How to Flush Your Car's Engine Coolant System

In order to preserve the life of your engine, you should flush out your engine cooling system often. Your cooling system will work more better and your engine will be cooled to the maximum. So let's get started on flushing out the car's engine coolant system.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Items needed to flush your cooling system includes common hand tools, knife to cut radiator hose, flush and fill kit, garden hose connected to a facet, correct amount of anti-freeze to fill the radiator with a 50/50 blend of water and anti-freeze, cooling system cleaner or flush.

2. Begin with a cool engine. Loosen the radiator cap to release the pressure within the system.

3. Locate the heater hose that leads from the top of the engine to the inlet of the heater core. This is the hose you are going to connect the flushing tee into.

4. Cut the hose in half with a knife or hose cutter. Slide the hose clamps on each end of the hose, install the tee, and tighten the hose clamps. Install the black end of back flow preventer coupler to the flushing tee with the yellow end going to a garden hose. Rout the hose clear of any hot exhaust manifolds, and any moving parts.

5. Fully remove the radiator cap and install the flash deflector tube into the radiator neck. Open the drain on the bottom of the radiator for best results.

6. Turn on the the garden hose and check to see liquid is pouring out of the deflector tube before proceeding. Start the engine, set the heater control to hot position and run the engine at idle speed. Continue flushing the cooling system until the water runs clear. Give it about 10 minutes for the water to completely clear.

7. Shut the engine off and turn off the garden hose. Remove the flash tube from the radiator neck, Disconnect and remove the garden hose from the back flow preventer, and remove the back flow preventer from the flushing tee.

8. Now let's use a radiator cleaner. First close the radiator drain plug off. Add the flush chemical to the radiator. Refill the radiator and cooling system with water. Once full, screw the cover back on to the flushing tee, and replace the radiator cap.

9. Start the engine and turn the heat control to the hot position. Allow the engine to run for ten minutes after reaching normal operating temperature and mixture is circulating throughout the system.

10. Shut the engine off and allow to cool. Drain and reflush the system as you have done it before using the flushing tee. After flushing the system, close the radiator drain. Leave the cap off the flushing tee to allow air to escape when fresh coolant is being added.

11. Add fresh coolant. When adding coolant, water will come out of the flushing tee. When pure anti-freeze comes out, install the cap right away. Now add the water. Start and run the engine with the radiator cap off until the coolant starts to circulate in the radiator. Once circulating, top off the fluid level with a 50/50 blend of coolant and water. Shut the engine off, remove the funnel and install the radiator cap. if equipped with a recovery tank, add a 50/50 blend of coolant an water to the level mark. Reinstall the radiator cap and you are done.