Automotive Cooling System: Radiator Flush-What is a Radiator Flush?

In this article on cooling systems I will try to answer the question, “What is a Radiator Flush?”

Cooling Pressure Test Kit

Basically a radiator flush is what it sounds like, the flushing and cleaning of your radiator. At least once a year you should have your cooling system inspected for proper operation. The job of the radiator is to help cool down the automotive engine in extreme cold and hot weather. Should your radiator get dirty and plugged up you will notice a rise in your temperature gage. This is where a radiator flush might be suggested by your local auto repair technician.

Automotive Radiator

The cost of a radiator flush should run you around $20-$30 and should take about 30 minutes to perform. The automotive repair technician will wait a few minutes before removing your radiator cap and opening your radiator drain plug. Once this is completed most of your antifreeze just in the radiator will be drained out and possibly recycled. Some auto repair shops will run some water through the radiator for cleaning purposes before the new antifreeze is poured back in.

Car Engine Block

The contaminants that will be removed by the radiator flush is dirt, rust, and corrosion. If your cooling system is not flushed out on a regular basis the radiator could eventually plug up and cause your engine to overheat. The worst case scenario is you will blow a head gasket causing hundreds of dollars in auto repairs. So as you can see it’s a good idea to have your radiator flush on your cooling system at least once a year.

Back in the 90's I can remember the big problem with General Motor's orange life time antifreeze. It was suppose to last the life of the car then they said ok maybe it will last 100,000 miles instead. I can remember doing some warranty work at a Buick Dealership and found cars and trucks with only 30-40 thousand miles on them and the orange antifreeze was eating away the engine from the inside out! Gaskets were giving out earlier than what was expected, the entire cooling system was deterioating very quickly. General Motors finally warned the consumers to get rid of the orange antifreeze with a cooling system flush and fill including flushing out the radiator. You can find some of the information here.  

My 25 years experience found that an entire flush and fill on every make and model should be performed once a year with a thermostat and radiator cap. This type of maintenance on your automotive cooling system will prevent any cooling system problem for the life of the car.

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Temperature Gage Reading HOT? Summer Time Tips For Your Car

Well the summer heat is here and we all should get our cars and trucks ready for the Summer. Here is an article to help you to understand why your temperature gage is reading Hot and what you can do to prevent a boil over. Even my Blazer's temperature gage climbed a little higher than normal the last couple days! Here are some summer time tips you can do to make yourself feel safer as you are out riding around these heated roads. Please try to follow these auto repair saving tips:

• Check the ground for any antifreeze leaks coming from your vehicle. If you are losing antifreeze even just a few drops on the ground or pavement will cause your temperature gage to rise.
• After you get your leaks fixed hopefully by having an auto repair shop perform a "Pressure Test" have your entire cooling system flushed and filled with new antifreeze. Contaminated and old antifreeze will cause your temperature gage to show hot also.
• Your radiator cap should be replaced every year preferably in the spring time. Its only a few dollars but is well worth it in the long run.
• In an emergency if your temperature gage is running extremely high turn on your heater and set the fan level on high. You will also want to open your windows and turn off your air conditioner as this will heat your motor up more until you get to a safe place.
• One other small but very important car part to have replaced once a year is your car's thermostat. Just like your radiator cap, very inexpensive but very important to change once a year. A worn or weak thermostat will cause your temperature gage to show hot also.
• The last piece of advice I can give you is if your car is blowing white smoke out of your tail pipe then that means you have blown a head gasket and Major Engine work needs to be done.

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Spring 2011 Car Care Tips For Your Vehicle: Exhaust And Braking Systems

After this long and very cold winter your vehicle is due for some maintenance work going in to the Spring 2011 season. After numerous trips down the highway, this has put a lot of strain on your car’s engine and brakes. Its time to gear up for the upcoming rainy and hot season that Spring seems to bring us every year. Some items that need to be serviced and inspected are your car’s coolant, the fluid levels topped off and an over all inspection of your car. Lets find out what else needs your attention.

Have your car’s cooling system tested for the Spring season approaching. A pressure test is the best thing to do for this. Your vehicle’s cooling system is pumped up to around 15 to 20 pounds of pressure. Then while your car is in the air using a drop light you look for minor leaks that can become larger leaks. The places to look is your car’s radiator, both upper and lower radiator hoses, the engine block, and of course your floor board for possible coolant loss at your heater core. Part of your Spring car care maintenance is to have your coolant flushed and filled with a 50/50 antifreeze and water mixture if no leaks are detected.

With the cold season leaving us it is also time to check out the condition of your brakes. The very hot highways and paved roads will take its toll on your braking components such as your brake rotors. During the Spring season would be an excellent time to get a free brake inspection and see what the Winter months has done to your braking components. If you feel a pulsation while trying to brake this could mean your brake rotors have warped during the Winter months. Keep in mind if your brake fluid is contaminated from the heat it may cause your cars brake fluid to boil. If this is the case with your car then ask the technician if he would recommend a brake fluid flush and fill.

Another part of your Spring car care maintenance is to have your vehicles exhaust system inspected for leaks. Not only is this a bad smell entering your passenger compartment it is also very dangerous to breath in. With us going into the Spring season we will be spending a lot of time with the windows open and the car running. A lot of vehicles out there are running with out tail pipes installed on their cars. This is not only against the law in some states it is also very dangerous.

Some other Spring car care tips is checking your tire pressures and your wiper blades that will keep you safe in the upcoming rainy season. For more care information please visit my blog at, “Auto Repair Savings and My Special Links.”

My Top 5 Maintenance Items for a Car 101 - Oil Change-Brakes-Tune Ups-Antifreeze-Service Lights

I have listed the top 5 maintenance items for a car that you will run into and will require your attention such as your first oil change, brake noise, tune up, antifreeze condition, and your service engine lights in the dash. This article is a refresher course for the first time car owners out there. For instance lets say you hear a noise coming from your car. The first thing that will pop into everyone’s mind is usually, “How Much will This Noise Cost me.” After working on cars and trucks for over 25 years, here is what we experienced the most when it comes to maintenance for a car

1. Oil Changes


2. Brake Estimates


3. Questions Regarding When a Car Tune Up is Required


4. Antifreeze Flush and Fill or Radiator Drain and Fill


5. Check Engine Light or Service Engine Soon Light Has Come On

Oil Changes should be performed at LEAST every 3 months or 3 thousand miles. Your car’s engine is a metal to metal running machine under your gas pedal. The oil is what keeps these metal parts from over heating and ruining your engine. So please keep your car engines oil changed.

Brake estimates should be performed anytime you hear a noise when you hit the brake pedal to stop or slow down. The quicker you get your brakes checked for that noise the lower your brake repair bill will be. Get at least two brake repair estimates. Go with the lowest one possible.

Tune-ups on your car or truck these days are designed to go a lot further between each tune up. I would recommend you get your car or truck tuned up at least every thirty thousand miles. Ask your auto mechanic to advise you of what should be addressed first. The reason is some auto technicians will show you an estimate that will blow your mind!

Antifreeze flush and fills should be performed every thirty thousand miles or so to keep your cooling system from rusting out. Some auto manufacturers recommend only a radiator drain and fill. Ask your mechanic what his professional opinion would be on this decision. The reason is you have to visually look inside of the radiator to see what condition the antifreeze is in.

Your check engine or service engine soon light may come on while you are driving. This light does not mean you need a tune up or oil change as you might suspect. It just means you may possibly have a bad engine sensor that will need to be replaced then have your light reset.

I hope you have learned a little about your maintenance items that will require your attention after buying your car or truck. In the future check out, "The Car Repair Savings Blog"

Flush and Fill -Cooling System Repairs-Bleeding Air Out of your Car

This article is about bleeding the automotive cooling system now that your car is over heating after some cooling system repairs have been made. Have you ever performed a flush and fill on your car or truck and you notice now that your engine temperature begins to rise until it over heats and boils over out of the radiator? What happens is that during this procedure an air bubble was created inside of your cooling system and created an air pocket. Because of this air pocket, your cooling system has stopped circulating the antifreeze. What you need to do now is purge or bleed the automotive cooling system out until the air bubble is released from your car and it does not over heat any more.

Engines Equipped With Brass Bleeder Screws

Some automotive engines have small brass screws located around the thermostat housing that need to be opened with the car running. You will see small bubbles of antifreeze leaking from the brass screws. When the small bubbles of antifreeze turn into a steady stream of coolant emerging out only then it is time to close the brass screws and fill the radiator back up. Once you have topped off the radiator with the required antifreeze and water 50/50 install the radiator cap and watch the engine gage. Bleeding this type of automotive cooling system when your car is over heating is normally found on the import models.

Engines Without Brass Bleeder Screws

Bleeding the automotive cooling system with out the brass bleeder screws can be very tricky when your car is over heating. On this type of car engine without the brass bleeder screws, you have to bleed the cooling system quite a few times. I have found out over many years of performing flush and fills or repairing the cooling system that you will have to bleed the air out of the system or your car or truck will immediately over heat and your temperature gage will show Hot. If this should happen to you while servicing your cooling system let the car or truck idle until the coolant bubbles disappear and you see a steady flow of antifreeze pouring out of the radiator. You may have to perform this procedure a few times until you quit seeing the air bubbles coming out of your radiator. Turn the engine off, fill the radiator, and install your radiator cap. Bleeding the automotive cooling system when your car is over heating can be dangerous and some times very time consuming.