Coolant change on a '63 Riv

[JanZverina]

I'm about to do some scheduled maintenance on my '63, which includes a coolant change and replacing a weeping thermostat housing gasket with Permatex 'The Right Stuff', thanks to earlier advice from ROA members. My question has to do with draining the coolant: Is there a preferred way to drain it other than opening the radiator petcock and hoping it will close properly? The radiator was re-cored in 2016 and is good shape, but any other tips/suggestions are certainly welcome.

 

     

[EmTee]

Remove the water jacket drain plugs just above the oil pan flange (one on each side) if you can.  That will allow sediment to be expelled and will get as much of the old coolant out as possible.  If they are inaccessible (one may be blocked by the starter) then just use the radiator petcock with a hose attached to catch most of the old coolant.  Removing the lower hose from the radiator might allow a bit more to drain out.

 

Adding a small (e.g., 1/8") hole in the thermostat flange allowing air to bleed through before the the thermostat opens will make completely refilling the system easier.

 

[XframeFX]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:51 AM, JanZverina said:

Is there a preferred way to drain it other than opening the radiator petcock and hoping it will close properly? The radiator was re-cored in 2016 and is good shape

The radiator petcock should work fine even on an old radiator. Removing the lower radiator hose will drain even more coolant. However, the block will still have coolant. Removing 1/4" NPT plugs on either side of the block will drain it totally. Maybe soak them with penetrant first.

 

What about coolant? I considered "Evans Cool", a waterless coolant. A little too much prep work for me and costly.

 

What about flushing? Something we did in the old days was to install a Prestone Tee in the heater core inlet hose. To flush, we would remove the cap on the Tee and attach a garden hose.

I discovered an unused kit in the back of my cabinet last weekend, neat!

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by XframeFX (see edit history)

[tenugent]

19 minutes ago, XframeFX said:

The radiator petcock should work fine even on an old radiator. Removing the lower radiator hose will drain even more coolant. However, the block will still have coolant. Removing 1/4" NPT plugs on either side of the block will drain it totally. Maybe soak them with penetrant first.

 

What about coolant? I considered "Evans Cool", a waterless coolant. I little too much prep work for me and costly.

 

What about flushing? Some thing we did in the old days was to install a Prestone Tee in the heater core inlet hose. To flush, we would remove the cap on the Tee and attach a garden hose.

I discovered an unused kit in the back of my cabinet last weekend, neat!

 

 

I'm running Evans,it doesnt boil till 350 or 360 so I'm running a dedicated temp gauge.Buy the time it boils your motor is toast.

[MrAG Riv]

8 hours ago, EmTee said:

Remove the water jacket drain plugs just above the oil pan flange (one on each side) if you can.  That will allow sediment to be expelled and will get as much of the old coolant out as possible.  If they are inaccessible (one may be blocked by the starter) then just use the radiator petcock with a hose attached to catch most of the old coolant.  Removing the lower hose from the radiator might allow a bit more to drain out.

 

Adding a small (e.g., 1/8") hole in the thermostat flange allowing air to bleed through before the the thermostat opens will make completely refilling the system easier.

 

Just did the water pump and thermostat on my 63 on Sunday. Did the 1/8 “ hole trick after remembering it from one of your previous posts Emtee. All worked perfectly. 

[XframeFX]

For 1G Rivieras, make sure HEAT is ON. Meaning, the water valve is open. Obvious but can be missed if doing a 1st start after major work - multi-tasking.

[RivNut]

22 hours ago, EmTee said:

Remove the water jacket drain plugs just above the oil pan flange (one on each side) if you can.  That will allow sediment to be expelled and will get as much of the old coolant out as possible.  If they are inaccessible (one may be blocked by the starter) then just use the radiator petcock with a hose attached to catch most of the old coolant.  Removing the lower hose from the radiator might allow a bit more to drain out.

 

Adding a small (e.g., 1/8") hole in the thermostat flange allowing air to bleed through before the the thermostat opens will make completely refilling the system easier.

 

Picture of a water jacket drain plug (not the freeze plug.). 

[JanZverina]

Thanks everyone - some great tips as usual!!

[NTX5467]

After hearing Jay Leno talk about the Evans coolant, I checked it out.  Not just a "drop-in" situation, as I discovered.  To start the change, a "Prep fluid" is added and then drained/flushed out.  That gets the water out.  Then add the "coolant" (about $45.00/gallon) and such.  Which can put the materials cost over $130.00 or so, easily.  IF I was doing a complete restoration, where everything was new, I might consider using it, maybe even on a recent engine, but as normal coolant is still "cheap", no financial reason for now.  Might consider a "long-life 100K mile coolant", though.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[alsancle]

There are a number of forum threads on Evans.  Here is one: