Hidden Radiator Drain Plug (Petcock)

[Colorado Yeti]

Okay....first, I'm not a mechanical idiot. However, I cannot figure out where to drain the coolant on my 1999 2-door Tahoe. I have looked all over the place with a flashlight and cannot find an obvious location. Usually good engineers put these is a pretty obvious and easy-to-locate position on the bottom of the radiator. Guess the GM engineer on that job was smokin' a big ol' fattie.

Anyone want to throw me a bone here?

 

[Doubeleive]

sometimes it is out of sight but always on the drivers side lower bottom corner area, reach down there with your hand and feel around

 

[east302]

Above poster is correct, it is on the driver corner. It is pretty much useless unless you can somehow get a hose onto the end of it.

I usually just use a cheap hand pump and a bucket to get most of it out through the top.


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[drakon543]

×2 on both
i just did the water pump on my 97. to actually see it you will need to remove the upper and lower fan shroud. even then it was faster and cleaner to just yank the lower hose off. the petcock was taking forever and was just dribbling all over the front crossbars going everywhere.

 

[Colorado Yeti]

Thanks to everyone above.

 

[Sean James]

That's how I've always done it, it's way faster anyway. Just undo the lower radiator hose, you can actually pull the bottom of the hose off at an angle and get most of it into a bucket, it's LESS messy than using the petcock, and I've had the stupid petcocks break, and the o-ring not seal upon installing twice before, then it's a trip to the parts store for a chinese replacement that fits like crap. Then you find yourself looking at the ground in front of your truck for the next three weeks, keeping your fingers crossed.

 

[Doubeleive]

I just stick a vacuum hose line on the outlet and angle it down to a bucket, less mess, my nbs used to have a 10" oem hose attached so you could just turn it down to the bucket, my nnbs has the clip on the side of the radiator for the hose but I haven't found a replacement hose yet the factory one has a bend in it I guess I will have yank one off of a nbs in the junkyard someday.

 

[mountie]

Some aftermarket radiators have permanently plugged the petcock. ( In case it was changed)....

( Drain from top)...... Get a drill-attached pump. Cheap & they work very well.

 

[alpinecrick]

×2 on both
i just did the water pump on my 97. to actually see it you will need to remove the upper and lower fan shroud. even then it was faster and cleaner to just yank the lower hose off. the petcock was taking forever and was just dribbling all over the front crossbars going everywhere.

This.

The petcock and it's location on those radiators is useless.......

 

[bigfootchiro]

All this talk about pet roosters...