Question for the automotively savvy

[curtisstetka]

Wife took her car to Jiffy Lube today. They told her it needed a radiator flush and wanted $70 for it.

I've never flushed a radiator before but it seems to me like it can't be that difficult, right?

I mean, logically there has to be some sort of plug doodad at the bottom. So I just open that up and let the bad crap drain out into a pan.

Then, I spray the hose in from above. Maybe put the plug back in, turn the car on and let water circulate some and drain out again. Repeat a couple times. Replace with good antifreeze.

Am I missing anything? I figure I can do it myself and save the $70.

Those rapscallions at Jiffy Luber are always wanting to do some extra thing and charge way too much for it. I gotta start doing this junk myself.

[Offshore Angler]

Unless the anitfreeze is premixed, you need to cut it 50/50 with water. But yeah, remove the cap (allowing the pressure to vent) open the drain and then reverse the process.

[rudutch]

unless the vehicle has some funky re-fill proceedure, you got it right.
Let it get warm enough to open the thermostat or all you are changing is the radiator, not the block

$70 my ass

[NeoFauve]

Some places will do a pressurized flush.
Simply running water though your cooling system before re-filling it sure isn't worth $70. YMMV

Unless your car's doing something that indicates something's plugged up, drain and refill's what I'd do, or have them do.

[gibsonjunkie]

Just keep the old antifreeze away from your pets...

[Jesse S.]

Check your owner's manual and see when the manufacturer recommends a coolant flush. Shouldn't be more than every 30K miles, might even be 60K on some models I think...

Places like Jiffylube love to recommend all sorts of stuff that they can charge money for, regardless of whether you really need it. They'll even push stuff like transmission flushes that are controversial and conceivably could harm your engine (as opposed to a drain-and-fill). Not to mention all the unnecessary "fuel cleaner" additives, etc.

[EJG]

Yes you can do it yourself, but it can be messy and then you have to dispose of the old anti-freeze. Sometimes, its just not worth the hassle.

[NeoFauve]

That's the thing for me. It's a hassle rebottle oil and antifreeze to get rid of it. As a renter, storing up enough used car juices to make a trip to the "dump" worthwhile is another hassle.

The lube places are fine as long as you've got a handle on the general condition of you car, so they can't unneccesarily talk you into their Platinum Service.

[curtisstetka]

Thanks, guys.

Yes, I certainly know how to do things like change the oil and such but it is convenient to pay somebody else to do it and dispose of the old crap.

Alright, I'll give it a shot next weekend.

[dubya]

That is a jiffy lube tactic they use on women to get them to spend more money on something that is not really needed (most of the time). You need to check it and do it yourself if needed.

Jiffy Lube is notorious for this manouver.

[Offshore Angler]

BTW, the fast way to do it is to pull off the bottom hose on the radiator.

[Constellation80]

No the 70 bucks is enviromental fees, and it has more to do then your radiator.
What the do is they drain your rad out, then they flush out your cars system with a specail solvent, that cleans all the guck out of your engine and transmission. And it cleans out all the rust too. it's allso pressurised..
But it's good from your transmission especaily if you have an automatic cause it's the over heating of your engine that kills them. But that being said 70 bucks seeems way to expensive. We pay 50 Canadain up here. Id definatly shop around for a better deal. But it's not simply draining the antifreeze like kap andd all them said.. it's the solvent they use to flush and and clean it thats important.

[boobtube21]

you took your car to Jiffy Lube?
What kind of man are you?

[curtisstetka]

Wife took her car to Jiffy Lube today.

I have taken my car to Jiffy Lube though. To answer your question I am the kind of man who often has a lot of responsibilities and so would rather spend 20 minutes and $30 at Jiffy Lube than deal with changing my own oil and disposing of it.

[s.yetter]

You can dump your coolant down the toilet IF you're on city sewer. Not on septic.
A sewer treatment plant can handle it. No oil, of course.

I use one of those big plastic coolant catch basins with the spout built in for pouring it out later (I beat wrenches on a fleet of Ford Rangers).

Use the SAME type that came out (green if green, new pink stuff if pink): VERY IMPORTANT not to mix types.

[Stratoblaster 63]

Changing antifreeze is more important then most people think.Should be done EVERY 1-2 years. Antifreeze becomes electrically charged and actively will corrode your rad. It is also possible for a rad that has not been flushed or liquid changed in 5 years for the antifreeze to congeal soldify and start to block the cooling rows requiring the rad to be removed and sent to a rad shop for a hot tank to clean it out and flushed in that manner, then $70 bones is NOT unheard of. Flush your rad every year and it will last 7-10 years don't and it can go bad in 4-5.Even sooner.Antifreeze ike oil
changes is CHEAP insurance.

[grito]

I'm in the "Why the hell am I taking the time to do this?" camp. When I was a young (short on money, rich in time), I performed all the routine maintainence on my car. Now, it's too much of a hassle and I'd rather spend the time with my family.

For my personally, the tire shop down the street charges me $19 bucks after fees for an oil change, and I pick up some bagles on the walk back home.

[gibsonjunkie]

They want $120 to change the oil in my car - I'll do it myself and put the rest towards gear!!!


It involves removing a skidplate under the motor, and 9 quarts of Mobil 1 oil, but that is still ridiculous. On the plus side, the oil filter is really easy to change...

[RocketMan]

Radiator flush...

There are products available retail that will help loosen and dissolve any gunk in your cooling system to allow your fresh water flushes to be more productive.

You will not be able to get coolant out of the cylinder block and head water jackets without removing the thermostate because of the vacuum it will hold as the system drains. You may remove the radiator drain and/or the lower hose and you will drain the radiator and maybe 20% of the contents of the block jackets and that's all. Remove the thermostat to vent the engine water jackets and drain them too if you think you must. This is not necessary if the vehicle has been maintained (if the coolant has been changed every two years faithfully) and is not too old.

Button the system back up and refill with clear water and a flush product if you wish and warm the motor enough to open the thermostat.

NOTE: Besure to follow the filling/purging proceedure outlined below even for this "flush" stage since you will be running the motor up to operating temp to open the thermostat. Let circulate for a while while driving aroung the neighborhood then repeat the drain process once the system is cooled.

Now you may button everything back up and refill with a 50/50 mix of your desired coolant product and DISTILLED WATER!!! Throw in a container of corrosion inhibitor / pump lube and you're done. The DISTILLED WATER is less "active" (corrosive) to the aluminum components in the cooling system such as the radiator and heater cores and the alloy engine parts themselves.

Fill the radiator and start the motor with the radiator cap off. Once the thermostate opens and circulation begins the level in the radiator will drop, add your coolant mixture accordingly until the entire system if at capacity including the overflow catch tank. (to the "HOT" line on it)

NOTE: Filling Purging Proceedure: If you have drained the cylinder block and heads the water pump will be empty and not able to pump anything. If this is the case you must remove the thermostat and fill the block through the thermostat opening BEFORE firing the motor. If you fail to do this you may cavitate the pump and cook a cylinder head as there will be no coolant in the motor at all.

NOTE: If this is a newer GM vehicle with the orange "DEXCOOL" coolant product replace with the same or switch to the green stuff. But NEVER mix the orange stuff and the green stuff as that will produce solid particulates that can deposit themselves in the tubes within your cores and muck up the works.

Some newer vehicles with a low mounted radiator have brass air purge valves at the highest point in the system, usually at or near the thermostate water neck. Once the system is full and up to temp with the cap on and the thermostat open, engine running, crack this/these bleeder valves and purge any remaining air that accumulates at the high point.

You're good to go now.

[curtisstetka]

Golly dang. Thank you so very much. Good info. I really appreciate it.

[doc540]

Have JiffyLube do it and ask them to clean and adjust your muffler bearings while they're at it.

No, seriously, do it with a straight face and act serious even if they laugh. Then you'll see if they really are crooks.

[Johnny64]

Don't forget to tell him about adjusting the flux capacitor Doc.

Oh!,and the waffle sprocket,the foo foo valve,the headlight venturi,and the nut that keeps hold of the steering wheel.;)