I'm changing the coolant on a 4th gen Firebird V6 after replacing the coolant elbows. There are some slight differences from the FWD 3800, such as a non-pressurized coolant tank on the F-body, but it shouldn't be this difficult, right?
When I first drained the coolant, hardly anything came out, maybe a few quarts at most. This is understandable, since I knew it was leaking and would be low. The manual says it takes 12 quarts, or 3 gallons.
My plan is to fill it with water, run it a bit, drain it, then refill with coolant. I have Peak 10x concentrate and the Lisle coolant funnel.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to add that much water to rinse it with! I have the heater on, and the coolant temp gauge says it's just under 210F. However, I have yet to hear the fans turn on, and it had been running for more than a few minutes! I replaced the thermostat last year with an OEM thermostat. The heat was on full blast.
This is the first time I'm flushing the coolant on this car, but not the first time I've ever changed coolant. Every other car I've replaced the coolant on, I was able to refill with the capacity stated in the manual.
Is there a trick I'm missing?
When I first drained the coolant, hardly anything came out, maybe a few quarts at most. This is understandable, since I knew it was leaking and would be low. The manual says it takes 12 quarts, or 3 gallons.
My plan is to fill it with water, run it a bit, drain it, then refill with coolant. I have Peak 10x concentrate and the Lisle coolant funnel.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to add that much water to rinse it with! I have the heater on, and the coolant temp gauge says it's just under 210F. However, I have yet to hear the fans turn on, and it had been running for more than a few minutes! I replaced the thermostat last year with an OEM thermostat. The heat was on full blast.
This is the first time I'm flushing the coolant on this car, but not the first time I've ever changed coolant. Every other car I've replaced the coolant on, I was able to refill with the capacity stated in the manual.
Is there a trick I'm missing?
Last edited: