How To- Mazda3 Coolant Drain + Refill
Contents
1. Quote Caution e Use engine coolant at the concentration that meets the environmental conditions in which the vehicle is driven otherwise engine damage may occur e The engine has aluminum parts and must be protected by an ethelyne glycol based coolant to prevent corrosion and freezing e Do not use coolants containing alcohol methanol borate or silicate These coolants could damage the cooling sys e Use only soft demineralized water in the coolant mixture Water that contains minerals will cut down the coolant s effectiveness e Engine coolant damages paint If engine coolant gets on the paint rinse it off quickly 1 Take off black plastic skid plate that you normally remove when doing an oil change 2 Make sure the engine is COOL so the radiator is not under pressure to avoid burns 3 Unscrew the cap from the pressurized plastic coolant reservoir on the left side of the engine bay If the engine is still slightly warm you might hear a hiss of pressurized gas escape Unscrewing this cap allows air into the system for coolant to drain at the drain plug 4 Locate the black plastic drain plug on the bottom of the radiator and unscrew it using a short wide flathead screw driver Or short wide head Phillips screw driver RADIATOR COOLANT 5 Once it s unscrewed there s still a portion of the drain plug preventing fluid from draining You have to pry at the plug a little and pull it straight out enough so2. How much coolant do I need if I drain the radiator and fill it up myself About 1 Gallon of premix or half gallon of antifreeze half gallon of distilled water If you mix your own Why not go to the dealer for a flush How much will it cost If you get your car s cooling system flushed at a dealer or mechanic they will flush all of the coolant My Irvine Mazda dealer quoted 110 but that was with a coupon So it could be higher or lower depending on your dealer I believe this dealer flush should be done before 60k miles I might get mine done at 40k miles Now Mazda may state to change the coolant at 100k miles or the coolant may be a special long life formula but I d feel much safer changing the coolant every 2 years or so The main reason is because of the metals in the cooling system that erode into the coolant Erosion Electrolysis corrosion rust etc DISCLAIMER I take no responsibility if you forget something there s a coolant leak and you blow an engine etc Work on your car at your own risk
3. that the fluid drains 6 Cold or warm coolant should then be coming out of the radiator drain plug Catch this in a container that can hold more than a gallon Optional to pour distilled demineralized water into the reservoir to flush some old fluid out until the water exiting the drain plug is clean and clear 7 As the coolant drains you will see your coolant reservoir level drop This is where you fill re fill your car with new coolant 8 Once coolant is drained retighten drain plug snug by hand firm don t over tighten or strip the plastic head 9 Iused a 50 50 distilled water to anti freeze ratio Engine coolant protection volume percentage water coolant specific gravity at 68 degF e above 3 degF 65 35 1 057 e above 15 degF 55 45 1 072 e above 40 degF 45 55 1 086 e 50 50 ratio may yield about 27 5 degF 10 Total coolant drained was exactly 36 900 ml in my car Or 3 7 liters 0 98 gallons This may vary depending on how full your reservoir is at the time you drain your coolant I know I didn t let ALL of the coolant drain from the radiator though I did let a majority of the coolant drain I believe the car uses almost 2 gallons of coolant total so you will be replacing about half of the total capacity 11 What I did next was then fill up one 0 5L 1 pint water bottle with distilled water and another bottle with coolant Then I poured these into the reservoir I repeated this process until
4. would require special air bleeding This is because all you are doing is draining the radiator and reservoir and then re filling it up Coolant inside the engine block remains untouched and thus this method does not change ALL of the fluid To change the coolant in your entire vehicle I highly recommend you take it to a certified Mazda dealer Or a mechanic well knowledged in how to do an air bleed correctly on a Mazda3 What is FL22 and what does Mazda say about FL22 FL22 is a coolant type that may be in your Mazda though it was not in my car It should specify on the coolant cap whether or not your car has FL22 If it doesn t specify then any green coolant should work FL22 is used to enhance service life reduce waste material and lower maintenance costs and adds convenience being pre mixed It is recommended that FL22 coolant continue to be used for models originally filled with FL22 coolant from the factory FL22 is by Motorcraft and is avialable at most Mazda Dealerships though I just use Peak Global Lifetime from Wal mart CAUTION FL22 coolant is pre mixed and must be added to the cooling system as is DO NOT ADD WATER TO FL22 COOLANT Adding water will dilute the solution and lessen the effectiveness of the coolant If coolant replacement becomes necessary for prior Mazda models not originally filled with FL22 coolant FL22 coolant can be used If FL22 coolant is used for prior models be sure to place the FL22 sticker
5. Mazda3 Coolant Drain Refill At 32K miles my coolant is no longer bright green but dark green I decided that I d drain and refill about a gallon of coolant in my car for good measure Keep in mind that this method only changes part of the total coolant in your car I decided to use ZEREX by Valvoline G 05 coolant A Ford and Chrysler coolant The color of this coolant is still green though a lighter almost yellowish green color Since this coolant appears to be compatible with FL22 Just like Peak Global Extended Life I decided to buy it for like 11 You can pay extra for those extended life coolants though I would still want to flush the coolant every 2 years or so It s a small price to pay compared to fixing damages done by erosion and corrosion Here s how I did the drain and refill I added notes from the Factory Service Manual which is by MAZDA Warning e Never remove the cooling system cap or loosen the radiator drain plug while the engine is running or when the engine and radiator are hot Scalding engine coolant and steam may shoot out and cause serious injury It may also damage the engine and cooling system e Turn off the engine and wait until it is cool Even then be very careful when removing the cap Wrap a thick cloth around it and slowly turn it counter clockwise 2 5 turns Step back while the pressure escapes e When you are Sure all the pressure is gone turn the cap using the cloth and remove it
6. it was about a gallon same amount of coolant removed 12 As a precaution when done you may warm up the engine to operating temperature with the coolant cap off the reservoir This may take 5 minutes or possible longer When the engine is at operating temperature the coolant will be cycling Then you should give throttle and this should help remove any possible air bubbles in the cooling system Screw the coolant cap back on the reservoir After a few cooling cycles you should re check your coolant levels and top off your fluids if necessary The following steps A C describe this in detail though I believe this to be a bit excessive A Start the engine and idle it until the water temp indicator is in the center when the engine is below 1500rpm B Bleed the air from the cooling system by using the procedures below At this time monitor the coolant temp to prevent overheating e Run the engine at 2500rpm for 2 3 minutes 2 times e Run the engine at 3000rpm for 5 seconds then idle e Repeat steps above twice C Stop engine and inspect coolant level after the coolant cools down 13 For disposal depending on local laws you might be able to dump it in your sanitary sewer system toilet or you may have to take it to a nearby hazardous waste collection facility 1 800 cleanup Just don t dump it into the gutter Coolant FAQ What about air bubbles air bleeding issues This method did not introduce any bubbles or cause any issues that
7. on the reserve tank or degas bottle to indicate FL22 coolant is being used NOTE e In the case of prior models the coolant replacement interval is every five 5 years or 60 000 miles 96 000 km e Six 6 FL22 stickers are included with each case of coolant What does FL22 say on the bottle Ethylene glycol based 55 45 mixture recommended Developed to provide corrosion and rust protection Boiling point 270 degrees Freezing point 47 degrees Ingrediants Ethylene Glycol 107 21 1 Water 7732 18 5 Diethylene Glycol 111 46 6 Potassium Hydroxide 1310 58 3 Proprietary Inhibitors NJTSRN 217 DO NOT USE coolants containing Alcohol methanol borate or silicates What does the manual say about coolant replacement FL22 120 000miles or 10 years Others 60 000miles or 4 years Who really makes FL22 Old World Industries the makers of Peak Sierra and other antifreeze brands state that FL 22 is a Motorcraft extended life coolant and that either Peak Global Lifetime or Peak LongLife Antifreeze can be added to FL 22 without issue Both of those are silicate free and LongLife is also phosphate free What coolant do I need for my Mazda3 Any modern coolant that is silicate phosphate free which is a majority of the green coolants on the market When you view the ingredients of FL22 there s nothing really special Just make sure you do not exceed 60 antifreeze as a part of your solution Per the service manual
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search