How to Burp the Tubing in Your Car

Burping your radiator hoses removes excess air from the cooling system.

After replacing a radiator, flushing a radiator or adding anti-freeze you should burp your car. Squeezing the radiator hoses forces excess air out of the system, which takes up space that should be occupied by anti-freeze. If you do not properly remove the air, your cooling system will be low on anti-freeze.

Things You'll Need

• 50/50 ready-to-use antifreeze
• Work gloves

Instructions

1. Close the petcock on the bottom of the radiator. The petcock is the drain on the left or right side of the radiator.

2. Pour 50/50 ready-to-use anti-freeze into the radiator neck until it is full.

3. Turn the automobile engine on and let the vehicle idle. Observe the level of anti-freeze in the radiator neck. When the thermostat opens it will allow anti-freeze into the engine block and the level in the radiator will lower.

4. Add additional anti-freeze to cover the metal plates in the radiator that are just below neck level as the level drops. Allow the vehicle to idle about 15 minutes or until the anti-freeze level no longer drops.

5. Put on leather gloves. Squeeze the upper radiator hose about four inches from where the metal band attaches it to the radiator. Air bubbles will travel up from the radiator and you will see them in the radiator neck. Squeeze the upper hose until no more bubbles appear. Repeat this step to squeeze or burp the bottom radiator hose.

6. Pour anti-freeze into the radiator to cover the plates. Burping the system of air makes the anti-freeze level lower due to dispersing the air from the cooling system.

Tips & Warnings

• Ready-to-use anti-freeze is already mixed at the correct portions with 50 percent water and 50 percent anti-freeze.

References

• Tech Guys: How to Flush and Fill Coolant