Every mechanic knows that the routine maintenance of today’s hi-tech cars and trucks requires a great deal of knowledge but little in the way of hard work. Every system and subsystem on today’s vehicles must work together as a team if the vehicle is to operate properly and economically. If any one system fails, no matter whether it’s the fuel system, the cooling system, the electrical system, the breaking system, the drive train system, or any other system fails, they all fail because no one system can do its job without the help of the others. In this Factoid, I want to focus on the engine’s cooling system.
There are two types of internal combustion engines in use today, air-cooled and liquid cooled. Most automotive internal combustion engines, with a few exceptions, are liquid cooled so I will concentrate on preventative maintenance of those using a liquid cooling system
Routine preventative maintenance of your car’s liquid cooling system begins with a chemical cleaning of the cooling system. A chemical cleaning agent like Prestone Super Flush, part#AS-107-6W can be purchased at most auto part supply stores for less the $3.00. To begin the procedure, open the drain cocks on the bottom of your radiator and on the bottom side of your engine block. The location of these drain points are shown in your cars service manual. You do have a service manual, right? If not, you can purchase service manuals like those published by Haynes and/or Chilton on line or at stores like Auto Zone, Advanced Auto, and NAPPA. Most of these manuals that are written for specific cars will cost you less then $20.00 and they are a tool that you will use repeatedly as you tackle maintenance and repair jobs on your vehicle. Before draining your old coolant, you will also need to procure a container with enough volume to receive the old coolant. Such containers can be purchased at any of the above-mentioned stores. Do not drain the old coolant on the ground. It’s highly poisonous and will kill your pets and contaminate the environment. Take the old coolant to an auto parts center for proper disposal, that’s a free service that they supply DIYers as well as professional mechanics.
While you are at the auto parts store purchasing your service manual and the required number of quarts of premixed antifreeze solution, it is also a good idea to pick up a new thermostat. Most car manufacturers recommend replacing the cooling system thermostat every two years but thermostats are so inexpensive compared to the cost of roadside service if your car should breakdown due to a stuck closed thermostat, it’s worth replacing it every year. A thermostat that doesn’t open at the proper temperature will cause your engine to overheat. Even if the cooling system doesn’t boil over, an engine operating at too high a temperature will cause the engine oil to lose its lubricating abilities and this will cause excessive wear on all your engines moving parts. Why risk problems that can cost hundreds of dollars to repair for the cost of a $5.00 thermostat and the few minutes that it will take you to replace the old one. Make sure you get a new thermostat housing gasket with the new thermostat, a tube of gasket sealing compound, and a tube of anti-cease compound to use on the housing bolt threads.
After the system has completely drained and you have replaced the old thermostat, fill the system with water, adding the can of cooling system cleaner. Now, run the engine for twenty minutes at a fast idle, then, after the engine has cooled down, drain the system again. Now it’s time to perform a fast flush of the entire cooling system.
A professional mechanic can perform a reverse flush of the engine and radiator using a special gun attachment that water with high-pressure air to dislodge rust particle and flush them from the system. The DIY mechanic can perform the same task with a common garden hose. After shutting all the drain petcocks on the radiator and engine block, disconnect a heater hose and connect you garden hose to it. Connect another length of hose to the fitting where the heater hose was connected so you can direct the discharging water away from your car. Make sure that the temperature control on your cars heater controls is turned all the way up to its hottest setting so the water can flow freely through the heater core. Turn on your hose and let the water run until the water being discharged shows no signs of rust or other contaminates. When the water runs clear, shut the hose off and reconnect the heater hose to the engine’s heater hose fitting. Open the drain petcocks again and drain all the remaining water from the system. Close the drains again.
Now is the time to check all the radiator hoses, bypass hose, and heater hoses for signs of cracking and/or weak spots that may cause system failure in the near future. If there is any doubt about the condition of a hose, now is the time to replace it. Also, while you’re checking the hoses, check the fan belt for cracks, tears, and signs of slippage. Replace the belt now if it shows signs of deterioration.
Now that you have replaced the thermostat and any other components that need to be replaced, refill the system with the correct amount of the 50/50 antifreeze solution that you purchased earlier. The commercially available 50/50 antifreeze solution will protect your cooling system against freezing to -34 degrees Fahrenheit and protect it against boil over up to 265 degrees Fahrenheit. These commercially available solutions also contain rust and corrosion inhibitors that protect your cooling system as it works to keep your engine cool and you warm on the coldest winter days.
