[The Chief (tm)]

Gang,

Yes, had certainly seen the other two recent "Dumb Question..." threads re: coolant (not necessarily so dumb at all BTW). But I thought this was a separate enough topic that would be very worthwhile for those who have a convertible, or a model with the strut brace which blocks the surge (lower) tank "service port".

So...short of removing the strut brace, is there a way to add coolant to the bottom tank, directly?

It looks like there'll barely be enough room to flip the cap on the lower service port, let alone get any sort of vessel to pour into it. (Although I suppose using some sort of hose would work.)

Or, by simply following the "general" directions from the owners' manual, adding to the top tank first and watching the levels change as the engine warms up (looks like either pages 253 or 274, depending on model year), does that coolant added to the top tank eventually end up in the bottom one? How many cycles does this take before the bottom one is half-full, and the top one completely full?

Or, I mean, just remove the strut brace, right? But will I need a torque wrench to properly re-install it?

Thank you all.

[Gunkk]

Yes. Torque to 21 ft-lbs. The $20 Harbor freight torque wrench will suffice.

[ctrlz]

If you can flip the cap out of the way, I would suggest a clear hose connected to a barbed 90 degree fitting. Small funnel to the hose and you should be able to add easily. You can rotate the barbed 90 and it will kind of hold itself in place as you add. harbor freight has a nice set of 4 small funnels, one of which I use to add coolant.
https://www.harborfreight.com/automo...l-set-744.html

[The Chief (tm)]

Great advice both! I should certainly have owned a torque wrench by now, and I never even thought of the barbed fitting approach. That's why one checks in here! Carry on and enjoy.

[ctrlz]

If you need a torque wrench, this one's a beauty for occasional use. Gets high ratings for accuracy. Not a fancy digital one, but for 22 bucks...
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-...nch-63882.html

[LT4Greg]

I agree with ctrlz, I use some funnels I bought at Harbor Freight to fill my lower tank also.

[The Chief (tm)]

Ended up simply removing the strut tower brace. I thought those bolts were gonna be impossible to loosen, but they were no problem, suggesting that the last time they were removed they were re-installed to just about the proper torque spec.