Cooling system — draining liquid (Opel Vectra A)

1. Park the car on a level surface and remove the filler cap of the expansion tank. If the engine is hot, cover the filler cap with a thick cloth and slowly unscrew it, gradually releasing the pressure in the system. Be careful not to release hot steam or coolant from the filler cap.

On DOHC engines, remove the lower engine skid plate as described in Section 11.

Place a container under the lower radiator hose connection, then loosen the hose clamp and remove the hose from the radiator pipe. If the hose is stuck, twist it on the pipe to break the connection. Allow the coolant to drain into the container.

Since the cylinder block does not have a drain plug, the lower hose can be located above the base of the radiator (on the middle line), it is impossible to drain the liquid from the system completely, so it is especially important to fill the system with a mixture of the correct proportion of antifreeze of the regulated type.

If the coolant is draining not because it needs to be replaced (it's been less than two years since its last replacement), then it can be reused (provided that it is clean and transparent).

If the drained coolant is heavily contaminated, the system must be flushed as described in Chapter 4. Since the system cannot be drained completely, it is advisable to flush it with each fluid change to remove any suspended matter remaining in the fluid from the system.