Flushing your cooling system once every two years helps with buildup of sludge and rust. However, if you notice oil in the radiator then you need to flush it right away. Fortunately, flushing the cooling system is fairly easy to do, and doing the repair yourself saves you money.
Open and secure the hood. Pull the lever to release the latch on the hood of your vehicle. Then lift the hood and raise the bar to secure it in place.
Scrub the debris off your radiator. Using a soft bristled nylon brush and soapy water gently brush away any dead bugs or debris stuck on the radiator. Make sure you brush in an up and down movement so you don't damage the small metal fins on the front of the radiator. Then, rinse the soap off using a water hose.
Drain the coolant from the radiator. Place the drain pan directly under the drain plug, located on the bottom left-hand side of the radiator. Put on gloves to protect your hands and remove the plug to let the coolant drain. When the coolant is finished draining, set the bucket with the coolant aside and remove the radiator cap.
Rinse the oil from the radiator using a garden hose. Close the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. Then, fill the radiator with water. Place a clean drain pan under the radiator and remove the drain plug to drain the water. Keep in mind that the radiator still has remnants of radiator fluid in it; therefore, the drain buckets need to be handled carefully. Repeat the process until the water runs clear.
Add coolant to the radiator. Before you add the coolant make sure you have a 50/50 mixture. Most radiators hold two gallons of fluid,so you need to add one gallon of radiator fluid and one gallon of water. Once you have your mixture correct, put the drain plug back in and add the fresh coolant to the radiator. If you don't want to mix the coolant yourself, make sure you purchased it premixed.
Get the air pockets out of the radiator. Start your vehicle with the radiator cap still off and let it run until the engine warms up. With the air pockets removed, more coolant fits in the radiator. Top off the radiator with coolant and put the radiator cap back on. Then close the hood of your vehicle.
