radiator ARIEL ATOM 2 2006 Owners Manual

14

JACKING UP THE CAR
The use of wheel chocks or blocks is required when ja cking up the car.
Jack stand locations are suitable for full lift and sin gle end elevated requirements.
Use care to not damage the radiator or after cooler r adiator when positioning jack.

Use rags or cardboard between the jack and the frame, as well as between the jack stands and frame,
to avoid scratching the frame’s finish.

Procedures:
1. Position the floor jack directly under the front lo wer A-arm bushing bracket.
2. Locate the jack stands on right and left sides of car directly under the longitudal tube of lower chassis.
3. Locate one of the jack stands directly under the rea r bottom cross member as far to the left side as
possible.
4. Position the floor jack directly under the rear bot tom cross member at the centerline of car.
5. Locate one of the jack stands directly under the rea r bottom cross member as far to the right side as
possible.



Never get under your vehicle when it is only supported by a jack.

40

ADDING & CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT


The engine coolant tank is located above the engine in the center of the engine compartment, under the air
intake cover.
WARNING: the system is pressurized at up to 15 PSI, and can cause severe burns! Only open the cap
when the engine is at ambient temperature and there is no pressure in the cooling hoses.


At the factory we use a vacuum device to pull the coolan t through the system, then a coolant pressurizing
system to apply 15 PSI to it. By the time this is done , there are virtually no air bubbles left in the system. You
will have to bleed the system very carefully using the following procedures:

1. Refer to the Fluid Levels & Types section on pages 35 & 36 for your engine’s specifications. Dilute coolant
50:50 coolant to water if the product comes un-diluted.
2. Carefully remove the 1/8 in. bronze pipe plug locate d at the top of the radiator. NOTE: if coolant rushes
out of this fitting, the engine may not need bleedin g.
3. Fill the coolant exchange tank over the engine unti l it will not hold any more coolant.
4. Start the engine and let it idle until the tempe rature at the thermostat housing reaches about 150 deg rees.
5. Check the radiator by touch to ensure it is warm. If it is not warm, turn engine off and let set. Restart.
6. Shut down the engine.
NOTE: The coolant temperature indicator on the SPA dash is no t reliable until the system is completely bled,
so do not depend on it for accurate readings yet.

41

ADDING & CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT CONTINUED
7. Once the engine has been shut down, squeeze the coolant hose above the transaxle repeatedly for a while
and watch for air bubbles to enter the coolant exchange tank.
8. Add more coolant as you are able to coax air bubbl es out of the coolant hose.
9. Repeat this startup / shutdown procedure as many ti mes as necessary until the bubbles cease, and the
upper hose is hot to the touch.

At some point in this process, the engine will “burp”, a nd the coolant gauge will begin to read properly. When
you are certain that this has occurred:
10. Release the pressure
VERY SLOWLY
at the tank.
11. Fill the tank again to the center seam level.
12. Check the copper air bleed fitting at the radiator to be sure the radiator is full.
13. Tighten everything up.
14. Run the engine until the fan turns on, off, then on again.
15. Switch off engine and allow it to cool completely.
16. Fill the tank to its proper level for the last ti me.

For vehicles with GM engines, the aftercooler fill locat ion is accessed by moving the seats to their forward mos t
position. In the center of the engine bulkhead is a tr iangular cover secured by Philips head screws. Removing
these screws reveals a semi-transparent port with a thre aded cap.


NOTE: Honda engines do not require an aftercooler coolant .