[DeTomaso] Coolant drain

JDeRyke at aol.com JDeRyke at aol.com
Tue Sep 11 23:43:58 EDT 2012


In a message dated 9/10/12 5:25:34 PM, fisher95020 at yahoo.com writes:

> I have not yet found a satisfactory way to drain the coolant on my car. I 
> have a Fluidyne rad and if you open the drain cock it will run all down 
> the front bodywork and make a large mess and take a long time.
> 
On our Pantera with a Fluidyne rad, I removed the lower left rad drain 
(1/4-pipe thread) and added a straight pipe-to-AN-4 fitting to take a stainless 
steel line about 6" long. The line makes a 120 degree bend and winds up 
right against the backside of the radiator crossmember sheet metal, held there 
with a small strap-bracket. At the end of the ss line is a commercial drain 
valve. It is accessible from outside the car without jacking or turning the 
wheels, if you know where to reach but is invisible from the outside. The 
valve's end hangs down 1/4" below the sheet metal but that is far from the 
lowest part of the chassis right there..... Coolant drains without touching any 
part of the car. The rate at which coolant drains from a rad is vastly 
increased by opening the UPPER rad air bleed valve and the rad cap, so air can be 
drawn in as coolant exits from the bottom drain.

You can weld or braze a boss on the side of one of the the big coolant 
lines, drill & tap it for 1/4-pipe, & add a radiator drain valve. This will 
drain most of the engine coolant without the valve hanging down. Obviously you 
won't be able to drain it all from   a valve in the side of the pipe, but you 
seldom need to drain 100%. Also obviously, you will have to jack up the 
rear somewhat to access an engine drain like this. 

Some guys remove the lower block plugs in the sides and add special 
radiator drains with poly hoses shoved on the drain valve's brass ends. This would 
also work directly as a lower left rad drain. The hoses are trimmed to reach 
just below the oil pan so no draining coolant touches the pan, and can be 
tucked away when not in use. Again, you'll need to jack the rear end up for 
valve(s) access. If I remember, one plug is above the starter, the other is 
in a matching place on the left side of the block near the left motor mount. 
Good luck- J Deryke


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