I had to remove/disconnect the coolant expansion tank, set it aside, in order to make room for replacing the stock bov. A lot of coolant fluid was lost as it dripped from the tank. Now that i have replaced the stock dv and installed the expansion tank, i want to know what would the procedure be in order to remove all the remaining coolant fluid and then fill the expansion tank with new!

 

Try a turkey baster? About $1 at the dollar store...keep a few around the garage...pretty useful.

 

Can't use a turkey baster cause it won't be able to reach inside for all the coolant fluids!

 

Just stick a hunk of hose on it...an extra 5 inches should do....clear tubing gets soft when heated...
If you get "most" of it...you will have less mess to cleanup...
Car repair and Mx is about creativeity...finding ways to get stuff done...
Just like using a funnel with a piece of tubing attached to fill a manual tranny from above...some inegunity, and all is fine.

 

To be honest, and no offence, this way of sucking the coolant fluid doesn't sound too professional to me! Isnt there some other way like a small lid so that people will open it and then the fluid will flow out?

 

Pull it out , ( lines connected ) tip it over to the left and then undo the cap slowly. Use a funnel into a bucket right near the bumper. Maybe that would work.

 

No offense taken...
I matain my cars myself to save $$.
To do that I keep it simple.....
Not to get off topic, but VW sells a $160 funnel (yes, i have seen the links) to add oil to cars...how is it better than a $2 Walmart one?! Might bit better, no drips...but I can use a paper towel to stop the drip!!
The pro's use the tip and pour or unplug it and move it fast, then add more coolant, hose off the spills....
Not really sure how "professional" you can be with diy car repair....
Just do it right...like sausage making, the end result is what matters, not the procedure.

 

I bought some 200ml syringes off amazon to suck out things on my cars. Cost about $2 each. I attached a clear hose to them and they work great for coolant, brake fluid and power steering.

 

Are you talking about draining or flushing the entire cooling system?

 

Well i was thinking of draining the entire coolant fluid in the system! If im gonna do it, why not do it the right way?

 

To drain the entire system, you remove the lower radiator hose. There is no clean way to do this, no drain port/plug/fitting in the system. The Bentley manual indicates that this is what to do.

Before you get into this, make sure that you understand how to bleed the system. There are 'how to' threads on this, usually related to changing the thermostat or water pump.

Mike

 

Do i have to rise or lean under the car?

 

Back in old prehistoric times when we didn't know or care about the environment we would just flush out the coolant with a garden hose hookup and the stuff ran down the driveway. Now to be safe and legit, it is a lot easier to let someone who has the machinery to flush and recycle the fluids. Cost me $100 at the dealer and was worth it for me.

 

Unless you are really skinny, you need to lift the car.

The hose is at the bottom of the radiator just inches off the ground. It is graver drained. Reconnect the hoses and then fill and bleed.

Search for "bleeding" the coolant. You need to vent that air out of the system

 

You will need to lie on your back, and physically get UNDER it...so jack stands and or ramps are needed...

About a foot is best...the splash shields should come off, and a collection pan placed under the hose...even then, about HALF the coolant will remain...the block and the heater core will remain full unless you take extra steps. One tip...have a new hose clamp, the old one ones tend to fail when reused if they have been on a long time.

 

But even by taking of that lower hose down there, will all of the fluid drain from the radiator?

 

HALF the coolant is in the engine block, and HEATER core....

 

How do i get that out then?

 

The only way to get all of the coolant out of the system is to flush it, and then you will be left with clear water in the block and heater core. There is no drain for these components.
If you flush the system, you need to keep in mind the amount of water in the system, so that you end up with about 50/50 coolant to water ratio.

When you fill the system, use distilled water. Tap water has minerals that can create sediments in a coolant system.

Personally, I only changed the coolant when doing maintenance. I had to drain the system to replace the thermostat, so I put fresh coolant/water in when that was done. generally, it is recommended to replace the coolant every 5 years/100k miles, but I don't remember the exact MINI recommendation.

Mike

 

Can it be flushed with compressed air?

 

Why go complex...
Unless the coolant is contaminated with the wrong stuff...just drop the lower radiator hose, and drain and fill every 3 years....suggest OEM, AND DILUTED with distilled water. Simple, easy, not reinventing the wheel.

 

Isnt it better to drain everything out and fill with new coolant fluid? Why is it hard to drain everything out? I have not understood!

 

It's a German car, accept it and move forward. If you want to get all of the coolant out you're going to need something that only a shop would have to pull out all of the coolant at once. It is that simple if you choose the blue pill, take the red pill and your blood pressure rises.

 

I've been planning on doing this service work myself as well. I found this video on YouTube that you might find helpful.