Drain, flush and replacing coolant

[mikeylikesit]

Good Morning
I am getting ready to put 2169 to bed for the winter this weekend. First time prepping for winter storage, (unheated). I have a garage and car bag so will be all set.
In checking the coolant fluid yesterday, the hydrometer is giving me readings of about -10 celcius, which is nowhere near enough strength as we will have temps down to -30 over the winter.

I am going to need to drain the system flush and replace with a higher strength, 60/40, or 65/35 antifreeze to water ratio.

Is there a petcock on the SPF rad that I can drain from or is it just easier to drain by removing lower rad hose?

As I have the puke tank I assume (its highest point in the system), this is where to bleed air out?

Any tips/advice on this process....am I on the right track?

Thanks
Mike

[madmaxx]

the bottom nozzle/hose attachment has a drain plug. works very well.

[mikeylikesit]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

the bottom nozzle/hose attachment has a drain plug. works very well.

Madmaxx....I haven't had her up on blocks yet to look....are you saying there is a drain plug on bot rad hose?

My owners manual from SCOF not here yet either....

Thanks

Mike

[Nantucket427]

Word of caution. You may not be able to get every drop of coolant out of the block and heater. When I change to "Ford Brand Gold Coolant". I had to flush with distilled water several times to get the old out, then add a 50/50 mix of distilled water and Gold. I found that the complete removal of the bottom hose was quicker than the bolt. Good time to check all of your hoses for wear.

[Blas]

There should be a drain plug located on the lower connection of the radiator for your car series. Where the hose attaches to the radiator on the driver’s side under the car. Very early Superformance cars did not have a drain plug and you needed to remove the lower hose to drain the system.
A little penetrating oil overnight on the drain plug is a good idea too before opening it.
Drain and flush the system as necessary. When refilling, I add the proper amount of antifreeze first first based on the capacity of the cooling system, because there is always a little water trapped in the block that further dilutes a pre-mix. I use bottled distilled water when refilling and I also use the “Water Wetter” product too, your choice on that, and lot’s of opinions here. Some engines will have air trapped in their cooling system due to their design. Elevating the front of the car when filling the system helps to eliminate any trapped air. When refilling, fill the system and then run the engine with the cap off the expansion tank till the thermostat opens, the level will drop, then add additional fluid as necessary as the level goes down. A properly filled system will have fluid level up to the divider inside the expansion tank not to the top of the filler neck on the expansion tank. Remember to drain your overflow tank too if you have one installed. The car may spit water after coming up to temperature and pressure the first few times you drive it. It’s just equalizing the fluid level. If you see spikes in your temp gauge you have air trapped in the system. Warm a cold engine and carefully open the connection on top of the intake manifold that the water temp probe is in, air will escape due to the building pressure in the system and when the trapped air is expelled, antifreeze will start to seep out. Close the connection and you should be good to go. Clean up any spilled antifreeze as it stains when it dries. You know all about opening a hot cooling system I presume, and remember antifreeze is poisonous for animal’s and kids. Dispose of your old antifreeze properly too.

[sn8ke2]

Any idea as to what the coolant capacity is for a 351 Ford motor in the Mark3 ?

[CWizard]

16 quarts.

[Moriarty]

Great write-up @Blas!

carefully open the connection on top of the intake manifold that the water temp probe is in

What's the best method/tool for doing this on a 427? I've got a mechanical sender which is sandwiched down between the carburetor, distributor, and coil making it difficult to get any leverage on. A socket with extension would work nice except for the cable.

Edit: Nevermind, I just discovered what's called a Crowfoot, which might work perfectly.

[Steve Gallegos]

can you start the engine to drain all the fluid out after you have emptied the radiator?

[Blas]

Removing the temp sensor is to allow ant trapped air to escape if it is there to begin with. Try jackin the front of the car while parked on a sloped driveway. It is not necessary to completely empty the cooling system of all water unless you are changing to a waterless coolant.
Blas

[HTM101]

Originally Posted by Steve Gallegos

can you start the engine to drain all the fluid out after you have emptied the radiator?

No sir. In an FE, if you want to drain the block, the 2 block plugs must be removed. There's quite a bit of coolant in the engine. When a block plug is removed, it makes a heck of a mess. I installed one of these in each side of the block, and one in the bottom of my radiator.