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Radiator and Cooling System Flush
Critical maintenance to keep your car cool
Mike Bumbeck / autoMedia.com
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In the same way one's arteries will clog up with the consumption of too many double bacon cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes, the passages in your vehicle's cooling system can get clogged due to neglect. When it comes to humans, proper diet and exercise will keep the arteries in good shape and circulating blood like they should. Like proper diet and exercise, preventative maintenance will keep your automobile's cooling system in good shape.
System Functions
The cooling system in your vehicle is similar to the circulatory system in your body. The water pump acts like your heart, and circulates the coolant through the passages of the engine in order to wick away the heat of internal combustion. Neglecting cooling system maintenance is the vehicular equivalent of a steady diet of saturated fats. Scale and deposits on the walls of the cooling system passages prevent the transfer of engine heat to the coolant. The cooling system can suffer a loss of efficiency due to neglect, and overheating can occur. Overheating can cause expensive internal engine damage. Yet, thanks to the miracle of modern chemistry, it's easy to keep your cooling system passages clear and free-flowing. Open-heart surgery is not required.
Long-Term Approach
Just as waiting for a heart attack to occur before switching to salads is waiting too long, waiting until your vehicle overheats before servicing the cooling system is not the best strategy to take. Coolant should be changed according to the service maintenance schedule requirements of the vehicle, and this is the perfect time for a cooling system flush since removal of coolant is the first step in the introduction of the coolant flush.
The coolant is replaced with the chemical flush, and any scale and deposits that have managed to stick to the insides of the passages will be cleared away in the process to bring back peak cooling system efficiency. Keep in mind that like long term proper diet and exercise, a cooling system flush should be considered preventative maintenance, and not a cure for a cooling system that's in rough shape. The radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, cap, and overflow system must be working properly for the flush to be beneficial. Be sure to follow instructions, and completely remove the flush before reintroducing coolant back into the system.
Copyright autoMedia.com 2000-2009
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Start with a COOL engine. Never attempt to remove a hot radiator cap.
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Completely drain coolant. Coolant is poisonous to humans and animals. Use a catch container and dispose of coolant properly.
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Don't forget to drain or siphon coolant from the overflow system reservoir if your vehicle is so equipped.
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With coolant completely drained, add coolant system flush according to instructions.
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Run the engine according to coolant system flush instructions. Allow the engine to cool. Drain coolant flush.
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Add water to the cooling system and run the engine according to instructions to clear out the system flush. Allow engine to cool. Drain water.
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Refill the cooling system with the recommended type, mixture, and quantity of coolant. Premixing the right ratio of coolant to water makes things easy.
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Replace the radiator cap. Refill the overflow reservoir to the correct level. Start the engine and test for proper operation of cooling system.
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