Draining the coolant in MG TF

Hi All

I have just been give a MG TF 2003 and with out going into the detail behind why it was given it is from a VERY trust worthy person.

One of the reasons for giving it to me was a burst coolant pipe which I have now fixed, the return to the reservoir.

When I went to the garage to buy the antifreeze I was asked which colour I wanted! Last time I bought antifreeze it was blue or blue. Any way I bought what was recommended and warned that if I added this to a different colour antifreeze it could form a gel.

So I went to drain the system, just in case there was any different antifreeze left in the system and can't get under the car for obvious reasons.

So my questions is. Is there a way to drain the coolant with out buying a set of ramps.

Thanks

Simon

Correct antifreeze is PINK OAT.

Need to remove just about every hose to get coolant out, especially from the block. Better to flush out several times with water, drain best you can, then fill with concentrated coolant and "guestimate" the strength using a coolant strength measuring thing (sorry forgot what they are called )

Simon Morriss wrote:

So my questions is. Is there a way to drain the coolant with out buying a set of ramps.

Thanks

Simon

Yeah just keep running it without any care and a blown head gasket will drain it for you! :bust:

Just take off both hoses from the underfloor pipes either front or back, front is better, let it drain with the expansion cap off, then use a hose and back flush up either pipe, then reconnect and fill with water, bleed and refill with water run up to temp so stat opens, drain again when cool, back flush again then fill with 50/50 pink or red OAT or 4Life waterless coolant from MGOC spares (what I use) you can check strenghth of OAT with a hydrometer too much is as bad as too little.

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David Aikgate, one of the members on here did a bench test many years ago by mixing Ethyl Glycol (Blue antifreeze ) and Pink OAT (Organic Acid Technology coolant) and heated this to boiling point a number of times, it didn't turn into a Gel !!!!!

When I replaced the coolant in my MGF, the system had been drained for some while, I replaced the underfloor pipes, the radiator was new the block was partially drained whilst doing the head gasket so the cooling system was basically dry, refilled it with Pink OAT (previous coolant was Blue Ethyl Glycol.That was 2012 and it has been fine ever since. I carry about 2.5 litres of spare coolant in the car and the same amount of deionised water.

Thanks for your comments. I have seen that I have been sold Red not Orange. Should I return this for an exchange or it is ok to use.

Thanks again for all your comments.

Simon

Standard life OAT is orange. Red I believe is extended life OAT.

Happy to be corrected but red appears to be OK for the F.

Red is fine, dilute to 50%

It's not about the colour, it's about the chemical format.

Spot on James .

When I did my HG change I decided not to drain the coolant from the underfloor pipes (I only have a cheap set of axle stands from lidl and no way am I trusting them with any part of me working under the car)...

I removed the expansion tank filler cap, coolant bleed screw next to the engine, loosened the heater matrix bleed and then drained the coolant from the radiator using an electric syphon pump...

Not the correct way, but it worked for me!

I believe the coolant capacity is 10.2L, which i'm confident I got pretty damn close to recovering from the system!