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Coolant Change

pm26

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pm26 Senior Enthusiast

pm26

Posted
Posted

I just changed the coolant (or at least half of it) on my truck. Because there is no radiator drain plug, you must pull the lower radiator hose off to drain the coolant. About 2 gallons total came out. I did not bother trying to drain the block, as I do not know if there is a drain plug on it or not.

 

I am glad I did this outside, as pulling that hose off creates a big mess. Despite a large 5 gallon plastic drain pan, at least half a gallon of coolant ended up in my driveway. The radiator hose has a spring clamp that is very stiff, so it is not easy to remove or reinstall with a pair of pliers (I did not have a special tool for this). Be careful not to damage the plastic radiator neck when removing/reinstalling the clamp. I was tempted to replace it with a screw stainless clamp but did not have one that big on hand.

 

At any rate, I mixed Dexcool 50:50 with distilled water and poured it into the overflow tank. Then I started the engine for a few seconds to let the level drop in the tank so I could pour in more. After refilling, I idled the engine for a few minutes with the overflow tank cap off to let the air escape. I could actually see air bubbles coming out.

 

I just wanted to share my experience and advise people not to do this inside their garage. And when you get done, do not forget to hose off coolant from the underside of truck. It gets over everything when it comes gushing out. I have a few choice words for the person at GM who suggested removing the drain plug from the radiator.

DaveH71 Enthusiast

DaveH71

Posted
Posted

There are a special kind of pliers you can buy to clamp off the radiator hose. I believe they're just called radiator hose pliers or something along those lines. That way you can at least cut off the flow from the hose and you only have to worry about the radiator.

txab Senior Enthusiast

txab

Posted
Posted

There are drain plugs in the block. You can flush the remaining coolant from the block without removing them. You can then "flush" the remaining tap water with distilled water. Then just add your Dex until you get to at least your 50% system capacity. Top off with additional distilled water if necessary. Spring clamps work best at plastic radiator connections, IMHO.

txab Senior Enthusiast

txab

Posted
Posted

Your 2006 Owners Manual states:

 

5.3 with engine driven fan: 15.2 qts.

 

5.3 with electric fan: 16.8 qts.

 

It's not hard to find the info..... :jester:

DaveH71 Enthusiast

DaveH71

Posted
Posted

prestone makes the 50/50 pre mixed stuff, should be able to buy it anywhere. That way you dont have to worry about messing up the mix.

roegs Enthusiast

roegs

Posted
Posted

Agree that no radiator drain is a poor way for GM to save money. I drain my radiator each year and refill with fresh 50/50 Dexcool. I've read too many posts about Dexcool problems and like to keep it fresh. I drain mine by removing the top radiator hose. Plenty of room to pull the hose over a small bucket to catch any that drains out of the hose. I then use a small pump with a hose that fits into the top radiator fitting to drain the radiator. In my case, the pumps is an old 12 volt water pump from one of our campers years ago. The small intake hose for the pump just pushes down the side tank of the radiator till I feel it touch bottom. Granted, there probably is some scale that stays at the bottom of the radiator, but draining it yearly helps keep that to a minimum. Sure beats the mess at home of pulling the lower hose...

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