2021 CX-30 Coolant Change (Ranger Method)
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From: Virginia
2021 CX-30 Coolant Change (Ranger Method)
Well, I did it myself. Changing the coolant on a CX-30 was not super-difficult, but I had to resort to using the "Ranger Method" to do it. I first heard it called that when I sought to replace the clutch fluid in a Corvette Stingray with a manual transmission. I used a turkey baster and siphoned out as much as I could from the clutch reservoir and replaced it with new fluid. I then drove it several miles and repeated the process a few times and all of the fluid (well, all that was visible) was new. But enough about that.
With the CX-30, I drove it on some errands so that the engine would be at its typical operating temperature (hot). I loosened the four screws and two plastic rivets that hold the plastic piece under the car to the front fascia. The petcock for the radiator is pretty easy to reach from underneath. Mazda engineers even have a hole drilled in the plastic pieces that enables most of the coolant to drain into a bucket. Since I drove the car up on a pair of Race Ramps, I had plenty of room to maneuver around on my creeper. Calisto (a mechanically astute individual who is a wealth of Mazda knowledge) would have been proud of me. LOL!! I let it all drain out and siphoned out the coolant overflow reservoir with a turkey baster. I drained out what I could, refilled the radiator with very warm tap water, ran the engine until it got hot and then drained it again. I did this three or four more times until the water coming out was clear - no more coolant in there. I drove it several miles to get it hot and did the same thing again.
After it cooled and everything was as empty as possible, I filled up the radiator with Peak Anti-freeze, which is pre-diluted to a 50/50 mixture (no having to measure distilled water to add with it, etc.). It took a little more than a gallon + I filled the overflow reservoir about halfway. The total capacity (I think) is 6.9 quarts for the 2.5L non-turbo SkyActiv engine, which our car has. I put in almost a gallon and a half so far, so that makes sense. I am going to let it cool down overnight and check the level in the morning. I have a little more than a half-gallon left, so that makes sense (out of two gallons or eight quarts). I drove it about 12 miles and everything looked normal with the temperature gauge, etc. If it takes roughly another quart in the morning to be totally full, then I'll know that everything is working perfectly.
That Peak green coolant says that it's supposed to be good for 15 years! No way would I leave coolant in a car that long. Yikes! It's amazing how many different kinds, types and colors of coolant there are today. Back in the day, you had the green Prestone stuff and that was pretty much it. They didn't (as far as I remember) sell it pre-diluted, either. My recommendation is that you can do your own - but it will certainly take some time and some gnashing of teeth. Still, paying $250 for a shop to do it seemed unreasonable. Two one-gallon jugs of the Peak pre-diluted anti-freeze were $21 with tax. It's also reportedly safer for the environment, which is good.
I changed the oil in my stepdaughter's 2018 Honda Accord (which used to be my car at one time) for about $30 including a jug of Mobil-1 0w20 and a filter. ( Oddly, the Accord uses the same oil & filter as our CX-30. ) A dealership would have charged her almost $100 to do it - and they probably don't let the oil totally drain out. Best to let it get all of the sludge & impurities out with the old oil.
The next things that I will certainly have a shop do will be to bleed the brakes, change the transmission fluid & filter and replace the transfer case + differential fluid. I don't feel like messing with that stuff. I still find it crazy that the Mazda dealer said that the transmission fluid is supposed to be "lifetime" and doesn't need changed. That doesn't sit well with me.
P:.S. I rotated my tires on Thursday, which was pretty easy to do. RF <-> RR and LF <-> LR. Two jack stands, a floor jack, the tire iron and a torque wrench were all I needed. Don't forget to never lose your locking wheel nuts, either. Keep the key in the little black pouch inside of the glove compartment.
With the CX-30, I drove it on some errands so that the engine would be at its typical operating temperature (hot). I loosened the four screws and two plastic rivets that hold the plastic piece under the car to the front fascia. The petcock for the radiator is pretty easy to reach from underneath. Mazda engineers even have a hole drilled in the plastic pieces that enables most of the coolant to drain into a bucket. Since I drove the car up on a pair of Race Ramps, I had plenty of room to maneuver around on my creeper. Calisto (a mechanically astute individual who is a wealth of Mazda knowledge) would have been proud of me. LOL!! I let it all drain out and siphoned out the coolant overflow reservoir with a turkey baster. I drained out what I could, refilled the radiator with very warm tap water, ran the engine until it got hot and then drained it again. I did this three or four more times until the water coming out was clear - no more coolant in there. I drove it several miles to get it hot and did the same thing again.
After it cooled and everything was as empty as possible, I filled up the radiator with Peak Anti-freeze, which is pre-diluted to a 50/50 mixture (no having to measure distilled water to add with it, etc.). It took a little more than a gallon + I filled the overflow reservoir about halfway. The total capacity (I think) is 6.9 quarts for the 2.5L non-turbo SkyActiv engine, which our car has. I put in almost a gallon and a half so far, so that makes sense. I am going to let it cool down overnight and check the level in the morning. I have a little more than a half-gallon left, so that makes sense (out of two gallons or eight quarts). I drove it about 12 miles and everything looked normal with the temperature gauge, etc. If it takes roughly another quart in the morning to be totally full, then I'll know that everything is working perfectly.
That Peak green coolant says that it's supposed to be good for 15 years! No way would I leave coolant in a car that long. Yikes! It's amazing how many different kinds, types and colors of coolant there are today. Back in the day, you had the green Prestone stuff and that was pretty much it. They didn't (as far as I remember) sell it pre-diluted, either. My recommendation is that you can do your own - but it will certainly take some time and some gnashing of teeth. Still, paying $250 for a shop to do it seemed unreasonable. Two one-gallon jugs of the Peak pre-diluted anti-freeze were $21 with tax. It's also reportedly safer for the environment, which is good.
I changed the oil in my stepdaughter's 2018 Honda Accord (which used to be my car at one time) for about $30 including a jug of Mobil-1 0w20 and a filter. ( Oddly, the Accord uses the same oil & filter as our CX-30. ) A dealership would have charged her almost $100 to do it - and they probably don't let the oil totally drain out. Best to let it get all of the sludge & impurities out with the old oil.
The next things that I will certainly have a shop do will be to bleed the brakes, change the transmission fluid & filter and replace the transfer case + differential fluid. I don't feel like messing with that stuff. I still find it crazy that the Mazda dealer said that the transmission fluid is supposed to be "lifetime" and doesn't need changed. That doesn't sit well with me.
P:.S. I rotated my tires on Thursday, which was pretty easy to do. RF <-> RR and LF <-> LR. Two jack stands, a floor jack, the tire iron and a torque wrench were all I needed. Don't forget to never lose your locking wheel nuts, either. Keep the key in the little black pouch inside of the glove compartment.
Last edited by jk23112; May 17, 2025 at 07:53 PM.
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