Radiator & engine drain plug ? (1 Viewer)

[Ting]

Sorry...Newbie question. I did my search....

I can't locate both radiator and engine drain plug. Does anyone has pictures of them? Thank you...

I do have service manual book, but I can’t visibility see it from top or bottom. My question is do I have remove something to access to those plugs?

97 LX

 

[Ting]

??????

 

[cary]

To really see it you have to pull that shield off. If I recall you can reach it from above. Because it can be broken without to much effort, you may just want to pull the bottom hose.

 

[DTAYLOR]

To really see it you have to pull that shield off. If I recall you can reach it from above. Because it can be broken without to much effort, you may just want to pull the bottom hose.

Just pull the shield (4 bolts) and locate the plastic drain plug on the drivers side of the bottoma radiator tank. Stock height gives enough room to slide a plastic paint or pool chemical 3 gallon bucket right under it to catch the fluid. Pretty clean job.

If you have a handy can of carb or brake cleaner this is a good time to clean the shield and bolts.

Go get em

 

[tarbe]

And you get at the 14mm block drain plug by going through the skirts of the DS wheel well. Shine a flashlight against the side of the block and you'll see the head of the brass plug. You'll need extensions to reach it.

 

[Ting]

Thanks guy! That's what I thought too that I need to remove something.

 

[Beowulf]

Ting,
Neither plug requires much torque to reinstall. The plastic petcock gets finger tight and they rarely leak. The brass block drain plug gets ~14 ft/lbs (look it up in the FSM.) You don't want to crank on that thing and break the head off in your block.

-B-

 

[AJP]

The large bucket works fine ... but be prepared to move it around quickly...when you remove the plastic "wing" bolt from the bottom of the rad...coolant comes out pretty quick ... then slows... the arc is greater than the diameter of the bucket..if you get my meaning. don't worry about removing the plastic bolt completely... there are no washers to lose... there is an "o" ring captive at the end of the bolt fwiw.

When you are under there you will see that the A/C compressor has a little "idler wheel" to tension the fanbelt....I gave mine several shots of Amsoil aerosol red grease which has previously worked well to quiet the upper idler pulley wheel fwiw.

The block drain comes out easily as mentionned by others with several extensions... if you remove it entirely be very cautious when starting to thread it back into the block...just go slow if guiding it in with the socket and use your fingers onlyto tighten initially .. brass is soft

 

[Ting]

Some of you suggest that I don't need to remove the shield? I can access from engine compartment? I can't even see it from the top... I don't want to remove anything if I don't have to....

????

 

[medtro]

You won't see it without a mirror.

 

[Ting]

I can feel it....

Good thing that I have skinny arm, but its really tight... i can't turn it....

 

[MTJohn]

Drain radiator and block

I wasted a bunch of time trying to get the plugs out and finally just took off the bottom radiator hose on the passenger side. That was so much easier that I plan to use that approach from now on.

 

[Riad]

I wasted a bunch of time trying to get the plugs out and finally just took off the bottom radiator hose on the passenger side. That was so much easier that I plan to use that approach from now on.

Exactly!! That's what I did today. I just looked at the radiator plug "once". And that was it . There was NO WAY I was gonna screw with that. Pulling the bottom hose was much easier.

 

[Ting]

With a little bit of hammering it finally came lose! Flush with atleast 10 gallons of soft water, and added Toyota Red.... I will flush again in a few months to make sure.

Thank you everyone!!! I can access it from engine compartment, and next time will be easy! Reserve tank is also like new now.

 

[LX_TREME]

I will flush again in a few months to make sure.

And next also flush it from the engine block driver side (shamely pic taken from Concretejungle truck)

 

[atijerino]

Here is a close-up.

Here is a close up of the plastic petcock on the radiator, the only way to find it and open it is to remove the metal shield above the steering damper.