deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
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Just phoned up my local mechanic (not a main dealer) he said to change the engine coolant would be about £30 all in. Does this sound about right? Also, is it easy to do on my own? Dad knows a bit about cars i.e. how to do oil change etc so he'd probably help me!
[Edited on 14-12-2006 by deano87]
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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It's really easy to do yourself.
All you need to do is:
On the drivers side of the car undo the bottom pipe from the radiator. This will be a jubilee clip or a quick fix type thing, either way, they are easy to undo.
Pull the pipe off over a drain or a bucket or wherever and let the coolent drain away. You'll need to undo the lid of the header tank too to make it drain quicker.
Once all the coolent has gone, mix up some fresh coolent with some water in a watering can. Pop the bottom hose back onto the radiator and do the clip up, then top up the coolent.
Run the engine for a bit to allow the air in the system to bubble up through the header tank and then top the header tank up with some more of the coolent you just mixed up. You should be ready to go then 
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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 That easy?! I don't know the concentration of engine coolant etc plus I'm taking the missus to see relatives on Sunday so don't want to fuck it up for that - I'll probably take it to my mechanic, watch, learn and do it myself next winter! 
Cheers anyway.
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abdus
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Registered: 23rd Feb 06
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one more guide:
http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/viewthread.php?tid=215520
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by abdus
one more guide:
http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/viewthread.php?tid=215520
 cheers.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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has anyone done a guide with pictures for each stage? sorry im just very worried about breaking summat  want to do this friday / saturday for the winter
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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It's impossible to break anything. Unless you are a retard 
Go get yourself a Haynes manual as thats the best guide for this kind of thing
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
Go get yourself a Haynes manual as thats the best guide for this kind of thing
One on my Crimbo list to Santa I would wait, but doing a fairly long journey I wanted the engine coolant ok, 'cause I've topped it up with water the odd time as it was low and I had to drive to Uni!
[Edited on 14-12-2006 by deano87]
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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They are the most useful thing ever, save you a fortune on servicing costs Even tells you how to do an engine conversion (well, nearly  )
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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o yea i forgot ive actually got one
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
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Just had mine checked - good for -18degrees Saves me £30 I suppose!
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Reedy
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Registered: 11th Apr 04
Location: Hammersmith
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Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
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Reedy
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Registered: 11th Apr 04
Location: Hammersmith
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
mine used to do that all the time ( the 12v ), the pug on the otherhand gets hot when driving normal
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
mine used to do that all the time ( the 12v ), the pug on the otherhand gets hot when driving normal
Fair enough - I did see on Halfords website, 1litre of coolant which protects in freezing temperatures and helps prevent boiling over!
[Edited on 15-12-2006 by deano87]
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Gary
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
My old 1.2 8v did this. Was a sticky thermostat. New thermostat=all good
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by glb86
quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
My old 1.2 8v did this. Was a sticky thermostat. New thermostat=all good
Only does it at certain points - I'm also talking 15mins worth of sitting in traffic when the fan actually cuts in - doesn't bother me too much. If traffic is that bad I turn the engine off anyway.
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Reedy
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Registered: 11th Apr 04
Location: Hammersmith
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by glb86
quote:
Originally posted by deano87
quote:
Originally posted by Reedy
Nice one you just reminded me to do the pug as it get hot very quickly.
That has nothing to do with the coolant concentration though, only possibly the level. My 12v seems to get hot quick when sitting in the traffic but the fan cuts in and all is ok!
My old 1.2 8v did this. Was a sticky thermostat. New thermostat=all good
Only does it at certain points - I'm also talking 15mins worth of sitting in traffic when the fan actually cuts in - doesn't bother me too much. If traffic is that bad I turn the engine off anyway.
Mine turns itself off
Im writing it off to sucking in too much hot air.
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