Ever have one of those days? One of those days when everything seems to go wrong? You woke up late, lost the car keys, you're late for work and if that isn't enough your stang starts to piss coolant all over the place. Well it probably could have been prevented.
Basic maintenance of the cooling system in your "Stang" will not only prevent your Mustang from leaking antifreeze all over the place but it will also prevent a blown head gasket, and other major engine damage. Many people get their oil changed often, but how many remember to change their antifreeze/coolant?
To flush the radiator and change the antifreeze you'll need a drain pan big enough to hold all of that coolant and water.
- To start you'll have to find the drain valve (also known as a drain cock) on the radiatorIts on the side of the radiator pointing toward the engine, and usually toward the bottom of the radiator.
- You may have to put the car on jack stands so you can get to the drain valve, and to fit the drain pan under the car.
- Place the drain pan under the car near the drain valve.
- If the engine was just running then you'll have to let it cool down before you proceed. th
- Open the radiator cap, and then open the drain valve(you might need a pair of pliers)
- After all of the coolant drains you need to get the garden hose out and start filling e radiator up with water Leave the drain valve open so the water can keep draining out as you pour it in This will clean all of the old rusty antifreeze out.
- Although running water through the radiator will clean the coolant out it won't take most of the rust out so you might want to get some type of radiator cleaner/flush from a local auto parts store Just follow any directions that comes with the cleanerUsually you'll have to fill the radiator up with the cleaner and water and run the engine for a few minutes, then you'll have to rinse it all out again.
- After you let everything drain out then its time to tighten the drain valve, and fill the radiator back up.
- There are actually two types of antifreezeThe regular "green" kind, and some of the newer cars are using the "pink/orange" kindIts mostly GM cars that are using the pink stuffJust use whatever type was in the car when you bought it.You'll need to mix the antifreeze with with water(a 50/50 mix is usually what is needed)
- Start the car with the radiator cap off Let it run until the thermostat opens, you'll know when its open when the coolant starts to flow through the radiator Put the cap on and let the car run for 5 minutes.
- After the car cools down open the radiator cap and fill it to the top, if its not there already Also fill the coolant reservoir.
Thats basically it Now all you have to do is clean everything up, and get rid of the old antifreeze If you don't know, antifreeze is poison, so don't leave it sitting there so your dog can drink it What do you do with the old antifreeze? you may be asking...
Usually you can bring it to the auto parts store and they'll dispose of it.
