Tips For Car Radiator Flushing

By Author: Serena Smith
Total Articles: 2
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Flushing your vehicle’s radiator and then replacing the coolant is a job that must be accomplished periodically. The reason for this is to prevent your engine from overheating by keeping the interior of your engine and radiator free from contaminants so the coolant can flow freely and disperse any heat buildup in the way it was designed to do. If you do not like the idea of doing it yourself, you can always ask the mechanic on the Gold Coast to do it for you, but if you would like to save on maintenance costs or just like getting your hands dirty from time to time, flushing your radiator is an easy job that you can do at home.

What you’ll need

The following items make doing the jobs much easier, so have the ready before you begin:

- A large drain pan/bucket with at least a 20 liter capacity
- A wrench to undo the drain plug depending on your type of drain plug
- Radiator flush solution
- Rain or distilled water
- A hose to provide clean water or a bucket of water
- Fresh coolant

Prep ...
... the car

- Park your vehicle on an even flat surface and ensure the engine is cool.
- The engine coolant is poisonous, so it is important to keep children and pets and away from the work area.
- Place your collection pan or bucket underneath the drain plug to catch the coolant.
- Drain the coolant
- Remove the cap from the radiator and undo the drain plug. The radiator cap is on top of your radiator, and the drain on the bottom. You can find the exact location in the owner’s manual, google it or just get down and take a look.
- Some vehicles have a drain tap others a plug that you can easily undo.
- Open the drain and allow the coolant to flow into the pan.
- Replace the plug or close the tap. The old coolant needs to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way.
- Add the radiator flush solution.
- Pour the radiator flush solution into the radiator and top the radiator with fresh water.
- Replace the radiator cap and tighten it.
- Check the vehicle is in park, if an auto or neutral.

Start the car and allow it to idle for 10 minutes or the length of time on the radiator flush bottle. After the required time turn off the engine and allow it to cool. Never open the radiator when the engine is hot as it’s a pressurized system.

Drain the radiator flush solution

When the engine has cooled, drain the flush solution into the bucket and discard it and close the tap

Refill the radiator

Check the coolant solution and follow the instructions on the coolant water ratio and fill the radiator. Replace the cap

Run the engine for a few minutes to disperse the coolant and check for leaks

Flushing your radiator periodically is advisable according to the mechanics on the Gold Coast. They will do it for you or sell you the best coolant so that you can to do it yourself. Either way, it will ensure your engine stays cool in the Queensland heat.