If your vehicle is overheating or running hotter than normal the issue may be with buildup inside the radiator. If it has been more then five years since the radiator has been flushed out, it is time to flush it. You can take your vehicle to a repair facility and pay them to do it or you can complete the job yourself. If you have a garden hose and basic automotive tools, you are ready to purge a radiator.
Drive the vehicle onto a set of ramps to lift the front end of the vehicle off the ground. Set the emergency brake to secure the vehicle.
Place a bucket large enough to catch all of the radiator fluid under the location where the radiator hose connects to the bottom of the radiator. Most vehicles hold 3 to 5 gallons of fluid.
Remove the clamp that secures the hose to the radiator by squeezing the two tabs located on the clamp together. With the tabs together, pull the hose off the radiator. Allow all of the radiator fluid to drain into the bucket. Fluid will drain from the hose as well. Direct the fluid from the hose into the bucket as well.
Open the radiator filler cap and place a garden hose into the radiator. Turn the hose on and flush the radiator. Spray the inside walls of the radiator off to remove shellac and sludge build up. Continue this process until the water that drains out of the radiator is clear.
