Cylinder block coolant drain plug on TU1M?

[Cobalt_drill_bit 7]

Dear members,

 

Regarding the cooling system flush I plan to do I need to know the location of the Cylinder block drain plug. Would someone please indicate it's location in the attached picture? And possible locations on bleed screws of the cooling system.

 

According to Haynes:

On TU series engines, the drain plug is located at the front left-hand side of the cylinder block.

 

Also, what is Haynes perspective of left and right. From the driver or from the mechanic standing in front of the engine bay?

 

Many thanks,

Maarten Verhage

 

TU1M engine

[205nut 0]

Hi, I'm new on here so hope I'm ok replying to this old thread. Thing is it's closest I've found on the forum on someone asking about the position of TU cylinder block drain plug. I've bought a GT model recently with the later TU3s engine and am thinking about draining the cylinder block. So if I follow the Haynes manual guidance (left being from the driver's seat) this is the closest I can find to what may be the drain plug (centre of the photo). Is this right folks? 

[Gohn 68]

not a TU owner but looks like you've spotted the drain plug, wind it out and see if any coolant shoots out

but L and R : sit in the car and look out thru the windscreen ,same as you do when driving

your Left is the left side of the car and your Right is right side

 

[205nut 0]

Thanks for that Gohn, I'll probably try just that. Else I'll just do a couple of cooling system flushes (making sure I get the engine up to temperature ensuring the flush is effective through the whole system). I will obviously allow engine to cool before draining. I'll probably also use some sort of chemical agent in the flush.  I guess I need to choose the suitable flush agent for an alloy engine? And does anyone recommend a coolant for these engines? Is it critical which sort I use? (one online spares website accepted my car details then offered me 30+ coolant options!) 

[205nut 0]

Just for the record I plan to flush the radiator separately beforehand as I imagine that's where majority of the unwanted gunk may be lurking. The initial drain revealed a mucky brown liquid reckoning to be coolant! 

[Gohn 68]

all sounds good pete, it'll be a fresh start for it

I've not ever done a proper flush with one of those products you buy, and never tried the garden hose method either except on the radiator

(like you say, the most gunk seems to be in the rad)

just ran some new coolant for a time and then drained it for a new batch again

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I would be very careful using any sort of chemical. 30 year old radiator or heater matrix may spring a leak in protest. Stick to flushing it out with water.

[205nut 0]

Hi Tom, actually that sounds like good advice to me, sometimes you try to do the right thing and give things proper good old clean and it backfires (excuse the pun). Thanks for the advice..

[Jeorge 0]

On 6/27/2022 at 7:43 PM, 205nut said:

Hi Tom, actually that sounds like good advice to me, sometimes you try to do the right thing and give things proper good old clean and it backfires (excuse the pun). Thanks for the advice..

Thought I’d chuck my 2 pence in. Few months ago I decided to give my 1.1 style a full service and drain/replace every fluid I could think of. Even had the engine bay properly cleaned. Fresh as a daisy right? No. I began getting a messy oil leak after this, 1st suspect was the sump gasket. Got it replaced and something was still leaking. 2nd suspect was pulley seal, so that got replaced… still a leak from somewhere. Then the car started to overheat. I went all out and put in a new rad, expansion tank, hoses, water pump, timing belt, stat, lamda sensor. I also washed the engine and bay again to make sure if it was to return I could pin point where it’s from and still the leak and overheating was there. The culprit was head gasket. 30 years of gunk and crap kept it sealed till I tried to do the right thing and clean it. Anyway, I got it skimmed, full gasket kit, rocker cover painted, plugs and so far it’s done the trick. Car feels absolutely mint, better than before. 
 

moral of the story is: If you wash your engine bay there’s a chance you could go down my rabbit hole