Quote:
Originally Posted by cndfit
That's what's puzzling me. I never changed the coolant myself - so I sure don't know what I'm doing. That's what brought me to this thread. Our Fit came with a block heater (Canada) and I didn't know how to change the coolant.
For instructions on Coolant Replacement, page 10-6 of the 2007 Fit Service Manual says to loosen the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator (presumably to drain the radiator) and then it says to "remove the drain bolt from the front side of the engine block" (presumably to drain the coolant from the engine block???).
So I just assumed first coolant is drained from the radiator and then coolant is drained from the engine block.
Didn't the block heater replace the drain bolt at the front side of the engine block? Can you replace the coolant just by using the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator and forget about the drain plug at the front of the engine block? I hope so!
Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks.
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Yes, you're right.
You make a very good point. I didn't even consider ever having to take it back out to change the coolant. Considering how little coolant came out when the drain plug was removed I don't see how that would be much help in draining and flushing the system anyway.
When it comes time to do the flush and refill I'll either get one of the Prestone aftermarket coolant flush kits that go in the heater hose or just do it the old fashion way draining and refilling the radiator a few times with water with the car running until it's just clear water then letting the car cool down, draining the radiator and adding straight anti freeze (not pre-mixed) to the empty radiator to make the right mix.
Say the coolant capacity is 2 gallons and I wanted a 50/50 mix I would simply add 1 gallon of straight anti freeze (not pre-mixed) and then top it off with water making it a 50/50 mix.
I don't have the manual handy to check the actual capacity but that's the basic principal.
Removing and reinstalling the block heater would not be a fun job at all. But if I was going to do it I would definitely be very careful to "try" and not round it off or deform it. Perhaps if it was up on a lift it may be a little easier to get to but it bent pretty easy, I wasn't applying a lot of torque when it slipped.
Hope that helps address your concerns and answers your question.
Final note: If you've never changed a cars anti freeze before make sure you use a good anti freeze don't just grab the cheap stuff. Make sure it's good for aluminum engines I suggest the yellow as opposed to the green stuff. Honda's is blue but it is also pre-mixed and about $10 US a gallon.
. It's interesting that you did not see an increase in your electric costs - really looks like this is a low-wattage device. Old-school version of this is to put a 100W shop light under the vehicle at night. If I didn't have on-street parking I'd definitely consider adding a block heater.
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