Cooling System, Anti Freeze

[Guest reefer]

Hello everyone,

Decided to change the water/antifreeze on my 96 TDi. The book says 9.2 litres, approx, but I only drained our 5 litres. Suspect the remaining 4 litres must be in the rear heater and piping to it.

My question is, what is the best method to drain and refill the whole cooling system.

Book& TIS says drain from botom rad. hose, then just refill through expansion tank.

Tried this but can only get about 1 litre of water/antifreeze in system, must be an air lock somewhere.

Any of you knowledgeable people have any better methods for filling the cooloing system

Second question, is Pink or Blue antifreeze best ?.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

[Guest SA Intruder]

I would be tempted to force the old coolant from the "rest" of the system by using a hose from the tap and blasting it through until clean water emerges. You will need some ingenuity to connect. And determine which pipe is which.

 

As far as antifreeze brand is concerned, try AFL in Leyland for a good range....just use a brand you recognise and pay for quality.

[Guest reefer]

Thanks Intruder, I'll check out the Leyland store for antifreeze.

[Ivor_E_Tower]

The subject of antifreeze is interesting (to me anyway) - from new, most cars seem to have stuff that the manuals say should be changed after 4 years, then every 2 years. Recently I have noticed that eg Halfords sell some long-life antifreeze that should be changed every 4 years - used it in the car I traded in for my Galaxy. So, is it better, or more convenient, to use this stuff rather than change every 2 years? What do others think?

[Guest SA Intruder]

Personally I would use 2 or 3 year and change it then.

 

It is an opportunity to flush all the crud out.

 

AND...although the coolant may appear to protect down to -30C when tested, you cannot determine whether the inhibitor (for ali), corrosion protection and lubricant is still OK in the antifreeze.

 

It's about peace of mind, I suppose.