Just making sure you n00bs understand that there is a second drain plug on the engine that isn't documented in the Mazda service literature. If you only drain the radiator there is still a lot of used coolant trapped in the engine block:

 

Very use full , thx.

 

Here in Cyprus we got hot summers what should be the coolant/water % ?? 73 F today

 

IWhen bleeding the system, is it the hose on the bottom left of the TB? I'm assuming I need to remove the intake to get to it.

 

Thanks buddy. As I needed to change my engine coolant tank because the sensor went bad, I ended up flushing the whole system couple times. :cheers: Great DIY !!!

 

Anybody changed the coolant on a Serie II RX8 ?
I know this is a thread for Serie I, but this is the only DIY thread for changing coolant.

On my car I don't see direct access to the engine coolant drain, I have a large plate of metal covering the whole bottom.

Draining from the radiator only could be enough, but what if I can only drain 50% of the coolant from here ? when I add the new coolant it will mix with the remaining distilled water, and lose its 55% concentration.

 

Good DIY. Thanks for taking the time to outline all this.

 

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. It really helped me today as I replaced my water pump and thermostat. Especially the part about dumping the coolant for the squirrels. :D

 

I have heard that the FL-22 coolant that mazda recommend lasts 10 years , oh yeah i better look elsewhere on the forum.

 

Weird question
Lift the front end to billed the air... I got that part.

But my car only overheats when I'm driving uphill or an incline.
Do you guys think it's because of the air needs to be bled or something else. ??

 

Check all of your coolant hoses they can get soft and under load begin to narrow , restricting flow , i have experienced this on a saab turbo and 520 bmw .
Silicone hoses are a great remedy for this .

 

Thank you for responding.
I replaced the main hoses with new ones from dealer.
I was going to change thermostat next.
It's all fine until there is a hill weird.

 

Hello all, I have searched but keep getting conflicting options. My RX came with FL22. Do I need to change at 60k or 120k? Im only at 64k currently. I am not the original owner of my 2009 Series II . Im pretty sure it has never been done so most likely what is in the car is original.

 

Just change it now.

 

Video showing you how to go about changing coolant.

I'll post more as I keep working on my car :D

 

Does anybody use radiator cleaner/flush products such as Prestone AS105Y or RP Royal Flush when flushing the coolant? Any recommendations for/against?

 

I'd just flush with distilled water a few times and then refill with some good green 50/50. I've used Redline water wetter before, didn't see any difference in cooling.

 

I had a most hilarious time changing my coolant on the 2010 GT (Series II) and wanted to add additional notes to the manual: (1) order the exact crush washer needed to replace the stock CW if you drain your engine block (see an read this section and Note C) (2) be quick on starting up the engine with the reservoir at F and cap off - you'll need to fill it several times over 2 minutes as the engine warms else you'll have even more air in the lines. (3) get the air out and the heat back by bleeding the coolant lines by step A or B - pick only one - below.

A. bleed the highest point once warmed fully by carefully removing the coolant line from the throttle body

B. rev the engine carefully whilst continuing to fill the reservoir to F. then cap the reservoir and rev to 2500 rpm for min 3 - max 5 minutes then rev to 3000 for 5-10 sec. repeat until heat magically reappears.

C. If you do not replace the malformed one use crush washer you will find you have a very slow drip that will not go away until you're out of coolant or you buy a new crush washer.

Have fun and change that coolant yearly - it's a finicky car that when maintained with coolant and ignition changes will reward you with daily revs and lightning quick maneuvers.

 

Is there still any need to periodically replacing hoses on cars? I know in past decades they used to recommend changing belts and hoses every 5 years or so to prevent worn stuff from failing. I haven't heard anything similar in a while, but fewer people are even keeping cars past 3-4 years here in so Cal and I'm assuming parts quality has improved significantly since the 70s.

I've got a 2004 GT that I bought on NYE 2003 and I'm starting to think that 13+ years on factory hoses might be getting a little risky. I'm going to do a full coolant change and put in a 180F thermostat soon as well as swapping the coils for D585s, so replacing the upper/lower hoses at the same time wouldn't be that much more difficult for me.