Ford Fiesta Coolant System

[ajlr]

I have a Ford Fiesta 1998 1.3 and the coolant reservoir is very low.  The instructions on the coolant I have bought advises that I drain and flush out the existing liquid.  How do I do this? 

[9087]

Run the engine until warm. This will open the thermostat allowing free flow of water/coolant in system. Turn engine off and disconnect bottom radiator hose - with caution - water released will be hot. Allow to drain, reconnect, and fill system via resevoir. If it seems to fill too quickly, thermostat has closed as engine cooled. Run engine and top up solution as system re-opens and level drops. Fill to halfway point between minimum and maximum levels as marked on side of resevoir.

[9087]

Obviously, you fill system with water/coolant solution. Usually 50/50 mix, unless stated otherwise on bottle.

[Mephisto]

Uh? Disconnect the hose? Was Ford too cheap to put a ******* on the Fiesta radiator?  If your car radiator has a ******* -a little drain valve at the bottom- open that before removing hoses. It's far less bother and does the same thing. -Other than this, I agree, it's a simple matter, really, to change coolant. But also keep in mind that coolant does not need to be changed as often as, say, engine oil. Follow recommendations in the car's owner manual, or those of a good mechanic, before those on the fluid container.

[Mephisto]

Sorry, but this site seems to think the term for that little drain valve is a dirty word, and has censored it on me! LOL!  You'll just have to assume what the term is, I guess!

[stocksman]

You could just use the term 'drain tap'. Not quite the same but probably just as good for someone who doesn't know a lot about cars.