Regular maintenance, including a thorough engine flush also known as a coolant flush, is essential to ensuring your engine keeps running strong for many years. If you are not sure how often the coolant flush should be done, make sure to contact us and we can advise you on the correct schedule. You should also schedule an appointment if you notice anything out of the norm with your vehicle.
Over time coolant and antifreeze products deteriorate under usage. Over time they lose their resistance to freezing and boiling. This means you may find you will not be able to start the engine one day or that you will suffer an expensive boil over. Engines contain quite a number of parts in the cooling system that rust. This rust is picked up by the coolant during circulation and deposited somewhere else. This is usually the radiator and smaller opening in the cooling system. Regularly and properly flushing the engine will prevent this and combat sometimes fatal cooling system blockages. Other cooling system components corrode in other ways, allowing particulates to clog the cooling system. Having a coolant flush done means removing all of these contaminates and exchanges the old and tired coolant for new.
When a coolant flush happens, a supply of fresh coolant in one container and another, empty container to recover the used coolant for recycling. The thermostat is removed and the heater is turned on. The engine is then started, which allows the water pump to pull fresh coolant and push the old coolant out. Once all visible traces of rust and other contaminants are gone from the effluent stream, the system is turned off and the cooling system is resealed and topped off. Another similar method has the engine turned off and the thermostat removed. The upper radiator hose is then removed and fresh water is forced through the cooling system with compressed air. Once the outflow is completely clear, the system is drained, the thermostat is replaced and the proper coolant ratio is added.
When you have a coolant flush done, you are helping increase the efficiency of the radiator and engine. These are not just recommended, they are also an important task to keep your vehicle running efficiently. By following the maintenance recommendations for your vehicle, you can help reduce time, money, and stress in the long run.