“To Flush or Not to Flush…”
That is the question posed by Shakespeare in the Play Hamlet… My confession – before opening a Christian Brothers Automotive shop I did not flush the various fluids in my vehicles. I’m religious (no pun intended) about changing the oil in my car when it’s due, but never really gave any thought about the other fluids – except for topping them off when required. After all, when I’ve drained my radiator in the past, vast amounts of dirt and gunk didn’t come out, so why get rid of perfectly good anti-freeze? Well I’ve learned quite a bit over these past 5 months, including how antifreeze turns acidic over time. Not an issue for older cast iron engines, but modern engines are much lighter due to their vast amounts of aluminum. So although the antifreeze may have the right amount of ethaline glycol to ensure the engine does not freeze in the winter, an acidic coolant will attack the soft metals of your engine. I first saw the result of this on a 2007 Honda Odyssey. This motor (see the attached picture) actually had a hole in the rear aluminum engine plate where the coolant had eaten through!
We are also replacing radiators that have pinholes caused by the coolant eating away the thin metal from the inside out. But perhaps the worst are the heater cores we have replaced. This relatively inexpensive part has coolant running through it, and when they leak the cost to replace them is tremendous because the whole dash often must be removed. The two pictures of the Jeep Liberty in our shop show how everything had to come out to access the heater core.
This very expensive repair could have been avoided with regular coolant flushes. Coolant also breaks down over time and the corrosion inhibitors become used up. This can cause rust and scale to form, and rust particles can clog the tiny passages in your radiator and heater core. A clogged radiator can cause your engine to overheat, which can also be very costly…
So how do you test the health of coolant? A simple PH strip test will show the acidity of the coolant. If it is to acidic it must be replaced, and the best way to replace it is not to simply drain and refill the radiator; that can leave a significant amount of old coolant and particles in the engine. Make sure your shop has a power flush machine – although expensive, this machine ensures all the old coolant and scale is removed. And please don’t forget, the aroma and taste of antifreeze is appealing to your pets, so if you drain your coolant or spill it when topping off, make you don’t leave any on the ground or accessible to your beloved four footed friends. As little as half a teaspoon can kill a cat, and only 8 ounces can spell doom for a 75 pound dog. Thanks for reading and remember, an inexpensive flush can save a lot of money down the road.
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