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Nate
Dodge Dakota
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10/04/2003
10:27:41
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 Subject: radiator drain HELP
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Message:
I have wasted 1.5 hours trying to drain the damn radiator in my 99 v8 5.9L. The owner's manual is useless. The Hayne's manual is useless. I found the little stopcock that will only turn 1/4 turn. I turned it, noticed that as it turns it backs out a little, but I got no flow. Looking at the Hayne's manual, I went ahead and tried to open those two drainage bolts on the underside of the engine. One has a big hunk of engine block next to it and two metal tubes in front of it, so it's completely inaccessible. The other was frozen on the block. I tried some Liquid Wrench to loosen it to no avail. I came here and read some old posts here, went back and removed the little drain pipe beneath the drainage wingnut thing. Still nothing.
What am I doing wrong? If there is rust in there blocking the flow, do I have to take the whole radiator out?
Nate
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Nate
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
10/04/2003
10:57:22
|  RE: radiator drain HELP
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I went back in there and tried to yank off that 2" tube near the bottom passenger side of the radiator. It won't budge because there is one of those strong tension-controlled hose clamps. I can't get at it with pliers to remove it because of all the other stuff in the way.
Nate
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Tom
Dodge Dakota
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10/04/2003
11:20:10
| RE: radiator drain HELP
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After you open up the lil drain cock........take off the radiator cap and use your Shop Vac to blow/flush the coolant out. Make sure when you refill it, that you REFILL from the radiator cap as you will be blowing out most of the coolant as well from the engine. I had the same problem as you and I used this method, it worked GREAT!!
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HatingPlastic
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2003
12:22:41
| RE: radiator drain HELP
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Nate-
Based on my experience it's best to leave the drain plug alone (got mine out but had to replace o-ring that was hard to fit). You have (IMO) the right idea by disconnecting the lower hose ('that 2" tube') but you may have to remove the fan shroud to get that OEM clamp off. I just did a timing chain replacement and took the opportunity to replace all the clamps with stainless steel worm gear clamps - just make sure you orient the new clamp so you can get at it with a screwdriver without having to remove anything else in the future. Hope this helps.
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Andy L
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2003
17:15:44
| RE: radiator drain HELP
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Message:
Heres how you do it as I just did myy 99 318 diconect the lwr hose the drain has a little hose on it that after you open the drain you have to point the hose i a bucket. Then where the hose on the drivers side for the heater core losen the bolt the the metal tube goes in to the block and remove. The on the pass side where the other hose for the core connects to a little contremove clamp and take apart hose and then remove lwr rad hose. For the thermo housing take off the hose and then the the houseing a little hint to get the rest of the gasket off the block take a drill and get a wire brush disk and it will clean off the block and scuff it up for a good reseal. To put back together just reverse these instrutions
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Nate
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
10/06/2003
17:34:35
|  RE: radiator drain HELP
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Message:
Thanks for all the help everyone. Isn't it a bad thing that the radiator won't drain at all through the little drainspout, though? If money were no option, should I replace the radiator? I don't want to have to go through all this tube-yanking once each year, getting antifreeze everywhere!
Maybe I could try to snake a wire up into the drainspout to break up the rust or whatever is blocking the flow?
Nate
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