Sc300 Rear Drain Plug

[JDOwen2]

I just finished draing the coolant, replacing thermostat, and refilling. A few tips: the rear drain plug is visible if you are stooping over passenger fender and look over the maze of brake pipes coming out of the ABS controller. It's peeking out from under the exhaust manifold. I removed the heat shield (4 12mm nuts) to make access easier. The drain plug is a 14mm brass plug. I used a socket with a flex joint and an extension to get at it. You only have to loosen the plug to get it to drain. It's sort of a petcock affair. Getting the thermostat was fairly easy. The front nut (10mm) was removed using a ratcheting box end wrench. The rear nut (10mm) was removed using a ratchet with a small extension. I suggest you cover the alternator with plastic because there will be a small amout of coolant trapped behind it. While I was waiting for the coolant to drain I noticed a large accumulation of dirt because of a valve cover leak. I found that the last three bolts on the passenger side were very loose. I tightened up all the ones I had easy access to. I guess the next job will be to degrease the engine. I used Dexcool since the stuff I removed was red.