How to Flush a Radiator
A car radiator can develop leaks and blockages over time, causing extreme damage to your vehicle’s cooling system. To prevent this from happening, you should learn how to properly flush your radiator. Here’s how to do it.
Switch off your car’s engine and let it cool down to a non-operating temperature. Get a blanket or tarp and cover the engine compartment with it, exempting the radiator. This helps prevent splashes on the engine block.
Once the engine has cooled completely, take off the radiator cap.
Find the radiator hoses and see if they have any sign of damage. Feel them, for excessive moisture or brittleness. If they’re too brittle or soggy, replace them with new ones.
Get a plastic tub or tray and drain the liquid from the radiator. If it’s very dirty, check if there’s damage or excessive rust on the exterior. If it’s clean, proceed to flushing the radiator.
Using cool water from a garden hose, flush the radiator. Allow the water to overflow to the radiator’s top, until it comes out clean.
Put back the top radiator cap, then remove the one on the bottom, to do a reverse flush. Allow the water to run and overflow again, until it’s coming out clean.
Attach your hose to the cooling jacket of the engine, then flush it the same way you did earlier.
Once all the water has been drained completely, put back the bottom radiator cap and all the hoses.
Put coolant in the radiator. The amount depends on how much the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle.
See if there’s excessive rust on the radiator cap. If there is, clean it out. If not, put it back on the radiator’s top.
Take off the engine cover, then start your engine. See if there are leaks. If there are no drops of coolant forming on the ground under the car, take it out for a quick drive and see if the radiator has been flushed out well and that the cooling system is working fine.
To keep your radiator and cooling system in top shape, flush your radiator every six months. This will prevent you from encountering problems while in the open road.