DIY TD42 Cooling System Overhaul

[PeeBee]

Gentlemen: The utterly badly located block drain plug is giving me a hard time. Every comment I see about undoing it seems to be for a GU, where you remove a rubber plate from the passenger's wheel well and you have straight line of sight to the plug, and from there you go with the 12 mm socket plus extension plus breaker bar. On the GQ, or at least in mine, there is no such rubber covered opening, it is sheet metal, so I cannot have a straight line of sight. I have tried to include a wobbly connector on that combination, but didn't have the proper way of applying "gentle force" with it.

Any suggestions on how to remove this without using a hole saw on the wheel well for proper line of sight?

Would a garden hose on the engine port that receives water back from the heater core, with the engine off, would be enough for water to come out on the other engine port towards the heater core and such be able to circulate the old water out? Not sure if the cold termostat of the non-running engine would block that water circuit?

Also, any other way I could do a flush and get rid of the in-block water? I've been thinking about using compressed air but not sure if that would break any seal.

You wont blow any seals as the system cant pressurize having the exit hole. The air will expand and push the water out. You could probably do a combination of the water hose and the air, but if the lowest drain point is still sealed up you wont do as good a job i suspect. Time to get out that hole saw or angle grinder!