05 CTS-V coolant change
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 5:54 pm
Pretty routine really. But I have never done it on this car which means this coolant is probably 10+ years old. Not good when it is 5 year/150k stuff. All the talk recently about Dexcool and Northstars made me nervous and even the LS deserves non-acidic coolant.
Just had to remove the center cover on the bottom and slide it out of the way. I did not see a petcock on the radiator (the configuration in this car has the end tanks on the top and bottom which I always found a little odd in a modern vehicle) so I just pulled the lower hose. It started dripping as soon as I loosened the clamp, so no fighting with a stuck hose.
I also flushed like 1/2 gallon of fresh coolant through it so hopefully the majority of it is changed now. I didn't see any junk come out like you'd see with old green stuff in an iron block....this isn't green stuff nor does it have an iron block but I am sure the anti-corrosion properties were gone at this point.
To drive it on ramps I put down two 2-by pieces of wood per ramp, sometimes a mix of 2x3 or 2x4, depending on what I grab. The ramps did not slide forward on the rough surface outside the garage. Inside the garage is a different story though. I also did it outside since it was going to rain today, in case I made a mess. I caught it all though. It took a while to stop dribbling though. To see if a little more would come out I connected my pressure tester and blast 15 psi in there. It did get a little more out at the bottom. I ended up a little overfilled. Hopefully after a few cycles the level will drop a bit. If not....meh.
Also the o-ring on my tank cap looked pretty squished. I am actually not sure if it is holding pressure. I ordered a new one just because of my recent experience with the STS. They are like $5.
No other issues. No bleeding required.
Just had to remove the center cover on the bottom and slide it out of the way. I did not see a petcock on the radiator (the configuration in this car has the end tanks on the top and bottom which I always found a little odd in a modern vehicle) so I just pulled the lower hose. It started dripping as soon as I loosened the clamp, so no fighting with a stuck hose.
I also flushed like 1/2 gallon of fresh coolant through it so hopefully the majority of it is changed now. I didn't see any junk come out like you'd see with old green stuff in an iron block....this isn't green stuff nor does it have an iron block but I am sure the anti-corrosion properties were gone at this point.
To drive it on ramps I put down two 2-by pieces of wood per ramp, sometimes a mix of 2x3 or 2x4, depending on what I grab. The ramps did not slide forward on the rough surface outside the garage. Inside the garage is a different story though. I also did it outside since it was going to rain today, in case I made a mess. I caught it all though. It took a while to stop dribbling though. To see if a little more would come out I connected my pressure tester and blast 15 psi in there. It did get a little more out at the bottom. I ended up a little overfilled. Hopefully after a few cycles the level will drop a bit. If not....meh.
Also the o-ring on my tank cap looked pretty squished. I am actually not sure if it is holding pressure. I ordered a new one just because of my recent experience with the STS. They are like $5.
No other issues. No bleeding required.