Radiator flush question

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christoff

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Today I did a radiator flush on my 2008 Ram 1500 5.7 and I followed word-for-word the thread that The Assassin had posted (which was a great write-up by the way).

The only 2 issues I had were:

1) The coolant in the over flow tank (reservoir tank) did not drain
2) The fluid that did drain out from the rad only filled half a jug (half a gallon)

I have never had a problem with the radiator, over-heating, cooling, etc, and the over-flow tank has always been right at the 'FULL' level.

So I guess my question is, how do I drain the fluid from the over-flow tank, and is it normal to only drain half a gallon of fluid from the rad?

Thanks for your help.
 

RonJon '06

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You can disconnect the overflow tank and lift it out easily enough. On my '06 it's just 2 screws on the top and an electrical connection on the bottom. If you want to drain more coolant out of the system then you can remove the radiator cap and disconnect the lower large radiator hose. It might not be a bad idea replace the thermostat while you have it empty.
 

Harley Harrold

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Get a small fluid pump at China-Mart, or any auto parts store to draw the fluid out. Next time leave the radiator cap on, open drain on radiator and the overflow tank will empty. After overflow tank is empty, remove radiator cap, the rest of the fluid will drain out.
 
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christoff

christoff

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Thanks Harley Harrold. I appreciate the advice. Will let you know.
 
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