my wifes cc, overheated yesteday and dont know why... I just changed the thermostat on it and it was still overheating, then after a while and ran good?? drove it this a.m. and looks like its doing good so I hope that was the problem but anyways.... when I installed the new thermostat I refilled it with just water just incase it was something els and I would have to drain it again... seems like its working fine now and I want to refill it with antifreeze but I cant find a drain plug?? its not where my 2001 has it??

 

GM got cheap and saved a ton on that one. There is no easy way to do it without making a mess. Just pull the lower hose.

 

I have this you could pull off the upper hose, snake the tube in and suck out the coolant, than when your done you can put it back in! Note though that the hoses that it came with suck, I got a new one at home depot

 

do any of yall absolutely hate those black clip on hose clamps, where u gotta squeeze the clip, and slide it off, i tried replacing my thermostat, i say try, because for some reason, i ordered the ls1 thermostat from texas speed, and it didnt fit, after i drained the coolant out, pulled the old thermostat, and realized that, hey..... this doesnt fit! turns out i had a different pump on my 04, texas speed said it was a ls2 style pump. So.... im fixing that issue, but... back to those clamps, i absolutely hate those clips, because from constant pressure and temperature, its hell to get them things off, im a mechanic and i still cringe when i see those. So when i do a replacement on a hose, i use handy dandy screw clamps.

just my 2 cents
jared

 

do any of yall absolutely hate those black clip on hose clamps, where u gotta squeeze the clip, and slide it off, i tried replacing my thermostat, i say try, because for some reason, i ordered the ls1 thermostat from texas speed, and it didnt fit, after i drained the coolant out, pulled the old thermostat, and realized that, hey..... this doesnt fit! turns out i had a different pump on my 04, texas speed said it was a ls2 style pump. So.... im fixing that issue, but... back to those clamps, i absolutely hate those clips, because from constant pressure and temperature, its hell to get them things off, im a mechanic and i still cringe when i see those. So when i do a replacement on a hose, i use handy dandy screw clamps.

but yah, undo the bottom hose, and try to not make a big mess when u do it, if i remember correctly, theres a few things in the way that like to make ur coolants flow direction splatter everywhere.

just my 2 cents
jared

 

agree on the black clamps (biatch!!). i trash em and use regular hose clamps.

 

I'm 50/50 with them. One day I love them and the other I hate them. Just depends on how aggrivating they are at the time. sometimes they are a breeze and much easier than screw clamps, especially if you can get them hook on the retaining hook so they stay spread apart then installtion is a breeze.

 

I just got a set of pliers that makes child's play of those clamps. Search ebay for hose clamp pliers.

 

i was using the "fix all" vice grips, funny how many things u can fix with vice grips, lacing wire, a hammer, some zip ties and silicone lol, i need to get some hose clamp pliers, i didnt think they had a special tool for them, maybe that will save me on beer and ciggs

 

Ive used 2 wrenches and a set of regular vice grips. Kind of a PITA though.