Vehicle Maintenance Benefits of a Radiator Flush
Most drivers have been advised at some point to have the radiator flushed. Actually, it is more than just a radiator flush. As any backyard mechanic knows, the flush involves the entire cooling system if it is done correctly. The process flushes the radiator, the engine block, and the heater core. When it is over, the whole system should free of old coolant and full of fresh coolant. It is far more than just draining the radiator and installing new coolant back inside it.
Flushing removes debris and plaque from the cooling system.
The flushing process pushes water and possibly other liquids depending on who does it and how it is down throughout the cooling system. While the water is blasting its way through the system, the old coolant is being drained safely away into containers for disposal. Along with the old coolant, any floating debris will be extracted from the system. Some of the scale and plaque that builds up as mineral deposits form inside the cooling system will break loose and exit the system, too.
It will cleanse the metal that the coolant touches and lessen the corrosive effects of old coolant.
Old coolant can develop acidity that will erode and corrode the metal inside your engine. By draining this coolant and replacing it with fresh coolant, this corrosion can be stopped for a while. Regular flushing (at least once every other year) should keep the internal components in relatively good condition for a long time.
Radiator flushing allows you to refill the system with fresh coolant to be certain that cold weather protection is maximized.
Especially during warm weather, people still tend to refill their radiators with a little water when the coolant levels get low. While this is never recommended in today’s vehicles, it does happen. By timing the radiator flush for some time in the fall, you can be certain that you are heading into winter with your cooling system ready to take on the coldest weather of the season.
Flushing and refilling the cooling system keeps failing antifreeze from causing the thermostat and other components to become coated and lose their function or effectiveness.
As the coolant in your system heats and cools, it can begin to bond to some components like the water pump and thermostat. This can cause the thermostat to become sticky and not open and close correctly. In the water pump, it can diminish the capacity of the pump to do its job. Flushing helps to dissolve this build up and keep these parts working at maximum efficiency.
