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coolant engine flush radiator
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#21 ·
legnayre said:
Not a long time ago I could read in other forum that the drain plug can be accesed removing the passenger wheelhouse splash shield. In three or four month I'll try it and I'll tell you if I got it.

Have anybody tried in this way?

Regards.
Click to expand...
I have tried to change de coolant opening the drain plug in my CRD 2.0 4x4 and I couldn't. There is no space to do it, even getting out the fascia. Soon I'll try to do it with a manual pump and getting out the lower hose. I'll tell you how it goes. Regards.
 
#23 ·
#24 · (Edited)
I just finished this task yesterday and I can confirm that removing the front fascia is not difficult (three 7mm head screws and three plastic rivet retainers in each wheel well, a fourth hidden 7mm screw right behind the splash shield where the plastic bumper meets the fender, several torx head screws along the top and two squeeze clips at the bottom) and makes the flush fairly easy to do. I had the front end pointing downhill slightly and once I got the petcock opened, it would only drain about a little over a gallon out of the system.

I had originally bought a gallon of new antifreeze (full strength) and 2 gallons of distilled water. Once I realized the engine design holds about 3/4 of a gallon in the block and heater core after draining I knew this was going to be a time intensive change. So here's what I did.

Drain one gallon out and pour in one gallon of distilled water, run the engine until full hot to mix up remaining 50/50 mix of old with 1 gallon of water. Repeat above procedure for as many times as you can stand. I ran two gallons of distilled through it (I had no way to get back to the store to get 2 more gallons of distilled water with the front end removed), better would be to do it 4 times.

When finally done you'll have a very diluted mix of distilled water with traces of old antifreeze (mostly water if you did it 4 times). Pour in the new full strength antifreeze gallon (the whole bottle will fit, but I half filled the reservoir bottle as well), then run the engine until it's full hot and carefully squeeze the upper radiator hose several times (you should see air bubbles burping up through the reservoir bottle, hose will be very hot so use a rag or glove). If you used full strength in the reservoir, top it off to full hot with just distilled water.

So very time intensive, but very easy from a difficulty/mechanical ability perspective.
 
#25 ·
Can you mix zerex gold g05 with mopar hoat???

todde702 said:
I just finished this task yesterday and I can confirm that removing the front fascia is not difficult (three 7mm head screws and three plastic rivet retainers in each wheel well, a fourth hidden 7mm screw right behind the splash shield where the plastic bumper meets the fender, several torx head screws along the top and two squeeze clips at the bottom) and makes the flush fairly easy to do. I had the front end pointing downhill slightly and once I got the petcock opened, it would only drain about a little over a gallon out of the system.

I had originally bought a gallon of new antifreeze (full strength) and 2 gallons of distilled water. Once I realized the engine design holds about 3/4 of a gallon in the block and heater core after draining I knew this was going to be a time intensive change. So here's what I did.

Drain one gallon out and pour in one gallon of distilled water, run the engine until full hot to mix up remaining 50/50 mix of old with 1 gallon of water. Repeat above procedure for as many times as you can stand. I ran two gallons of distilled through it (I had no way to get back to the store to get 2 more gallons of distilled water with the front end removed), better would be to do it 4 times.

When finally done you'll have a very diluted mix of distilled water with traces of old antifreeze (mostly water if you did it 4 times). Pour in the new full strength antifreeze gallon (the whole bottle will fit, but I half filled the reservoir bottle as well), then run the engine until it's full hot and carefully squeeze the upper radiator hose several times (you should see air bubbles burping up through the reservoir bottle, hose will be very hot so use a rag or glove). If you used full strength in the reservoir, top it off to full hot with just distilled water.

So very time intensive, but very easy from a difficulty/mechanical ability perspective.
Click to expand...
Is there no engine drain plug on the patriot? So that you don't have to run the car with water? With my other truck, an F150, it has the plastic peacock against the grill which drains a couple gallons, then it also has a steel plug on the bottom of the engine that gets a lot more of the coolant out. The problem with running the water method, is that you'll end up having to test the mixture with a refractometer a week or so later after its all mixed up, and either top off with more water or drain and add antifreeze to get the freeze protection correct.

Does anyone know if you can mix Zerez gold (g05) with the red mopar hoat antifreeze? Zerez gold is also HOAT engine coolant, so it would seem they're the same? But the mopar stuff is red, not gold???

I plan on installing a mopar engine oil cooler next weekend which requires draining the antifreeze not being held in the block, and since my car is 4 years old next month - I have a 2010 patriot - so I want to know, can I refill with zerex gold (which is half the price of the mopar stuff, and which I already have sitting in my garage from when I did the ford last month)?

And now I have to pull the bumper fascia off again, i just had it off last week when i put in the front tow hooks and even then it took forever navigating the rear bolt around the tiny space between the frame and the lower radiator hose that I almost pulled off the hosef, and here now I find out it's coming off anyway since I just bought the mopar oil cooler today!
 
#26 ·
Removal of front bumper for easy petcock access. DIY

Ok, maybe my only post because this isn't my own Patriot but rather the fiance's.
First post because this section was SERIOUSLY lacking photo support of said radiator flush, lol.

I did end up taking the bumper off and removing the bottom splash guard. Sorry, no pics of the splash guard since that one is pretty self explanatory, but here are the bumper ones and where in fact the petcock is located.

I did in fact use the Zerex G-05 since it was recommended by multiple sources. Comes in 50/50 pre-diluted or concentrate. FYI, the Patriot takes 1.8 gallons, more or less.

Chrysler seriously didn't make it easy for us to do our own coolant flush and fill ;)
Here it goes:

Front bumper is off in this pic and the splash guard is lowered:
Image

(please note that it is definitely necessary to remove the front bumper as there is little to no room to access the actual petcock without removal)

2 clips on the underside:
Image


Several screws on top of the grill location:
Image


2 push pins on each (bottom) side:
Image


3 7mm screws on each side of the splash guard:
Image


1 more screw behind the splash guard holding the bumper on:
Image


UNPLUG the lights/side markers:
Image


Petcock location:
Image


Side view of the petcock:
Image

(note that you will have to turn this petcock counter-clockwise a couple of times as well as almost pulling it out while turning. This ensures that the petcock opens all the way. Terribly tight in here as well!)

I also replaced all 4 spark plugs, air filter and the ESIM which had a leak(threw engine code). Will also need an oil change, new brakes and a brake fluid exchange soon. *yippee* haha! (94k)
 
#28 ·
I just replaced the coolant and dropped one side of the bumper instead of taking it all the way off to access the drain plug. This might have saved a little time, but the drain was still a little tough to get at. I used long bent needle nose pliers to turn it. What a great design :mad:.
 

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#29 ·
Mopar H.O.A.T. Coolant is what you need.

Mopar Part #68163848=AA

Can be found on eBay and your local Jeep dealership. I should have bought mine online and saved a few bucks. A gallon cost me $40 USD at the dealership.
 
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#30 ·
I dunno, I do all my maint myself. Oil, trans, ptu,diff,xfer cases,belts,spark plugs,brakes,filters etc. Coolant change is one thing I take to my trusted mechanic for. About 85$ for labor and I supply the fluid. They flush the system, and its a messy job. I did swap radiator out on my 2007 xterra but still went and had the system flushed afterwards. Flushing will get stuff out of block etc etc. Next time, I will flush first then change radiator. I only changed it due to the potential of the smod. Google smod xterra and u will see what that's about. Thankfully my patriot is a manual!!! By my choosing!
 
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#31 ·
So for best protection of water pump and radiator life, when should I change coolant on my 2013? I have the new purple coolant that's good for 10/150000. Is it really protecting against rust that long? I just hit 2 years and 36000 miles.
 
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#32 ·
I wouldn't worry about changing the coolant for AT LEAST another 5 years, unless the system was topped off with the wrong coolant, or hard water.
By the time that coolant hits 10 years old, you'll probably have had to drain it to replace thermostats or a water pump anyway.
Reading this thread reminds me, I should replace the coolant in our Escape as it just turned 11 years old!
 
#33 ·
todde702 said:
I just finished this task yesterday and I can confirm that removing the front fascia is not difficult (three 7mm head screws and three plastic rivet retainers in each wheel well, a fourth hidden 7mm screw right behind the splash shield where the plastic bumper meets the fender, several torx head screws along the top and two squeeze clips at the bottom) and makes the flush fairly easy to do. I had the front end pointing downhill slightly and once I got the petcock opened, it would only drain about a little over a gallon out of the system.

I had originally bought a gallon of new antifreeze (full strength) and 2 gallons of distilled water. Once I realized the engine design holds about 3/4 of a gallon in the block and heater core after draining I knew this was going to be a time intensive change. So here's what I did.

Drain one gallon out and pour in one gallon of distilled water, run the engine until full hot to mix up remaining 50/50 mix of old with 1 gallon of water. Repeat above procedure for as many times as you can stand. I ran two gallons of distilled through it (I had no way to get back to the store to get 2 more gallons of distilled water with the front end removed), better would be to do it 4 times.

When finally done you'll have a very diluted mix of distilled water with traces of old antifreeze (mostly water if you did it 4 times). Pour in the new full strength antifreeze gallon (the whole bottle will fit, but I half filled the reservoir bottle as well), then run the engine until it's full hot and carefully squeeze the upper radiator hose several times (you should see air bubbles burping up through the reservoir bottle, hose will be very hot so use a rag or glove). If you used full strength in the reservoir, top it off to full hot with just distilled water.

So very time intensive, but very easy from a difficulty/mechanical ability perspective.
Click to expand...
2011 FDII. I was going to do it, but after your post, I had a change of heart, heh!

To anyone:

Is the 3/4 ga coolant held in block and heater core largely mitigated by a shop's flush machine (vs just drain)? I'm going to take mine in somewhere (wheel works perhaps, Norcal East Bay, tho ridiculous price at $140-150 + tax); just wanna make sure they are doing it right, and I reckon a flush machine takes away a lot of the guesswork as to remnants of residual antifreeze.
 
#34 · (Edited)
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#36 ·
Yep

Yep, that's how I would do it!
DryCreek said:
OK, just finished the required five year drain and refill of the radiator. After spending hours underneath it - removed plastic "skid plate" and all lower fasteners from the bumper cover, I came to the conclusion that this is truly a stupid design.

I could get the drain plug turned through about 30 degrees, but not enough to get flow. Knowing how these Chrysler plugs love to break the guide ears off, I decided to take another tack.

Remove battery and battery tray. Remove lower hose and then radiator cap. Remove heater supply hose from back of engine block. Using air regulated to 40#, carefully blow all coolant onto your garage floor. Using rag and air pressure, blow out the remaining coolant through the radiator cap connection. Reconnect all hoses. Use turkey baster to remove all coolant from overflow tank. Refill using 50/50 mix of G05 and distilled water. While Patriot is warming up out on the garage apron, use hose to dilute/spread spilled coolant into yard. Top off coolant once the thermostat opens. While floor is drying, consume yet another cold beer. Replace Patriot in second bay of garage, install radiator cap, then bring your truck into first bay for A/C blower removal/replacement. When wife is getting into her car (3rd bay) and asks what all of the water is from, explain that the garage floor was "dirty" and "needed to be hosed off". Enjoy more beer.
Click to expand...
 
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#37 · (Edited)
hakujin said:
2011 FDII. I was going to do it, but after your post, I had a change of heart, heh!

To anyone:

Is the 3/4 ga coolant held in block and heater core largely mitigated by a shop's flush machine (vs just drain)? I'm going to take mine in somewhere (wheel works perhaps, Norcal East Bay, tho ridiculous price at $140-150 + tax); just wanna make sure they are doing it right, and I reckon a flush machine takes away a lot of the guesswork as to remnants of residual antifreeze.
Click to expand...
So update, didn't get a flush (as I understand anyway, flush machines usually preloaded with a general purpose AF, not HOAT, so unless you see them load it with HOAT...).

1st the guy makes a mess all over the shop floor because he couldn't find the peacock and didn't wanna remove the front fender, so... just straight out of the lower radiator hose, what a mess that made, then hooked up the vacuum.

2nd, they only put about a gallon of G05 in there, which leaves almost half of the old left in the heater core andd basically called it a day.

WTF... shop offered to re-do it, but at that point, I'd already been there awhile then another 2 hours for the process (drain --> seal --> distilled --> run --> drain); luckily i only paid around 50 bux. Dag, u pay for what you get. Probably how most shops do a drain given how tedious the process is (particularly with the Pat), but they're likely better liars.

Incidentally, what little they drained wasn't even G-05, it was orange, it looked like the GM formula. Chrysler claims extended life HOAT on 2011s too, service at 5 year/100mi. Yeah right!
 
#39 ·
I did the first coolant flush after 9 years on my 2007 Patriot. I know I should have done 5 years but the mileage was still under, only 68K

The coolant didn't have any rust or anything. I did 3 flushes of distilled and then added Mopar 5/100k.

The procedure of removing the entire bumper cover is just a ridiculous waste of time just to reach a petcock/drain. I mean was a complete waste dealing with like 10 Torx bolts, 8 screw bolts, 6 clips, 3 bolts on bottom. Also disconnecting 4 electrical connections. I must have used like 8-10 different tools.

Why??? In my honda's it is completely accessible in an opening and makes the job only 30 minutes versus 2-3 hours.

what's crazy is if the thermostat goes bad, I have to go through this again.

Any fluid that needs to be replaced should be 'drainable' with one bolt.

I am guessing that this had to be the idea of a service manager to get business. In fact, I get emais from my dealer all the time offering 10% off coolant flush. Oh well they won't get my business
 
#40 · (Edited)
Thanks to all who posted their experiences changing their engine coolant. After finding the valve on my 2011 Patriot I realized it was even
worse than the Generation I Patriots ( pre-2011 ) because there is a frame member directly in front of the valve, leaving you only about an inch to get fingers in to turn it. I had similar problems with my 1997 Sebring Convertible ( same valve but on the back of the radiator in an inaccessible position ) so I made an offset tool to turn it.

The valve head measures approx. 20 mm wide ( 0.785 in ) by 5 mm thick ( 0.195 in ) so bought a 1/4 inch drive
7/16 in universal socket ( photo 1 & 2 ) and milled a 1/4 inch slot ( after grinding off the chrome plating in the milled area ) across opposite flats on the socket. The socket is 5/8 in outer diameter ( 0.625 in ) so it's a reasonable fit. You can reproduce this with a Dremel tool with a disk cutter and grinding stone if you don't have access to a milling machine.
I wrapped some electrical tape around the universal joint to keep it straight and held it centered on the valve with
one hand while turning the ratchet handle with the other. It worked perfectly the 5 or six times I had to drain and
fill it with water to dilute the old coolant in the block. I cheated and only removed the 4 screws
and two plastic pins on the passenger side of the fascia and pulled the fascia forward off of the two locating pins near the headlight to get access.
I needed both of the 1/4 in drive extensions from my Craftsman toolbox to reach it ( photo 4) below it in the photo is my Sebring convertible tool.

I refilled with 1 gallon of full strength Zerex and topped it off with some 50/50 Zerex mix I had leftover from my wife's 2012 Toyota Corolla ( same HOAT antifreeze. )
 

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