How to change antifreeze on a Chevrolet Cruze

Maintenance for replacing antifreeze in a Chevrolet Cruze is not a difficult operation. The manufacturer has taken care of the convenient location of the drain, as well as the release of air, so that you can do it yourself without much effort.

Stages of replacing the coolant Chevrolet Cruze

This model does not have a drain hole in the engine block, so flushing the cooling system is recommended for a complete replacement. This will completely remove the old fluid so that it does not degrade the properties of the new one.

The coolant change instructions apply to vehicles manufactured under various brands of GM vehicles. They are complete analogues, but are produced for sale in different markets:

• Chevrolet Cruze (Chevrolet Cruz J300, Restyling);
• Daewoo Lacetti Premiere (Daewoo Lacetti Premiere);
• Holden Cruze).

In our region, petrol versions with a volume of 1,8 liters are popular, as well as 1,6 109 hp. There are other variations, such as 1,4 petrol and 2,0 diesel, but they are much less common.

Draining the coolant

You can make a replacement on any flat area, the presence of a flyover is not necessary, it is easy to get to the right places from the engine compartment. It is also not necessary to remove the engine protection. After all, you can insert a hose into the drain hole and take it to an empty container located in a convenient place.

Before you start draining on a Chevrolet Cruze, the manufacturer recommends letting the engine cool down to at least 70 ° C, and only then proceed with the procedure. All actions in the instructions are described from a standing position in front of the engine compartment:

1. We unscrew the cap of the expansion tank so that air enters the cooling system (Fig. 1).
2. On the left side of the radiator below we find a drain hole with a valve (Fig. 2). We insert a hose with a diameter of 12 mm into the drain to drain the old antifreeze into a container. Then you can open the valve. Now the old antifreeze will not flood the protection, but will flow smoothly through the hose.
3. For complete emptying, it is recommended to remove the tube leading to the throttle valve heater (Fig. 3).
   
   
4. We also unscrew the ventilation plug located on the left in the upper part of the radiator (Fig. 4). To do this, it is better to use a screwdriver with a thick sting on the minus.
5. If, after draining, sediment or plaque remains on the walls of the expansion tank, then it can be removed for washing. To do this, remove the latches that hold it to the body, disconnect 2 hoses and pull it towards you. For ease of removal, you can remove the battery.

Thus, the maximum amount of liquid is drained, but due to the lack of a drain plug on the engine, part of the antifreeze remains in it. In this case, it can only be removed by washing with distilled water.

Flushing the cooling system

Special flushes are used if the cooling system is heavily contaminated. When using them, it is recommended to read the instructions on the package and strictly follow these recommendations.

In a normal replacement, ordinary distilled water is used for flushing, which removes the old antifreeze. As well as sediment, but I can not remove plaque from parts.

So, for flushing, open the drain valve, put the expansion tank in place and start pouring water into it. As soon as it flows from the cork designed to vent the system, put it in place.

We continue to fill until water comes out of the removed tube going to the throttle, after which we put it in place. We continue to fill up to the top mark on the expansion tank and tighten the plug.

Now you can start the engine, warm it up until the thermostat opens, so that the water makes a big circle for a complete flush. After that, we turn off the engine, wait a bit until it cools down, and empty it.

We repeat these points several times to achieve an acceptable result when the water starts to come out almost transparent.

Filling without air pockets

The Chevrolet Cruze flush system is completely ready for filling with new coolant. For these purposes, the use of ready-made antifreeze will be incorrect. Since after flushing, a certain amount of distilled water remains in the system. Therefore, it is better to choose a concentrate that can be diluted in the appropriate proportion.

After dilution, the concentrate is poured into the expansion tank in the same way as distilled water when washing. First, we wait until it flows from the radiator air outlet, and then from the throttle pipe.

Fill the expansion tank to the level, close the cap, start the engine. We warm up the engine with a periodic increase in speed. Now you can turn off the engine, and after it cools down, all that remains is to check the level.

With the correct implementation of these points, an air lock should not form. The antifreeze has been completely replaced, it remains to watch its level for a couple of days, a small topping up may be required.

Frequency of replacement, which antifreeze to fill

The replacement of antifreeze in a Chevrolet Cruze car, according to the maintenance schedule, should be done every 3 years or 45 thousand kilometers. But these recommendations were written a long time ago, because modern coolants are designed for a much longer period of use.

If the General Motors Dex-Cool Longlife brand is used as the coolant, the replacement period will be 5 years. It is ideal for use in GM vehicles and is available as a concentrate.

The original antifreeze has complete analogues, these are Havoline XLC in the form of a concentrate and Coolstream Premium in the form of a finished product. The latter is more suitable for hardware replacement in a car service, replacing old fluid.

Alternatively, GM Chevrolet approved fluids can be selected. For example, a domestic FELIX Carbox would be a good option, which also has a longer shelf life.

How much antifreeze is in the cooling system, volume table

Model	Engine power	How many liters of antifreeze is in the system	Original liquid / analogues
Chevrolet Cruze	1.4 gasoline	5.6	Genuine General Motors Dex-Cool Longlife
1.6 gasoline	6.3	Airline XLC
1.8 gasoline	6.3	Premium Coolstream
diesel 2.0	9,5	Carbox FELIX

Leaks and problems

The reason why antifreeze comes out or flows can be anywhere, and you need to find out in each case separately. This may be a leaky pipe or expansion tank due to a crack that has appeared.

But a common problem with a Chevrolet Cruze with poor interior heating can be a clogged stove radiator or a faulty thermostat. It may also indicate the presence of an air lock in the cooling system.