lower than the outlet in order to draw all of it by syphon action.
It worked a treat.
Finished with the tubing higher so I could assess the level of the new fluid.
All in all, yet another learning experience for me on the 2.

I may be in trouble though. I might have got a "bit" of coolant on the drive. Doh... just waiting for the fallout when she notices.
Wish me luck.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Dickie936]

Here's a pic of my syphon method.
Notice the right side is syphoning with new stuff but the left is still drawing through the old.

[Carolyn]

You mustn't have drained the radiator or bottom piping?

Can't see what syphoning the news tuff is accomplishing.

It needs to be drained from underneath.

[1979scotte]

Please wash the coolant of the drive with loads of water.
Toxic to animals and they're know to like licking it.

[Call the midlife!]

I can wholeheartedly recommend not touching the mid pipe drains, just pull the main hoses at the ends off...

I did read that they can be a "problem" but was fortunate with mine.

50/50 with mine, which ended up with me lying on my back underneath it, blind drilling the sheared screw out as I couldn't get it up high enough to see what I was doing.

Which in turn meant I drilled off centre and had to overbore it and tap it out a size bigger.
Never again 😂

[Joesson]

I can wholeheartedly recommend not touching the mid pipe drains, just pull the main hoses at the ends off...

I did read that they can be a "problem" but was fortunate with mine.

50/50 with mine, which ended up with me lying on my back underneath it, blind drilling the sheared screw out as I couldn't get it up high enough to see what I was doing.

Which in turn meant I drilled off centre and had to overbore it and tap it out a size bigger.
Never again 😂

To (mis) quote Martin Luther King Jr:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he lays  at times of challenge and controversy.