94zLT1

alright i want to drain my radiator and fill it back up with ONLY distilled water..after i drain it out of the petcock and then fill it back up what else needs to be done?..i know i had to bleed my old LT1 like a fat omish wench after doing this but how hard is it to bleed the LS1 and how do i do it? thanks

2001NBMZ28

You can remove the rubber hose below the throttle body (see the tstat swap at installuniversity.com) I just left the cap off, let the car idle and filled it until it wouldn't take anymore after the tstat opened at operating temp.

94zLT1

huh? i am just going to drain it from the petcock and fill it back up...i read there is no bleeding on the LS1 as it bleeds itself..true?

2001NBMZ28

There's no bleed screw but you still want to be sure you didn't get air in the system. I didn't bother removing the TB hose.

danksontl

If you refill using only distilled water, you may be setting yourself up for problems. The water needs to be blended with antifreeze. There are corrosion inhibitors, lubricating agents and seal conditioners that are present in antifreeze.

Maybe I misunderstood your post--if I did, disregard. I just don't want you to damage anything.

Kris93/95Z28

You do realize your location says Chicago?
Is Global Warming getting so bad that those northern winters never see the temps dip below 32' F? You do realize water freezes at 32' F right? You know that when liquids freeze they expand, and can destroy blocks, radiators, hoses, etc. I would think your missing he point of the term, ANTI FREEZE.

94zLT1

i only drained the radiator..so say 2 liters..filled radiator with water..so i still have a lot of dexcool in there i just wanted to make a more water diluted mix...think i have air in the system by just draining the petcock and filling the radiator? if so how do i bleed? i know i cant rely on my gauge to let me know if i am running too hot..thanks

danksontl

As someone said earlier, go to installuniversity.com. Click the link for LSX vehicles, then link to the thermostat installation. Step 13 references how to bleed air from the system. It even has good pics of the job. Below is the text of that step.

<<13. Locate the rubber hose that exits the throttle on the driver's side. Squeeze the hose clamp on the rubber hose and remove the hose from the metal line (see Figure 12). Removing the hose can be quite difficult. We used a flat-head screwdriver and gently pried the hose back. Once the hose moved a little the hose came off with ease.

Removing this hose will allow us to remove the air from the cooling system quickly and easily. This is MUCH better than the conventional way everyone removes air from the coolant system. This works on the foundation that the rubber hose is the highest point in the cooling system. When you add coolant you will force the air up and out of the engine block that would otherwise be left. Removing all the air from the cooling system is CRUCIAL for aluminum blocks.>>

You really should have your coolant tested to ensure you have the necessary protection (coolant concentration).

94zLT1

so it says to open the hose b4 you pour in the fluid into the raditor and it will push the air out..but since i already poured in the water do you think opening the hose will do anything? i already ran the car a while.