Radiator flush for a 2000 Protege 1.8L

[mothra]

Hi Everyone,

I was planning a radiator flush for this long weekend. Does anyone know where the drain plug is located on the radiator? Also, is draining just the radiator what I need to do?

Thanks!

[goldstar]

The drain plug is located at the front of the radiator towards the bottom. In addition to draining the radiator, the entire cooling system should be flushed.

The FSM instructions for coolant replacement are as follows:
1. Drain the coolant in the coolant reservoir.
2. Remove the radiator cap and loosen the drain plug.
3. Allow all the coolant to drain out of the system.
4. Flush the cooling system with water until all traces of color are gone.
5. Let the system drain completely.
6. Tighten the radiator drain plug.
7. If not using a premix, select the proper volume percentage of water and coolant, then slowly pour the mixture into the radiator up to the coolant filler port. Filling pace should be 1.0 L (1.1 US qt)/min [max]. Although the FSM lists varying percentages based on expected environmental temperatures, one can't go wrong with a 50/50 mix. It goes without saying that only distilled or demineralized water should be added to the coolant.
8. Pour coolant into the reservoir up to the FULL mark.
9. Install the radiator cap.

When performing the following steps, if the coolant temperature becomes too high, stop the engine to prevent it from overheating.

10. Start the engine and let it idle for ~ 10 min.
11. After engine warms up, perform the following steps:
- Run the engine at 2,500 rpm for 5 min.
- Run the engine at 3,000 rpm for 5 secs: then return to idling. Repeat this several times.
12. Stop the engine and wait until it's cool.
13. Inspect the coolant level. If it's low, repeat steps 7 to 12.
14. Check for leakage.

The ~ coolant capacity for the 2.0 L FS-DE engine, M/T or A/T, is 7.5 L (8 US qts).

For information on appropriate coolants, you might want to look at:

http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48270

Good luck with the proceedure.

Happy Motoring!