D5 coolant flush
 

The level of coolant on my D5 had got to the minimumevel so I decided to get a ready mixed top up bottle from Volvo and top up.

Popped the bonnet and noticed I have red coolant rather than the blue/green coloured Volvo coolant. Volvo are addiment it shouldn't be red so i plan to flush it out and replace.

I've got a 5 litre pre mixed coolant which they have told me is enough to empty and refill. Does this sound right?

What's the best procedure to empty/flush and refill?

I was thinking opening the bottom rad pipe when the engine is cold. Put pipe back, refill with water, run it for a day and then empty again and refill with the proper stuff?

Suggestions??

My Volvo dealer only sells the concentrate. It should be mixed with distilled water. Never mix with tap water and never 'flush' the system with tap water (garden hose).

Not sure what the red one is, but it is advised not to mix coolants.

Therefore removing all old coolant would be advisable. The radiator has a plastic peacock that's rather fragile but may try undoing it first - I think it takes a torx T40.

Then at the rear of the block there is another 13mm deep socket (or wrench) peacock which will remove a little more coolant.

Then you have the heater core. Together with it's pipes/hoses, it keeps another almost 1L. Sounds excessive, but the best would be to remove the heater core, drain it and rinse it with some distilled water, then put it back in place. It is not that hard to remove, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37u_oQ0Q0Gc with the mention that at 30:35 pull the coupler and upper shaft all the way down and remove it from the car completely - don't forget to mark the splines at the steering column so as to insert the coupler into the shaft at the exact same rotation/position

Thanks.

Seems excessive. Is there not an easier way?

Not sure I’d remove a heater matrix to empty it, I’d remove a pipe and blow down it....

You won't flush the system with one drain and refill of water.
You'll also need 4 litres of concentrate not premix. Using premix will guarantee you won't get the mix right (it'll be too weak) and it will cost you more in the long run.

If you want to do the job once properly then forget it, this is the procedure I use.

To finish the job, remove and flip the rubber seal in the expansion cap.

What a great video.

I'll do exactly like it that.

I'm going to take my pre mixed back and exchange it for concentrate too.

Where's the best place to get deisonised water?

Need one of those large liquid containers too so I can catch the drain fluid

TP0PJpdmewI_Xd1yoZo4LdX7vMWOzx1M70eVxIRoC4yAQAvD_B wE

This ok?

I got the barrel in the video from Eurocarparts.
Less than £20 but price varies dependant on promotion codes.

Currently £3.50 for 5 litres when you use the promotion code mid35 in the basket.

They don't seem to have the 20 litre barrel on the website but it may be in store.

+1 for the video in cheshire's post.

You will need a lot of coolant concentrate as a D5 holds over 12 litres!

Got my DI water from ebay. 14 quid delivered for 25 litres.

Well.... I would say that that figure is a typo which appeared in a Volvo owner's manual and has then been repeated so it appears in Haynes and on car parts finders.

My 2002 owner's manual says the correct 8 litres and of all the D5 versions I've done coolant flushes on, they all were absolutely not 12 litres.
The 4 litre concentrate for an 8 litre capacity method worked every time.

The rule of thumb quoted by Clan on here for the cooling system in litres on pretty much any car is the number of cylinders minus 1 then times 2 and you'll find that's accurate enough in almost all cases.