dave17
Member
Registered: 3rd Sep 02
Location: Greater London
User status: Offline
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Hey,
I decided to service my '98 Barina myself, it's got the same 1.4l engine as the Corsa 8v SRi. I changed the oil - that was fine, but then I looked at the coolant, it has gone a dark red/brown colour....uh-oh.....  It's probably never been changed (Damn Holden  ), so I'd like to know how to change the coolant myself, unfortunately Hayne's manuals for Barinas are near impossible to find here in Australia so that's not an option........
To drain - Is it just a matter of disconnecting two main hoses on the radiator, one from the expansion tank and the other from the engine head? I've heard I might have to disconnect a temperature switch on the thermostat or something to be able to fill the coolant fully after flushing? This is what I really need to know!! Don't want to be in a situation where I'm unable to fill it up again!
Thanx for any replies! 
[Edited on 06-07-2003 by Dave]
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miles
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: plymouth Drives: Astra Sport
User status: Offline
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Just Disconnect the the bottom radiator hose, drain. I then stick a hose pipe in the expansion tank and run it through a bit.
Then put the pipe back on and fill it up, leave it running for ages until the fan comes on with the filler cap off. Whilst doing this squeeze all the coolent hoses to get rid of any airlocks.
You can bet that the water will probably be dirty again now, due to the shit that sticks in the system. The more times you flush it the cleaner it will get.
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Black Corsa SRi
Member
Registered: 25th May 02
Location: ---Stockport---- Drives: Pug 206 Roland Garros
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LOL i've just siad pretty much exactly the same thing to comabt SRI lol!
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dave17
Member
Registered: 3rd Sep 02
Location: Greater London
User status: Offline
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Thanx for the quick responses guys!
Confirmed what I thought was the right procedure, I'll give it a go tomorrow morning....Judging by the lovely dark brown colour of the coolant at the moment, I'd say it's gonna have to be flushed a few times b4 it comes back clean!! 
Cheers,
Dave.
[Edited on 06-07-2003 by Dave]
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Kris TD
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire
User status: Offline
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its probably dark brown cos it hasnt had enough coolent in at some point in its life, coolent has a rust inhibitor in it which should stop the water going brown.
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dave17
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Registered: 3rd Sep 02
Location: Greater London
User status: Offline
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Yeah that's what I figured, rust buildup.....although if memory serves, I'd reckon it's only gone that colour in the last month or so, so it was fairly rapid change from green to brown. I'm hoping it isn't escaped oil, because it used quite a bit of that since the last change too.....
No doubt all will be revealed when I drain it tomorrow!
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