What is a coolant flush?
A coolant flush is another name for radiator flush, a procedure to clean your vehicle’s cooling system of sediment and rust. The coolant keeps your engine from overheating while running, and from freezing in cold weather when it’s not running. The purpose of a radiator flush is to ensure that your coolant system protects your engine as efficiently as possible -- and to prevent corrosion in metal engine parts from rust and other contaminants.
How do I flush a radiator?
A radiator flush (or coolant flush) consists of four steps:
- Draining the existing coolant from your vehicle’s radiator.
- Adding new coolant and conditioner to the radiator. The new mixture then circulates through the vehicle's cooling system, loosening any sediment and rust that has built up in the radiator channel.
- Draining the radiator to remove sediment and rust.
- Refilling the radiator channel with a fresh coolant mix (typically water and anti-freeze).
Check your vehicle owner’s manual to see how often your manufacturer recommends a radiator flush for your model. A common radiator flush interval is every 30,000-50,000 mile, or every 2-5 years.
- Midas Closer Look Vehicle Check™ includes visual checks of brakes, battery, air filter, fluids, belts, and hoses.↩
