By Automotive Online on February 10, 2009 7:02 AM

  No matter where you live, whether it's in the cold regions or in hot climate areas, the efficacy of your automobile's cooling system is essential to your car engine's long life. Replacement of an engine's coolant (or an engine cooling fluid) ensures that the radiator effectively protects the engine from overheating during hot season by circulating coolant through the engine. Furthermore, overheated car engines are prone to experience a blown head gasket, which can cost quite a fortune. Once replaced the fresh coolant lubricates and protects corrosion in heater cores.

Flushing your car's cooling system is a fairly simple procedure and has big benefits. You can perform it on your own and to do so you'd need a help of a few common tools and supplies.


The Supplies:
 
Procure the necessary supplies before you lay your hands on the car. You would need a catch basin, a screwdriver, cloth rag, radiator flush solution, coolant, funnel, used coolant receptacle and a crescent wrench.

The Process:
 
First, you would need to drain the old coolant from the radiator. Before, you touch the radiator, ensure that it's not hot. If you've been driving previously then the radiator is sure to be scalding hot, if it is, wait till it cools down.

Once ready, take help from the owner's manual and locate the radiator's drain plug. Based on the make and model of your vehicle it could be located anywhere along the radiator's bottom. Additionally, they come in different types, as a screw plug, bolt plug or a petcock. Now, position the coolant receptacle underneath the drain and open up the drain plug.

Second, wait till all the coolant has been emptied from the radiator. Once it's over replace the drain plug and take off the radiator cap. Now is the time to pour the radiator flush solution to the radiator, and fill in the rest of the radiator with water.

Close and tighten the radiator pressure cap, start the engine and let it run. Wait till the time it reaches its operating temperature. Operating temperature is the marking on the temperature gauge at which it normally stays.

Now switch on the heater and bring the temperature control to the hottest grade. After which run the engine for 10 minutes, while the heater remains switched on.

Follow this up by switching off the engine, while you wait for it to cool down. Again, let the engine cool down before you proceed.

Now, when the engine has cooled down enough, remove the drain plug away and completely drain the radiator.

This brings us to the last step of flushing an engine radiator. Since, the flush operation has already been completed, all you need to do is to refill the radiator with fresh coolant, using the funnel. But do ensure that you have replaced the radiator drain plug before you pour the coolant.

It is always best to use a ready-made 50/ 50 mixture of coolant and water as it saves you from erring to get the right proportions. Checking your radiator coolant level in a day after you have performed the operation is a good idea as sometimes an air bubble pops up making room for more coolant. If you see that happen, fill in more coolant.

Precautions:

• While it's quite exciting and instills a great sense of achievement to take care of your car by yourself, your safety during the procedure is paramount.
  
• Make sure that you safely carry out the flush and refill of your car's radiator and observe the following precautions:
  
• Don't touch the radiator or approach the engine when it's hot, let the engine cool first.
  
• Don't let the coolant spill on the ground, as it's dangerous to pets. It becomes all the more dangerous as it tastes sweet to animals.
  
• Get down and have a look, whether or not the coolant receptacle is placed right under the petcock or not.
  
• Wear eye protection gear and waterproof gloves, while opening the radiator cap.
  
• Don't lean over the radiator when pulling out its cap, since the contents can be under pressure and can spew out with force when you open it.
  
• Keep the radiator cap away on a clean spot, as it's not needed till the flush is over.
  
• Dispose of coolant in a proper container.
  
• Regularly taking care of you vehicle will go a long way to make it last long, and perform at its peak as long as it lasts.