Writeup - Coolant SPEED-BLEEDER Install / FLUSH Guide
 

You've probably seen prestone's "flush & fill kit" kits at autozone, but had no clue what the heck it does. The advertising guys at Prestone should be FIRED.

It's a SPEED-BLEEDER Kit. Attach garden hose, crank car, remove radiator cap, GET-R-DONE.


No it's not a "back massager."
http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...er_kit_001.jpg

INSTALL OVERVIEW

The instructions are easy to follow:
1) Splice "T-fitting" into the "heater inlet hose." That's the heater hose from the firewall to the top of the engine.
2) Tighten Hose Clamps snuggly
3) Install blockoff cap when not using
4) Screw on garden hose adapter (backflow preventer) when flushing.


Here's the hose you want:

http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...SM_Diagram.gif

Install Preparation
- So you won't accidentally knock off the bleeder nipple from the clutch release (slave) cylinder, remove the nipple & set it aside.
- You might find it easier to remove the whole clutch release/slave cylinder so that hydraulic hose won't be in the way. Just be sure you re-connect that little ground wire on top (89-91).
- You might want to remove the oil filter. Put a rag/shop towel over it so you won't knock dirt in there.

Cutting Heater Hose

The hardest part of this install is cutting the heater hose. To do it right, you really need a
hose cutter snips SST (specialty tool) like this:
http://www.toolsource.com/OstImages/...ages/90182.jpg

None of the autoparts/automotive/highend tool stores sold this (sears might). You'll just break a utility knife, so don't even try. I think a "PVC PIPE CUTTER" from lowes/home depot might work instead:

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/...13117782_3.jpg

I ended up using my Lopper Pruning Shears (small treelimb cutter). It was a PITA to use these though. They're too big, there's no room to maneuver under the hood, and "twisting" the hose to get the Lopper Shears in there is a pain.

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/...s/161799_4.jpg

Note you'll end up cutting the HEATER HOSE and it's protective sleeve/scratch guard. I threw that scratch guard away, but you might be able to make it fit.

Installing the T-Fitting & Spout
- I used the 3/4" fitting.
- Use a little WD-40 spray lube one the T-fitting so it slides in nicely (insert "she said" joke here).
- Install the hose clamps so the clamp screw face correctly (see picture below). You may have to adjust how the hoseclamp screws face a few times to get it right.
- Don't install the hoseclamps over the hose scratch guard/sleeve. Move the scratch guard out of the way.
- Tighten the clamps till they're snug. You don't want to crack the plastic T-fitting, but you also don't want the hose to leak or pop-off at high rpms either.
- Tighten the spout/blockoff cap to hand tight.
- Crank the car and make sure there's no leaks. Blip the throttle cable to 3500-6500 rpms and make sure the heater hose isn't leaking
(WARNING: AVOID the fanblades & pullies when you're blipping the throttle. A shirtsleeve in the fan or pullies would SERIOUSLY suck)
- When you're ready to bleed/flush the coolant, install the hose adapter on the t-fitting, then connect the hose

http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...nstall_001.jpg

http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...nstall_002.jpg

FLUSHING THE COOLING SYSTEM
Now that you have the Coolant SPEED-BLEEDER installed, now comes the fun part.

1) Warm Up car until your RPM gauge reads 750 RPMS, then shut it down (this avoids "cold engine shutdown" flooding )
2) Drive car on ramps or jackup the front end & use jack stands
3) The radiator fill cap shouldn't be hot. SLOWLY remove the cap and make sure there's no pressure leaking out as your turn the fill cap.
4) Attach garden hose adapter to the Speedbleeder T-fitting
5) With car off, turn the heater to high & fan to high
6) Turn On Water Faucet/Spout on low
7) Crank Car and make sure heater & fan are on full blast
8) Let the water drain out of the fill spout until it runs clear (wait a bit longer too)
9) Watch that temp gauge as a precaution
10) When the water runs clear, shutoff the engine.
- This will fillup the overflow bottle, so you might want to loosen the overflow bottle top.
- You DO NOT want to Coolant SPEED-BLEED the system with the radiator drainplug removed. You'll get "low coolant" warnings.

Boil - Bubble, Toil & Trouble
http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...k_Flushing.jpg

- Now that you've cleaned out the system, lets get any remaining crud out of bottom of the radiator
11) Remove the lower engine cover
12) Fillup the radiator with the garden hose
13) Remove the radiator drain plug & let the radiator drain
- ONLY USE a medium flathead screwdriver. A phillips will strip that plastic screw-bolt.
- You might want to use some PB-blaster on the drainplug if it's gunked up.
14) Repeat 12 & 13 a few times

Like a Horse
http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...r_Draining.jpg



FILLING THE COOLANT SYSTEM
Even though you've just drained all the water out of the system, you need to dilute the "dirty" tap water left in the engine with some "clean" distilled water. Go to Walmart and buy ~5-6 gallons of DISTILLED WATER (not purified, not spring, not drinking).

1) Screw the radiator drain plug on loosely.
2) Fillup the radiator with distilled water
3) Turn heater & fan on high
4) run the car a few minuets (until 750 rpm idle again)
5) Drain the system again
6) repeat a few times to flush any dirty tap water out of the system

Before re-installing the drain plug, let's replace that corroded drainplug o-ring gasket. Here's what I mean:

http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...lug_Gasket.jpg
http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t...eplacement.jpg

You can get the o-ring gasket from your more hard-core autoparts places like Oreilly Auto, NAPA, etc.. They sell them individually and they offer Metric sizes. The "Help" packets at autozone & advanced autoparts are usually SAE not metric.

Better yet, BUY a Metric O-RING KIT Like this one (you'll thank me later):

METRIC 500-PC. O-RING KIT

http://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jc...cache/I795.gif

7) Reinstall drain plug with new gasket. Don't tighten the plug too much, but enough so it's flush with the housing.
8) Mix 50% Green Antifreeze & 50% Distilled Water (or whatever mazda recommends for you climate).
- Note I pre-mixed this. You might want to poor full-strenght anti-freeze in first and then add water. This is because there's like 1.5 gallons of distilled water already in the system that won't drain out.
9) Fillup radiator with antifreeze mix
- Note you'll only get like 1.5 gallons in the radiator before it fills up.
10) Don't forget to wash out that overflow bottle. Remove it, dump the contents, spray it out, fill with 50/50 antifreeze.
11) Install top radiator cap
12) Crank engine
13) Remove radiator cap and let the air bubbles bleed out
14) Add coolant as the level drops a bit
14) Re-install radiator cap when coolant begins overflowing

Done.
- As always check ALL the radiator, heater, & coolant system hoses for leaks.
- There's several smaller coolant hoses on the passengers side of the engine. These feed the accelerated warmup system, BAC, etc.. Make sure those don't leak.
- When checking for leaks, blip the throttle cable from 3500-6500 rpms (AGAIN, AVOID THE FANBLADES AND PULLIES). Look for "shooting streems" of water, droplets, or any other leaks.
- Replace radiator, heater, & coolant line hoses as needed (I think every 30 - 50K miles or 1-3 years).

cool. should be archived.

If you do this procedure do you not need to use the block drain?

I used the smaller water hose coming from the radiator next to the lower rad hose. Seems to be easier to access. Made flushing the coolant system super easy when I tried the block weld trick. You do not have to drain the block coolant this way.

awesome write up!!

BTW I took a closer look at your pix and you didnt use the yellow part adapter part included and noticed water splattering everywhere. Using this makes things alot cleaner and safer. Most people dont have some type of tubing wide enough to fit around it, neither did I. So I improvised using the air box muffler tubing (under ps headlight) since I had removed it along with my other emissions and it was long enough. Just hold the yellow adapter on top of radiator fill neck and move the hose somewhere do you dont short out any electrical stuff in your engine bay. ;)

I couldn't figure out what that thing did. I think it's a poor spout that snaps on the Preston 1 Gallon Bottles. But if you think it's a directional (you can turn it) splash guard that snaps in the radiator fill neck spout, then your right it's a poor design. It falls off very easily.

With the 89-91s, the water just girgles out... no spewage. Now if you have an 86-88 with the coolant neck back further in the engine bay, yeah it might spill on some electrical wires.

Preston's instructions say to use the upper heater inlet hose. I guess because it's on TOP of the engine and therefore will push all the crap out of the engine. With it on the lower hose, it would probably be working against the water pump and could trap crud in the engine.

I've never been able to get a wrench on the engine block drain. There's too much stuff in the way. While you shouldn't need to drain the block directly, your right the FSM does say to remove both plugs. It's probably to remove the "other 1.5 gallons" of flushed DISTILLED water still trapped in the block. This is why I said when filling the radiator with coolant "you might want to poor the concentrated antifree in first and then add water"... to avoid dilluting the mix ratio with the 1.5 gallons of clean/distilled water still trapped in the block.

http://www.rx-7source.com/showpics/t..._locations.gif

just a mater of it being eazyer i think i would put it on the hose over at the pass. side of the rad.

Archived.