Hi - I just got hold of a 1998 Fiesta 1.3 Encore and the coolant looks dodgy and I want to change it. Don't want to buy a Haynes just for that, as I am selling it on. Anyone give me some tips on changing the coolant? Best hoses to detach? Bleed valve locations? Any help appreciated. Thanks....
Jeremy
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On my 1.3 there was a drain plug on the radiator.
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Yup - it's a plastic drain plug on bottom corner of rad just above the bottom hose. Some aftermarket rads don't have them though, so you might have to pull the bottom hose off instead. If you do this, replace the stupid cheap spring loaded Ford clips with proper jubilee clips of the right size.
No bleed screws on these Fiestas. Fill the tank slowly to the MAX mark, start the engine, turn the heater to hot and run it at fast idle, keeping the level topped up near MAX as it drops. If the heater doesn't get warm you might have to stop the engine, and ease each of the two hoses off the heater valve on the bulkhead in turn to release the air. The heater valve is the highest point on the system.
Not a bad job in all honesty, but would be easier with bleed screws.
Cheers
DP
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It's better to hold the engine revs at 3/4000 rpm for a couple of minutes to get any air out of the heater matrix.
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You don't need to set the heater to "hot"-in fact the engine will warm up quicker if you don't-A Fiesta of that age had an air-blend heater not a water valve.The heater matrix was always hot.
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I can guarantee you beyond any doubt whasoever that a 1998 Fiesta has a stepper motor powered heater control valve.
It has been the single biggest problem on my 1997 example.
Cheers
DP
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Should add that said valve controls the flow of water through the heater matrix, and provides a bypass when the heater is shut off.
Or sometimes not in the case of the latter as I found out.
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH! All I needed to know.
Jeremy
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