Changing the coolant on my Altima??

[Tom NJ]

Back in my day (70s), changing the coolant was easy. Just open the drain petcock, remove the fill cap, and drain. Then refill with water (and a flush if desired), run the engine until hot with the heater on, and drain again, One more flush with water, then refill with the coolant mixture.

So now I'm looking to replace the coolant on my 2008 Altima 2.5 SL and the instructions I am seeing online include things like using a vacuum pump and bleeding the system. Is this really necessary? Could I do harm by just doing the old fashioned drain and flush routine?

Tom NJ

 

[KrisZ]

There should not be a problem with the old method unless you want to stick with Nissan OEM coolant, which I think only comes in 50/50 mix and therefore you would not be able to go back to a proper coolant concentration having the system filled with water, without wasting a lot of 50/50 OEM coolant. If you can get fully concentrated coolant, it will work like a charm.

Bleeding the system afterwards is also fairly easy on most cars. It usually involves running the car with the radiator cap or pressurized reservoir cap off at raised RPM (around 2k, 2.5k RPM) until the level stops to drop.

I used this method on my cars and never needed anything more than a screwdriver to remove the radiator drain plug.

 

[NateDN10]

Another option is to just drain and fill a couple of times without the flush. You won't get all the old coolant out, but if you do it twice now, separated by a week's worth of driving, and again next year, you'll have replaced most of it.

 

[The Critic]

There is no need to flush.

Get the Nissan OE green coolant concentrate, mix it 50/50 with distilled water, and do your coolant service.

In the absence of an airlift, use the Lisle coolant funnel.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
There is no need to flush.

Get the Nissan OE green coolant concentrate, mix it 50/50 with distilled water, and do your coolant service.

In the absence of an airlift, use the Lisle coolant funnel.


Those Lisle coolant funnels are a must with no bleeder valve.

 

[OneEyeJack]

The drain a little, fill a little on a frequent basis works well. Flushing the system is a cash flow service supplied by many quick oil change outlets. If you take your car there then you automatically need a flush. If you don't believe me just ask them. They will explain how the earth will open up and swallow you if you don't flush your cooling system, right now. If you hear this pitch, drive away.

 

[michaelluscher]

I bought one.
Best less then $30 I ever spent.

If you ever have to touch a cooling system on predominantly Japanese cars, its pretty much mandatory.

 

[benjamming]

I simply do a drain & refill (4-5 qts) every 30k miles. That seems like the best bang for the buck with no guessing on concentrations & is as simple as pulling the drain plug.

 

[asand1]

Drain and fill with distilled water until clearand then new coolant.

 

[RobtE]

Originally Posted By: asand1
Drain and fill with distilled water until clearand then new coolant.

That's my approach. Distilled water is cheap, radiators and heater cores expensive. Turn the heater on, get it all out of there, and empty the overflow tank.

The Nissan 2.5 Altima has a coolant capacity of 8 quarts. Once it's drained, add 4.8 quarts of the Asian OEM coolant (my preference is 60%) or a gallon to get 50%, top it off with distilled water.

The six cylinder Altimas of that era were notorious for trapping air; the low radiator and lack of a bleed valve make them hard to burp unless the front end is lifted. I believe that's the source of the recommendation for a vacuum pump.

My recollection is that for a 4 cylinder Nissan wanted the nose of the car 3 feet off the ground and the engine run at 2500 RPM for a half hour or some such magic ritual. With drive-on ramps that's not impossible at home, but the neighbors will talk.

On the other hand I have had friends just drain and refill with no problems at all.

Air pockets are a real pain, but if you run it with the heater on and make sure you're getting heat when it's all done, it's probably good to go.

 

[Tom NJ]

Thanks all. I'll just drain and refill and see what happens.

Tom NJ

 

[Garak]

You may still be able to get the Nissan concentrate from the dealer, Tom, given your location. Canadian Nissan/Infinti dealers still sell the Nissan OEM green concentrate, because the new blue concentrate (for northern markets) comes in only a 1 quart bottle and is way too much money in comparison.