Peered into coolant tank to see alot of grunge in tank so decided to change coolant.Jacked up car and spent 10 minutes looking for coolant drain spigot.Went around with flashlight both sides and bottom.Hmmm no drain
point visible.Ended up taking off lower rad hose left side.Drained,put hose and clamp back on, refilled new coolant,burped(hot/old cycle)topped up to max line.Did I miss something or is this the only way???

 

I have been wanting to change mine for a while... so I would like to know the answer to that question as well.

one question... did you run your engine for a few more minute with water so you can get collant out of the engine as well?

good post!

 

There is no radiator drain valve, you have to remove the lower hose (and endure the resulting gusher) to drain the coolant. You did it properly.

 

Here's my question...the forum search I performed for this question turned up lots of results on generally how to do this. Does anyone know where pics might be that could help with this process?

Let's gear this toward people who really don't know what they're doing and/or have never done a coolant change before. I'm thinking a Randy Webb-ish how-to.

 

I haven't seen a how-to yet. I used the Bentley manual which was pretty useful. If you take the plastic rock guard off that's under the radiator, it will expose the lower hose. It's on the driver side (America) and the clamp is pretty pesky to get off. Once released, it will drain the coolant tank and radiator but not the block so half the coolant will still be in the engine. I still have not found an engine block drain to get the rest out. After you fill it back up, you start the car and then open the bleed screw on the upper radiator hose which is right in front of the engine up top. The system should pressurize and force the air out of the screw. Do this several times until there's no air left in the system.

 

I tell you what, Ill take it apart tomorrow, and do step by step and post pics in gallery.Any body with real skills (not me) can take all info and sticky it.Its like when I did Invidia on my convertible last dec,just looked at it took apart and figured it out.Unfortunately my computer skills arent that great any help would be appreciated on that end.

 

ya you cant get it all out what you can do is button the bottom back up fill with water run till warm and repeat filling with coolent or what ever you use at the end. This will clean it out pretty well. Make sure to use good water not hose or drinking water As these can leave contaminents in your engine.

 

I just wait two months letting most boil off/leak out then refill with good clean fluid. Only done this once so far, heard about the leaky tanks checked it and sure enoughI was empty!

 

HMMMM proactive coolant change,you remind me of my brother he never changes oil he just tops it up.Just kidding......REmember dont drink the fluid it tastes sweet but its deadly.Keep away from your dog cat or significant other.

 

It's not okay to drink??? uh-oh


It was more a refill than anything else, how often should it be changed if I can ever get it to stay in the tank?

 

What happens when you have about a 75/25 mixture of water to coolant after that procedure? If you fill it up with water and run it, I agree that it'll get a lot more coolant out but there's still no way of getting all of that water back out. I've decided the easiest way for me is to change my fluid every 2-3 years and by the time the old stuff's gone bad, there's so little left, it shouldn't matter. Why couldn't they have just put a drain on the back of the engine block...

 

A clarification:I lifted rear of car higher than front once i got lower hose off and let gravity do its thing.Make sure coolant is warm,carefully relieve pressure on cap.You wont get all but you will get most out.I used a premix good for 30 below(still double checked with hydrometer to confirm)Also a chicken baster or hydrometer can be used to drain coolant tank if necessary but I found it drains pretty well on its own.Change every 3 years.Ive always done every two with other cars,never had a water pump or radiator problem.

 

cool. i want to do this too this spring/summer,so im looking forward to the picts. thanks!

 

I wish they had a drain plug Im with you. The main reason you need coolant is for anticorrotion, if your mix is a bit off youll be ok. the engine is small not too much can get stuck in there. I use water and water wetter though its very easy.

 

Thanks for the info pooch1

 

Thanks guys Ill post today pics in gallery.Dont know procedure for posting in my post.Ive followed FAQ but dosnt seem to work.A step by step would be appreciated.Im retarded as far as computer stuff is concerned.

 

The coolant change interval for BMW and VW is every two years. BMW's are apparently very picky about coolant (tight passages easily clogged by sub-standard antifreeze) and even most indie techs agree it's best to use only BMW coolant. Same with VW. The MINI, however, may be less picky. Need to check Bentley. I tend to err on the side of caution and will probably use BMW antifreeze when the time comes. Cheap insurance, IMO.

A way to remove all of the existing coolant from the engine would be to back-flush it. Rig up an adapter to the radiator hose and with a garden hose, push water through the block and out the bottom of the radiator until it comes out clear. You'll need a big bucket to catch it all. Afterwards, reattach the hose and fill the system with distilled water. Run the car and bleed the system. Then drain it again. This should get most of the tap water out (in a perfect world you could back-flush it with distilled water, but that's not practical). Refill the system with a 50/50 mix of distilled water to antifreeze (or water-wetter if you live in a non-freeze climate).

Having a block drain can be annoying. On the BMW I-6, the plug is buried up under the exhaust manifold. Properly draining the block without showering the shop in coolant requires removing one of the O2 sensors and wedging a funnel under the plug. It took a couple of coolant showers for me to figure that out...

 

The reason I didnt flush system is because if you get water trapped as previous poster mentioned,even if you refill with 50/50 or 75/25 you dont know what the final mix is until your system is filled and bled.Thats why I use a premix,you can test premix before filling and if you jack rear up you will get most all of the previous coolant out.Then you refill with premix and bleed air.Checked am today bottle hasnt changed levels so air is out and hydrometer confirms proper freezing point.Off to take pictures.

 

 

Good work pooch1! I never thought of using a vice grip for the clamp. My regular needle nose barely fit. I'll try lifting the rear higher next time also. What reading should I see on the hydrometer?

As for the type of coolant and clogging, the MINI's engine is made by Chrysler and is used in the euro model PT Cruiser and other small cars. It's not a BMW engine. I used Prestone all makes all models. It's silicate and phosphate free so it doesn't eat through the gaskets. I added some Water Wetter into the mix as well.

 

Ill try to get into post,if not IWill edit existing post and add pics.

 

You for got to add the / in the [/IMG] back bracket

 

Thanks for the work, guys. This is exactly what I've been after.

pooch1, poutine's on me. Go Leafs Go!

 

for those who are really looking to get all the coolant out there is a bleeder on the back of the engine for it....unfortunately it is almost completely inaccessible without having the starter motor or the headers off the car...i am replacing my headers tomorro or wednesday and plan on draining my coolant while i'm in the process...i'll let you guys know if it works....but besides that....just drain from the hose...its sooo much easier

 

I asked Dealer about how often to change coolent and they said every 2 years.no matter what the milage. My problem is that I am old school. I have a 2005 Mini and I have 40,000 miles on it.And as far as I am concerned the coolent breaks down based on usage not Time.
If I am wrong someone please correct me.