Car maintenance is necessary if you want to keep your vehicle running smoothly and safely for many years. While there are hundreds of auto shops and mechanics in your area, there are some basic maintenance steps you can do at home, even if you don’t have any experience with cars. One of the most common car maintenance processes is to backflush your cooling system. This will help keep your vehicle running like new, and is quite easy to do. To do this you will need several materials:
Items Needed:
1. Utility Knife
2. Cold Water
3. Garden Hose
4. Backflush Kit – can be purchased at any auto shop and is quite inexpensive
5. Plastic Container
6. Coolant or Anti-Freeze
Steps to Backflush your Cooling System:
The first step to backflushing your cooling system is to gather all of your materials that are stated above, and place them within your garage or on your driveway. After you have done this, it is very important that you have allowed your car’s engine to cool down completely before going onto the next step. Depending how long you drove your vehicle on the day you perform this task, you may have to wait in upwards of an hour. This is especially true if you are doing this at the end of the day, and you’ve been driving around town.
After your car’s engine has had an adequate amount of time to cool off, you will want to open your radiator cap, or you will need to disconnect any of the hoses. Next, take your utility knife and cut the heart inlet hose. You will be able to find this hose by locating the radiator and following the hose that runs alongside the firewall of your radiator all the way to your engine’s front side. Another tip, this hose is usually located on the drivers side of your engine.
Once you have cut the heater inlet hose, and gather the T-tube that is located within your backflush kit. This tube will fit your heater inlet hose. You will then need to locate and utilize the hose clamps to securely attach the T-tube to your inlet hose.
Make sure that you have removed your radiator cap, and then take your splash tube that is also located within your backflush kit. Don’t worry, all of these tubes are marked within this kit. Make the splash tube and place in where your radiator cap was, it will snap into place.
Take the backflow prevention coupler, which is also located in your backflush kit, and attach this to the end of your garden hose. Connect your backflow prevention coupler to already installed T-tube. Take your plastic bucket and place it under your radiator, and then begin the draining process by opening the plug that is located near the heater coils at the bottom of your radiator. Allow the liquid to completely drain into the bucket.
You will then want to take the heater inlet hose and reconnect t to the engine. You can do this by using the T-tube that is still open. After this you will want to start your car and turn your heater on as high as it will go. Then, go over to your garden hose, and turn on the water flow. After you notice that only clear, clean water is leaving your radiator, you will want to turn off your engine and your garden hose. Remove the garden hose from your coupler, as well as the splash tube that is on your radiator. Wait about five minutes for all of the water to completely drain out of your radiator and then close the plug at the bottom of the radiator. Take the cap that is located within your backflush kit and seal-off your T-tube. After this, take your anti-freeze coolant and fill up your radiator.
