How to Flush the Radiator in My 1994 Dodge Intrepid

Service your Intrepid radiator regularly.

Flushing the radiator on your 1994 Dodge Intrepid is a necessary part of the car's regularly scheduled maintenance program. While most automotive-repair shops offer flush services of all shapes and sizes, performing a flush on your Intrepid's radiator is something anyone with basic auto-repair experience can perform himself. You can purchase a flush-tee kit at most auto-parts retailers and install the tee inline in the heater hose to create an easy-to-use flush point. Make sure to have a plan for disposing of the waste coolant afterward, however. Your local auto-parts store or auto-repair facility can either dispose of it for you, or guide you to another place that handles waste fluids.

Things You'll Need

• Large catch pan
• Hose cutter
• Coolant flush-tee kit
• Screwdriver
• Garden hose hooked to water supply
• Funnel
• 2 gallons antifreeze
• 2 gallons distilled water

Instructions

1. Open the hood on your Intrepid and slide the catch pan underneath the engine, towards the passenger-side firewall. Locate the heater-inlet hose. The two heater hoses enter the firewall on the passenger side. The inlet hose is the in the outboard position and the outlet hose is inboard.

2. Cut the inlet hose roughly one foot from the firewall using the hose cutter. Point the cut hose ends down towards the catch pan so that any escaping coolant pours into the pan.

3. Slide the two hose clamps that come with the flush-tee kit over the hose ends. Insert the flush-tee fitting into the two hose ends per the specific directions on the flush-tee kit and slide the hose clamps over the ends of the tee. Tighten the hose clamps down using the screwdriver.

4. Move the catch pan underneath the radiator cap. Remove the cap and insert the drain spout from the flush-tee kit into the radiator filler neck. Aim the spout so that it pours the coolant down into the catch pan.

5. Remove the service cap from the flush tee by hand and connect the garden hose to the flush tee. Turn the water on and let it run until nothing but clear water is pouring out of the drain spout in the radiator filler neck. Shut the water off when done.

6. Remove the garden hose from the flush tee and reinstall the flush-tee service cap. Remove the drain spout from the radiator filler neck.

7. Insert the funnel into the filler neck and pour in one gallon of antifreeze and one gallon of distilled water. Top the radiator with equal amounts of antifreeze and distilled water until it reaches the top of the filler neck.

8. Start the Intrepid, turn the heat on full blast and run the engine until the temperature gauge reaches normal operating temperature. Shut the engine off. Top the antifreeze once more with the 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and distilled water and then reinstall the radiator cap.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the coolant level again after 50 miles of driving and top off as needed.

• Never open an engine-cooling system unless the engine is cold to the touch.

References

• "Chrysler LHS, Concorde, New Yorker & Dodge Intrepid & Eagle Vision 1993 thru 1997: Haynes Manual"; Ken Freund; 1997