A Graden hose is a useful garden tool for many other purposes. Using a garden hose, you can flush a radiator to maintain your car for a long time. Other maintenance for a car, like regular cleaning, oiling, tire replacement, and radiator flushing, is also necessary.
But there are some steps you have to follow to flush the card radiator. All the important steps and other details are given in this article.
Signs to flush a radiator of a car:
You observe some signs in a car when you need to flush a radiator. If you find any signs given below in a car and its functioning, immediately flush the car’s radiator. They are,
Car overheating:
One common sign is that the car starts overheating because the cooling function of the radiator is stopped or slowed down. If debris or dust is on the radiator, the fluid pipe blocks and there will be no access to the cooling fluid. This leads to overheating of the car.
Burning smell or steam:
When you see any steam or burning smell coming from the car’s engine, immediately flush the car’s radiator. This is due to overheating and leading to the car’s damage. You most likely only observe the burning smell or steam when the car is on.
If the cooling fluid is leaking:
If the cooling fluid leaks from the radiator, it needs flushing. Even though there is a leakage after flushing, it can be another problem, and it needs a mechanic or professional to work on it.
Warning light:
The temperature gauge of a car shows the red signal if the car radiator needs flushing because of overheating. Once you notice the sign, immediately consult the professional.
Driven above 30,000 miles:
Every car’s radiator needs flushing once it has driven 10,000 miles. But it can change according to the car model, and it can be 30,000 miles or 50,000 miles. But it is best to flush after driving 30,000 miles.
Importance of flushing a car radiator:
Most car radiators are constructed using Aluminum, and it doesn’t rust that easily when exposed to air or water. But many companies use different materials in a radiator, which can easily rust and causes damage. Flustering a radiator in the car is important to avoid damage.
It is also important because the radiator can be overheated, and to cool it down, flushing is important. The engine’s overheating may be because of a lack of cooling fluid, driven over 30,000 miles, etc. You can find the overheating by the burning smell or steam from the engine.
Things needed to flush a radiator with a garden hose:
Some things that are useful and used to flush a radiator with a garden hose. They are,
- Antifreeze tester
- Garden hose
- Distilled water
- Suitable coolant
- Gloves
- Googles
- Utility knife
- Drain buckets
- Flowing water
- Clean cloth or rag
How to flush a radiator using a garden hose?
There is a step-by-step guide below that you can follow to flush a radiator using a garden hose. They are,
Step 1: Drain the existing coolant
The first step you have to do is to turn off the car engine which makes it safe to touch. After turning it off, you have to drain the radiator. Wear your gloves and wait until the engine cools down.
Now keep a basin below the drain plug and open the plug to drain all the coolant. Remove all the used coolant away from plants and animals because it contains many harmful chemicals.
Step 2: Pour the cleaning mixture and drain the radiator
The engine cleaner is high in concentration, so dilute it in a 1:3 ratio with water. Now, pour the mixture into the radiator through the funnel. Let the mixture flow through all the pipes and engine blocks on the engine.
Let the engine on for 10-15 minutes because it needs high thermal power to make the mixture flow through the radiators.
After 10-15 minutes, turn off the engine and let the engine cool down to drain all the liquid.
Step 3: Check the thermostat
To flush the radiator, you have to check the thermostat, and sometimes you can flush the car’s coolant system even without removing the thermostat.
Follow the steps below before flushing the radiator to check whether the thermostat works.
- Locate the thermostat by following the lower engine hose of the car.
- The alternator should not get wet, so cover it carefully.
- Remove the bolts of the thermostat house and loosen the lower hose clamp.
Step 4: Flush the water to remove the mixture from the passages
You can use a garden hose or radiator flush to flush the water from the engine and radiator if you do not have a radiator backflush kit. The garden hose has enough water pressure to flush off all the mixture in the passages.
The below steps are to flush the radiator using the garden hose:
- Using a piler, lose the clamps to detach the upper and lower hose from the car’s radiator.
- You can see the cooling system and flush it with the garden hose from the side hole.
- Let the water from the hose flow through the lower engine and vice-versa. Attach a high-pressure head to the hose if the water is not flowing well in the passage.
- As same as for the cooling system, flush the engine block with the help of a garden hose. Wait until you get the clear water without any debris.
Step 5: Pour distilled water and let it drain
Tap water is unsuitable for flushing because it can rust the engine and damage the car. Follow the steps below to pour the distilled water.
- Take the distilled water and pour it into the radiator to avoid rusting. You must also check whether the engine hose, thermostat, and drain plug are in their respective places.
- You must turn on the engine and let the distilled water flow through the entire car’s system by increasing the temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Let the radiator and other parts cool down, and drain the water by removing the drain plug.
Step 6: Add the coolant liquid
Once the distilled water is drained from the radiator, add the coolant or diluted coolant to cool down the engine. You can get the coolant or make it with a 1:1 ratio of coolant and distilled water.
Step 7: Remove the air from the cooling system
Burping of the radiator is important, so remove the air from the cooling system. Even though you removed all the water from the system, you will feel heaviness because some air is trapped in some passages. To remove the air, follow the below steps.
- Take a funnel and place it on the radiator hole you find on top of the radiator. Use tape and let the funnel fix to the duct.
- Now turn on the car engine and wait for the coolant to pass through the thermostat and the radiator.
- You have to pour the coolant through the funnel and wait till it fills up to 1/4 the of the funnel. The coolant has to flow into the radiator; if it doesn’t go inside, squeeze the top of the hose.
- Even with the pressure, if the coolant doesn’t flow inside, the cooling system is full of coolant.
- Cover the cooling system after removing the tape and duct.
Step 8: A test drive
Go for a test drive for 10-15 minutes because, once to go on a drive after flushing, you can find if there are any issues with the radiator and the cooling systems.
Some tips to flush a radiator:
Here are some helpful tips to consider if you flush a radiator. They are,
- Always wear your safety gloves before touching the engine.
- Turn off the engine and let the temperature of the engine cool down.
- You can use a normal pipe by adding pressure to flush a car’s radiator.
- Be careful with the engine if there is heavy steam or a burning smell.
- If you need help to solve the issue, consult a professional mechanic.
Conclusion:
Using a car is one thing, but maintaining the car with proper care is another task. You have to ensure that the car’s radiator is flushed often. There are many signs that the car shows to flush a radiator, like overheating engine, stems or burning smell, etc.
If you find any of the signs, immediately flush the car’s radiator. You should also flush it if you drove the car 30,000 miles. The steps for flushing using a garden hose are given in this article.
FAQs:
It would be best to avoid dish soap or any other lather soap to flush the radiator because of its properties. Many chemical reactions can occur as it creates lather and its alkaline nature. It is also difficult to remove the lather from the system easily.
Yes, it is possible to flush a radiator on our own by reading all the processes and knowing the properties of your vehicle. Learn the process carefully and implement it.
As the engine, radiator, and other parts of the car are made using materials that can rust easily, it is better to avoid tap water and instead uses distilled water.
You must always turn off the engine before flushing the radiator, and the engine has to be cool to touch it.
