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Fiesta 1.1 HCS Coolant Capacity

Hi all,

I'm midway through trying to replace the thermostat on my 1992 Fiesta

1.1 HCS. All went well, until trying to refill with coolant - the expansion tank now looks full with only 3l of antifreeze dropped into it, and the Haynes suggests the capacity should be more like 7.1l.

Looking at what came out, there doesn't seem to be 7l there either. I filled very slowly, and so hope I avoided airlocks, but advice on how to check would be appreciated. I don't think anything's blocked, since I'm replacing the thermostat due to overcooling. Is there anything else I could have missed?

Is there anything I can do other than drain the lot and try again? I remember people in this group suggesting that heater settings must be a certain way before draining, but the Haynes makes no mention - does this apply here?

Thanks,

Reply to
Mick Brooks
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The haynes book of lies is correct. (Just checked the Ford Tech. Data).

Where about did you drain the system? Chances are you've only drained part of the system. To fully drain the system, there should be a drain plug on the bottom of the radiator, and one on the engine block.

I'm sure that there's no bleed screws on this engine, so all that is needed is to fill the cooling system up, run the engine until it's hot, then let it cool and re check the level.

Regarding heater settings, it is normally recommended to leave them on hot.

Moray

Reply to
Moray Cuthill

Thanks.

I haven't found anything on the block, but then I wasn't looking because the Haynes makes no mention of this at all. Just for future reference, where is the block drain plug? Or, as I've just read in another thread, should I just flush the block with hot water and not worry?

As my overcooling prob. wasn't fixed with the new thermostat, I needed to screw in a new temp. sender (which seems to have done the trick) so I drained the system again. After this, and remembering that the original coolant was nice and clean and only 1yr old, I think it should be fine now.

Thanks again,

Reply to
Michael Brooks

It's pretty hard to get all the water out of a system, so the extra is probably still in. Depends on the car of course. I would run the engine with the cap off, topping up if the level drops, and run the heater to make sure it blows hot. If the heater's hot, the temperature gauge looks fine and the level doesn't drop, fine.

If you wanted to change the coolant and have trouble getting the old stuff out, the trick is to flush it through with clean water until it comes out clean. Then add the required quantity of antifreeze according to the stated capacity and top up with more water.

Reply to
Dan Buchan

I would just flush though. Unlike engine oil, you don't get build up of contaminants in the coolant, nor does anything happen to the glycol or water - but the additive package which stops corrosion gets used up, and needs replenishing. So it's not necessary to get every bit of the old coolant out, although it's a good idea to flush out as much sediment or rust that may have formed as you can.

If it looks clean, it's clean enough.

Reply to
Bob Davis

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