2012-2016 Impala/Limited (9th Gen) 3.6 LFX Radiator Hose Replacement + Coolant Drain & Fill
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Midnite is back this week in the garage. The '12 Impala has crossed the 150k threshold and needs to have the old Dexcool purged and replaced. Although the radiator hoses still pass the sniff test, I opted to change them whilst the cooling system was drained.
As explained in the video, I purchased Gates hoses from Amazon, and although the correct part number was on the sticker for the upper hose, the hose was entirely wrong. I returned that hose and purchased the proper one from AutoZone on short notice. When installing the new hoses, I rub a tiny bit of Sil-Glyde on the ends to facilitate easy installation and future removal.
I also decided against a doing complete flush at this time. The coolant wasn't completely wasted yet, and it is always better to have at least half fresh coolant in the system than none at all. All in all, I used 1 3/4 gallons of Dexcool for the drain & fill.
Also, I recommend you purchase and drop in some of the ACDelco "pellets" that the factory puts in the system when the car is new.
Gates Upper Hose: www.amazon.com...
Gates Lower Hose: www.amazon.com...
Hose Clamp Pliers: www.amazon.com...
Delco Pellets: www.amazon.com...
Sil-Glyde: www.amazon.com...
Thanks for watching! Any questions or comments, please post below. If you found this informative or helpful in any way, give a the video a thumbs up! Be sure to check out my other videos and hit the subscribe button!
Music in this video is from www.bensound.com
This helped me do my own coolant change, thank you so much sir
No problem, glad to help out!!
Thanks for the video. You had the same issues I had. Decided to watch videos after the fact to see if I could have done something different. I have decided to invest the $14 dollars for the tool to compress the hose clamps since I could see how that would help. That drain plug was a pain in the rear to open and close because of the sheet metal channel that the radiator sits in. I finally got it to open, but never thought about lifting the radiator. I should have thought about that since any additional clearance to unscrew or screw in that plug would have made a world of difference. I actually thought about cutting out a small section of the sheet metal channel just to make it easier. I also had the exact same problem with the lower hose clamp. You would have thought GM would have had them place the clamp ends in a better position. I did find that after running it for a day that I needed to top off the coolant. Apparently there was still a bit of air that finally worked its way into the container. I think I ended up adding about 2-3 quarts to top it off.
I have to wonder how much it would weaken the core support if one were to cut a small chunk of it off right in front of and beneath the petcock's "wingnut" or whatever you'd call it. It would sure make it easier to open and close that valve!
Love all your impala videos. I have a 2012 black impala like yours. I do all my own maintanance so your videos are a great help. Installed a catch can also thanks to your video.
Awesome! Thanks for the support!! 🍻
That reservoir could’ve been removed much easier than using a shop vac, and would’ve been easier to clean out as well. Also you could’ve just left those tiny vise grips on the clamp while installing the hose and released it after seating the hose. At the end, I heard the engine ticking and thought maybe the foam sound deadener that goes on top of the fuel injectors was left out, but then I thought I caught a glimpse of it being there under the intake.
The insulating foam was there - those DI injectors are THAT noisy!!
Does this process require him to burp the reservoir after all this
@@mollywarren5626Thank you. I just about watched the whole video , around half, then I read your comment questioning "burping or bleeding". This video came up in a search for bleeding the coolant system. While it's decent it's not what I'm looking for. 😊
Would have been the perfect time to remove the radiator for a deep cleaning. Those fins get really clogged up with debris, also those tabs were a bad idea. Those tabs caused alot of problems in the late 90's when dexcool came out, they clogged plenty of heater cores.
I would advise extreme caution when removing the transmission cooler lines from the radiator: th-cam.com/video/MgpzwM3P2_M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6aDPRbep_XzBVHKN
I've used these tabs on a few different GMs and never had any issues with the heater cores clogging.🤷♂️ But as they say you can't go by a sample size of one!
@CertifiedShadetree You're lucky you don't have a 9c1 impala, those damn external coolers make the radiator replacement a pain in the asss!
@@Docfrazier81 Ah damn, I never considered that!
@CertifiedShadetree They're also Bi xenon, so the low beam and hi beams along with the fogs (also 55watt 6k bulbs) I tapped in with the Monte carlo bumper I installed all stay on and literally turn on the sun at night.
@@Docfrazier81 Kinda like the Family Truckster! 🤣
Shadtree can you do a power steering fluid a d brake fluid change video. Fellow 2014 limited lt owner
Absolutely! I might not get to it until next spring, but I will eventually do videos on both.
@@CertifiedShadetree cool beans man! Your vids has helped me on my Impala greatly
Hello shadetree, I was wondering if you could help me with my leaking coolant problem, I fount the leak but have no idea what I’m looking at lol
2012 impala LT btw
Hit me up: certifiedshadetree@gmail.com
Thank you so much!!
Glad to help!! 🍻
Hey man so after you changed the coolant and drove it for a few days did you end up having to add more coolant a few days later?
In this case, no. But it's not unusual to have to add a splash of coolant a few days later.
Okay thank you brother for the quick reply
@@luiscarrera5181 🍻
Is the radio stock
Not stock to the Impala. It's a stock MyLink radio out of a 2013 Traverse that I swapped in.
Hey man! Thinking about doing a coolant change on my 3.6L too! I was thinking of draining it filling the system with water and letting it be for a bit then put new coolant in it almost like a flush. I’m not too sure when the coolant was last changed on mine but I’ve also noticed the coolant looks to be red or pink not orange so I’m not sure if it’s just that discolored or if the wrong coolant was put in so that’s why I wanted to do the flush. When you did a flush was it a simple drain and fill or did you have to bleed the system? I’ve seen videos of the 3.5 and 3.9 and they recommend to leave the cap loose to let air bleed out. Did you have to do that at all? Thank you!
There was no bleeding necessary! The 3.6 has a pressurized tank where you fill the system - it's at the highest point and self burps. Just make sure you keep the level topped off and it will take care of the air pockets.
Some brands of Dexcool appear pink, so I wouldn't worry about that. If you are going to flush the system with water or fill it with water, the trick is to buy the concentrated Dexcool (not the 50/50 mix) and add exactly half the system capacity with the coolant, then top it off with straight water. That way you'll get a perfect 50/50 mix. The way I did mine, I used the pre-mixed 50/50 to fill the system. I did a simple drain and fill, not a flush, so no water was introduced..
@@CertifiedShadetree ahhh okay awesome thank you! There’s not much info on the 3.6l so I was wondering what the process was! Also yes I’m gonna do a premix 50/50 dexcool it I was just do straight distilled water first just as a flush and then fill with 50/50. But I’m not sure if it’s really needed as your saying dex cool can look red or pink instead of the orange it should be. Plus this car only has 54k miles so I’m sure it’s not needed I was just concerned mixing different coolants together if that’s what it was. I wanted to make sure all the excess got out.
@@Guido19 54k? Yeah I'd just do a drain and fill with 50/50. A flush isn't really necessary at that mileage.
@@CertifiedShadetree yeah that’s the route I was thinking I was only thinking about doing a whole flush because of the color of it. It seemed to be pink or red which your saying is just dexcool but it needs to be orange so the only reason why I was gonna do a full flush was to make sure all the remaining coolant was out so I wouldn’t mix pink with orange. Yeah it’s my baby haha when I first bought it it only had 41k haha
@@CertifiedShadetree also I noticed you used the gm seal tabs! What are your thoughts on those? Are they really needed? I understand gm adds those in from the factory but is it necessary on a 55k mile vehicle application? Also I have no leaks but hear it’s still recommended to add it in. My only concern would be possibly clogging the cooling system but what is your thoughts on it? Thank you!
I noticed the K&N sticker , did it help
The sticker? Yeah, it added at least 100 HP, yo!! 🤣🤣 Seriously though, with the filter I noticed a slight improvement in fuel economy. No real noticeable HP gains.
@@CertifiedShadetree Thanks , I might put one in latter on . I'll be doing an oil & fllter change soon , do you recommend any brand of synthetic ?
@@scottgeorge4760 Watch this video: th-cam.com/video/9PoKIlwCrOk/w-d-xo.html
Can a loose hose cause overheating
If it maintains a tight seal, probably not, but if any coolant or pressure escapes, then absolutely it will.
How did you bleed the air out! I’m about to do this for my car. My is the 10th Gen would this work? Same engine maybe same radiator. LoL
Where is the radiator pressure cap on the 10th Gen? If it's on the tank and not the radiator, then you don't need to bleed anything. Just fill through the tank and let gravity do the rest.
@@CertifiedShadetree thank you Mr.Shadetree. Yea I don’t have the traditional cap on the radiator. Only a reservoir tank with cap in it. I have a 2016 Chevy impala 10th gen. Hard finding videos to work on it. Your impala has the LFX engine so it helps me get an idea of how to do work on it. So thank you again :)
No problem! I didn't want to assume anything regarding the cooling system. The old 3400 engine was offered in both the 8th Gen Impala and the 5th Gen Grand Am. The Impala had a traditional radiator (with cap) and an overflow tank, whereas the Grand Am had the pressurized tank with no radiator cap on the radiator. Same engine, different vehicles, different cooling systems..
@@CertifiedShadetree hey 👋 your state that the car self bleeds the cooling system? Is that done with the reservoir cap off for a few minutes or with cap on? Thank you sir!
@@unitedwestanddividedwefall3521 I put back the same amount I drained out and put the cap back on. That was that..
Will this apply to 2010 as well ?
Sorry, it does not. This pertains only to the 2012-2016 models with the 3.6 engine.
How do you drain the radiator
3:20
Hey man once all of the coolant is out of the block, how do I refill it? Does it pull it all back through the reservoir or is there somewhere else that I need to fill it into?
Fun starts around the 21:42 mark. Fill it through the reservoir. It all feeds in through there fine, and also self-bleeds as long as you don't run it dry.
LeaderOfWagons I appreciate it man, this 3.6 is completely foreign to anything I’ve ever worked on!
No problem! I hear ya, too - it's the first DOHC engine I've ever owned myself!!
I've got a 2012 Impala and I'm going to do my own work . Thanks for your video. I've owned it for a year now .
I had the dealership do my oil/filter.
I have a video for that as well!! Thanks for the support! 🍻
I was hopng you’d be the the one guy who knew how to remove that switch by top end of lower hose, buuuud nO👋😒.
Switch?? Do you mean the coolant temp sensor on the thermostat housing? That's the only thing I can discern being near the top end of the lower hose. If it helps, look up the coolant temp sensor electrical connector on RockAuto and thumb through the images to give you an idea how it clips onto the sensor..
@@CertifiedShadetree
maybe that’s it, it’s the switch that blocks one from getting regular tool on top end of lower hose(spring clamp, etc.), I just crushed it B4 seeng Ur reply.. now I won’t know if my new hose is leaking, thE irOnE👋😑
@@CertifiedShadetree
btw, top hose has & should have had some sort of cover(I think it was just black mesh in that hose👋), eazily switchable from Ur last top hose(bt I think Ur pSt top hose was miscing it)
@@CertifiedShadetree
NEwA thNx, if that’s it now I know which button to replace, etc.(ofcoOrs I’ll chek)
I believe I swapped the protectors over from both hoses.. 🤔🤔