Radiator power flushing is done to maintain the radiator. Read on to know about how to flush a radiator and its estimated cost.
Radiator power flush is one of the most important tasks to carry out while servicing your car. When you go for long drives, the engine of your car heats up. The radiator does the important task of cooling your car by the exchange of heat.
Generally, it is a good practice to do a flush once every 2 years, to avoid any problems which may occur in the smooth functioning of the car.
How to Flush a Radiator?
Two gallons of antifreeze
Eight liters of distilled water
A garden hose with a nozzle
A drainage bucket
Sudsy water in a bucket
Eye safety goggles
Antifreeze, which contains glycol, is very essential in the process, because it does the task of saving the cooling system from rust and corrosion. The temperature of the system is not constant but fluctuates. Antifreeze protects the cooling system from temperature changes.
The most important thing to take care of, before you do the actual radiator flush is to make sure that the engine of the car is cold. Thus, we conclude that you should not do a flush, immediately after a long drive.
Now, use sudsy water, which you have in your materials list, for the purpose of cleaning the radiator. The nylon brush and sudsy water are used for removing particles, bugs, and debris, which eventually get collected on the grill.
Do the scrubbing work in the direction of the radiator fins. The grill will get completely cleaned from the particles and the debris on pouring water.
Use a disposable pan for draining the coolant. This pan will be fitted under the car and hence its size should be noted carefully before using it. The radiator consists of a drain valve and the pan is positioned at its center.
The task cap is the lid of the radiator, which keeps the engine temperature under control. The radiator consists of hoses at its top as well as at the bottom. Sometimes, the hoses and the clamps develop cracks and are leaky due to lack of maintenance. So, before you refill your radiator, replace the rusty and leaky hoses and clamps with good ones.
Now, just unscrew the cock and collect the coolant into the pan and place the drain pan back under the cock after the fluid is completely drained. Insert the garden hose nozzle into the spout of the radiator, to flush it. Keep adding the antifreeze and water containing coolant as the water is draining into the pan.
Check for any sort of leakage in the clamps, cock, or the drain pan. By keeping the cap of the radiator off, start your engine. The cap should be changed, in case the rubber seal is too rough or dry.
Cost
The cost of a radiator flush can be anything between USD 50 to USD 150, depending on how old your car is and the model. The flush and fill cost can also vary as per the locations - some mechanics in major cities may charge you more than the others.
Most of the car problems can be solved by proper inspection and servicing at right intervals. You can do the flush yourself, to save the cost, but one thing to note here is that, doing so requires a lot of expertise and knowledge of the car mechanism.