I saw a youtuber do this for draining the engine block and was wondering what you guys think. Rather than disconnect the hose off of the thermostat like the TIS instructions state he disconnected the line going from the thermostat to the transmission oil cooler. This fitting is much easier to get off as it is much more accessible and since it's fairly open there the coolant won't splash off of as much stuff. Would draining via this fitting be just as effective?
To drain the cooling system I recommend just using the radiator drain. In your first picture it is the blue colored plug. Just us a large flat blade screw driver and unscrew it. Then reinstall when done draining but do not over tighten.