Hi All,

I'm planning to flush the coolant system of my 2002 Camry which has a V6 engine. I've been using the Haynes repair manual to help me with this procedure. The manual suggests that I remove the coolant drain plugs that are located "on each side of the [engine] block" to drain any antifreeze from the engine. I looked around under the hood, but I have no idea where these plugs are on my car. Can someone tell me where to find these coolant drain plugs on the V6 Camry engine?

Also, the Haynes manual suggests removing the thermostat from its housing before flushing the coolant system. Can someone help me find the thermostat housing in the V6 Camry?


Also, is it really necessary to remove the thermostat from the housing (and then reinstall the housing) before I flush the system? Would I be able to flush most of the system and bleed out any air pockets if I don't remove the thermostat?

Thanks in advance!

 

I have your car. And i just flush mine with plain water and refill. I am a mechanic and been working on cars of all kinds for decades, and if the cooling system is not very dirty, this is all you need to do.
You can remove the engine coolant plugs, if you can find them under all that hardware, and you could even remove the thermostat too to help flush it faster. But that is alot of work, especially if the cooling system is not really dirty to begin with!

But like i said - what i do is drain it, fill it with water, replacethermostat, turn on the heater full (to flush the heater core too). And then just run it long enough to open the thermostat (10 minutes). And then drain it again, fill it again, and repeat. and then i drain it one last time, fill it with one gallon of coolant (not 50/50, straight coolant!). And then the rest of the way with water.

I dont think you have to worry about air in the system, i have heard of it happening but never seen it or had it happen to me. I think usually the air, if any small amout manages to get in there, just goes out the over flow tube.

 

Thanks Marc,

I poked around and found where everything is located. I think I'll follow your advice and try your procedure.

I found the thermostat, but I'm not sure if I'm going to remove it. It took a bit of work to find it (had to remove the air cleaner housing, etc.). If I do not absolutely need to remove it, I think I'll pass.

Perhaps once every few years I'll remove the thermostat.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

awsome advice marc, you should post this procedure on the "Do-It-Yourself" forum.