Draining the radiator?

[Monty]

I've looked all over the bottom of the radiator and I can't find the drain valve. All that I found were the lower hose and a couple of metal lines coming out about midway. Any ideas? I'm going to pull the radiator and have it rodded out, as it's full of calcium buildup.

TIA,
Mike

 

[Slam]

You have to pull the one hose at the bottom of the radiator, and then you have to unscrew the valve on the top of the radiator and remove the coolant resevoir cap. That will make it poor out!!! Get ready to catch the coolant...

 

[Monty]

Thanks again Sam. Being that the headlights were so easy to remove, I wish LR made it easier to drain the frickin' radiator.

 

[Sergei]

Mike - yes, its PITA to unhook that bottom hoose. Dont do it from underneath of truck unless you want to have nice warmy shower of antifreeze And bloody thing is impossible to catch when pouring out - i did flushes few time to clean up mess from inside radiator and playing with different mixtures and each time its terrible mess.


If you worrying about poisoning them "kittens and puppies attracted by sweet smell" - Sam's club selling huge packs of clay-based absorbent in auto sections. Cost about 3.5$ / pack.

It absorbs coolant very easy and then, when its getting half-dry or totally dry you can mix it out just put it outside your backyard or something - totally harmless.

Also great to get rid of oil spillages

 

[discomike]

Mike,
Remember, use the correct coolant, amybe throw in some Purple Ice, change your t/stat and bleed all the air out of the engine afterwards.
Mike J.

 

[Monty]

Mike, I take it that LR specific coolant is required? I was going to get a t-stat but nobody had the gasket so I didn't buy one yet, and yeah, I was going to change it and take a real good look at the upper and lower radiator hoses too. BTW, I've got some water wetter to put in when the coolant is changed.

As for bleeding the coolant, do you just run the engine with the cap off for a short while to get all the air out?

 

[discomike]

Any of the coolant additives are great and long as they are not for leaks. What color coolant did you have in the truck, make sure you use the same and that it is for an alloy block.
Trun on your heater after you replace the coolant, let the engine run with the cap od or loose, let it cool alittle and top off. Let it run again and recheck after cool down. You should be fine. If I remember right there are 2 air bleeds, one on each head, but I can't remember where.
So while you are in a fluid changing mood, how about the brakes and power steering, everybody always lets them go way tooooo long.
Mike J.

 

[Monty]

Those are next on my list, besides the t-case. The fluid in there now is green.

 

[beemer]

Radiator drain:

monty your the first one for me to repy on this forum.I've got a 95 Disco thats had fluids changed every year, the radiator was still plugged. I went for a new core thru my lifetime radiator friend, he installed a core with 2 extra rows of tubes. Also while out the lower return pipe had a petcock installed on the bottom (easy drain), now it's easy to change the coolant. I'm running Evans coolant that's water free hence no corrosive cooling action. The standard radiator is crap in ny opinion far as quality. Just an aircraft mechanic who sees improvements needed. Carl...............o&o>...............

 

[Slam]

Aircraft mechanic? That is cool. Hope to hear a real mechanics point of view from you sometimes around the forum.