How to flush the engine cooling system? Ways and means
The engine cooling system performs an important function - it maintains operating temperatures at an acceptable level. In modern cars, the functions of the cooling system are significantly expanded: air heating for heating, engine oil cooling, automatic transmission cooling, turbocharging systems. It is clear that such an important engine system must be properly looked after.
On most modern cars, liquid cooling is installed using antifreeze or its Russian counterpart - antifreeze. Although there are people - as a rule, the owners of vehicles of the old years of production - who use ordinary distilled water.
Maintaining the cooling system
Vehicle manufacturers provide a range of measures to maintain the cooling system. The most basic rule is to regularly check the level of antifreeze in the expansion tank and top up if necessary. Other events:
- monitoring the condition of conductive hoses and sealing elements;
- checking moving parts - water pump bearings, fan, belt drive;
- lubrication of bearings or their replacement if necessary;
- thermostat check.
Also, one of the mandatory procedures is the replacement of antifreeze. The replacement frequency is indicated in the instructions and is usually 40-90 thousand km. In some modern cars, it may not be changed at all. However, along with the replacement of antifreeze, it is necessary to clean the system from the resulting dirt and scale.
The need to clean the cooling system
Despite the fact that all systems of a modern car are as tight as possible, pollution from the outside still gets into them. Also, as the metal elements of the engine wear out, the evaporation and combustion of technical fluids, a characteristic deposit is formed from a variety of particles of different consistency. All this dirt clogs the oil and cooling lines. The result is not long in coming:
- overheating of the engine;
- ingress of particles into certain aggregates and assemblies;
- decrease in the efficiency of the cooling system and its failure.
If the coolant icon is lit on the panel, this may indicate that you need to add antifreeze, or that the hoses are clogged and the engine is really overheating. To avoid this problem, clean the cooling system with every antifreeze change. We also note that antifreezes and antifreezes themselves, under the influence of high temperatures, lose their properties, and their chemical components precipitate.
Ways to clean the cooling system
In short, the cleaning process is divided into two stages:
- internal - flushing the system from the inside with a variety of means;
- external - flushing the radiator and cleaning the fan from fluff and dust.
If you have a Karcher sink on your farm, which we
once told on Vodi.su, under a slight pressure of water, clean the radiator cells and additionally walk over them with a soft brush. The fan is cleaned by hand with a damp cloth. There should be no problems with this cleaning step. Although it is desirable to dismantle the radiator by disconnecting all the pipes and removing it from the brackets.
Internal cleaning is carried out as follows:
- we turn off the engine, wait for it to cool down and drain the antifreeze - first from the radiator, then from the engine block;
- we twist tightly all the drain holes and pour cleaning agent into the expansion tank;
- we start the engine and let it idle for some time or drive a certain distance;
- drain the rinse, fill with distilled water to get rid of the remnants of the product;
- pour a new portion of antifreeze.
This is only a schematic description of the process, as different tools work differently. Therefore, the manufacturer's instructions must be followed. For example, if your car is relatively new and there are no noticeable problems with cooling, then you can simply fill in water and let the engine “drive” it a little through the system and the cylinder block cooling jacket. Other funds are poured and proceed further as indicated in the instructions.
Choosing a means for flushing the cooling system
There are a lot of different liquids and flushes for the radiator on sale. The following are considered the most effective:
- LIQUI MOLY KÜHLER-REINIGER - concentrated flush, quite expensive, but dissolves lime and grease well, does not contain aggressive chemicals;
- LIQUI MOLY KUHLER-AUSSENREINIGER - external cleaner for the radiator;
- Hi-Gear - 7-minute flush, significantly inferior in efficiency to Liqui-Molly products;
- Abro Radiator Flush is inexpensive, but does a good job of internal flushing;
- Bizol R70 is also quite a good cleaner.
In principle, on the pages of any online store of spare parts and auto products, flushing for the radiator is presented in a wide range. When choosing, pay attention to the chemical composition and manufacturer. The products of well-known companies such as Mannol, Very Lube, Abro, LiquiMolly and others have passed the necessary laboratory tests and will not harm the rubber elements.
If you buy a cheap fake from China, be prepared for the fact that after the flushing procedure, pump seals or antifreeze hoses may leak.
Handy tools for cleaning the radiator
If there is no desire to spend several thousand rubles on cleaners, you can use the old grandfather methods. Suitable for this purpose:
- caustic soda;
- citric or acetic acid;
- milk serum;
- sugary drinks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta (some people praise them, but we would not recommend using them for flushing).
Caustic soda is used exclusively for external and internal cleaning of copper radiators. Contact with aluminum is prohibited, since the alkaline composition leads to the destruction of the molecular structure of this soft metal.
Citric and acetic acid are effective against lime deposits, but they are unlikely to cope with serious pollution. Depending on the level of contamination, add 50-100 grams of citric acid per liter, or half a liter of vinegar per 10-liter bucket. Milk whey is poured into the tank and they travel 50-100 km with it, then the system is cleaned with distilled water and antifreeze is poured.
Sweet drinks such as Coca-Cola, Tarragon or Fanta are suitable for cleaning coins from patina, they do a good job with rust. But we would not recommend pouring them into the engine. Firstly, sugar has the property of caramelization, that is, it hardens. Second, carbon dioxide behaves unpredictably when in contact with metals. In any case, after cleaning the motor with Fanta, it is necessary to rinse it repeatedly with water.
Various household products such as Fairy, Gala, Mole, Kalgon, Whiteness, etc. are not suitable for this purpose. They contain a whole bunch of chemicals that perfectly corrode rubber and aluminum. In any case, it is better to use proven folk methods or licensed products from well-known manufacturers. Well, if the car is under warranty, then it is best to go to the dealer service station, where everything will be done according to the rules and with a guarantee.
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