The Importance of a Radiator Flush

What a Car’s Coolant and Radiator do. A radiator flush is the process of flushing out the cooling system of your vehicle, discarding the old coolant to replace the vehicle's coolant with a fresh mixture. The cooling system is vital to your vehicle; but what does the radiator do? An internal combustion engine (ICE) generates a lot of heat through friction, burning fuel, and expelling hot exhaust gases. It would overheat if the excess heat were not dissipated by the car's coolant fluid through its radiator. This is true for all cars and trucks with ICEs, whether it's a diesel engine in a truck, the gas engine in a hybrid vehicle such as a Toyota Prius, or just a normal old Camry.

So, the fluid in the cooling system dissipates the heat produced by the engine - but what is the coolant or radiator fluid made up of? It's not just water in the radiator; usually, this is a blend of water and antifreeze, which keeps the liquid from freezing in cold weather and, at the same time, boiling over when hot -

. This fluid is circulated by the water pump and absorbs the engine's heat. It's then pumped to the radiator where it is cooled through fans and exposure to cool air and returned to the engine to keep it running at a constant temperature. Changing the radiator fluid and doing a coolant flush are needed periodically. The big questions are, why is a coolant flush necessary, and how often should it be done?

BMW

Why Should I do a Coolant or Radiator Flush?

There are several good reasons for flushing the cooling system:

• It gets rid of old antifreeze that might have lost some of its efficacy

• Clears out abrasive particles that accelerate wear

• Offers fresh protection to the whole cooling system

• Removes rust from the system and protects against it

• Lubricates and extends the life of the water pump and hoses