Changing your engine coolant is just as important to life of your vehicle as changing your engine oil is. Bad coolant can lead to overheating and can cause head gasket failure and other costly repairs. Another factor can be living in areas that experience colder than average winter temperatures that can cause your bad coolant to freeze. Luckily it is easy to change your own coolant at home. All you need is common household tools and containers to hold the old fluid. you will need a screwdriver (flat head), a set of wrenches, and containers to expose of the old fluid.
The first thing you should do is check your vehicles operating manual to see how much coolant they recommend to use. I always suggest buying a little extra, just in case. Remember, always make sure the vehicle as had time to cool off. You should never check or change your coolant while the engine is hot! After you check your levels and get your tools ready you are all set to start.
The first step is to drain out the old coolant. This can be done in two ways. The first is to locate the flush screw (very much like the plug used to drain your oil) and remove it. If it is hard to loosen or will not budge then stop. Heat and corrosion can make it difficult to remove and you do not want to risk breaking it.
If you cannot remove the flush screw then all you need to do is to locate the hose located at the lowest point in the cooling system. This is easily removed by loosening the ring that clamps the hose to the cooling system with a screwdriver. After the hose is off, just drain the coolant into the containers you have set aside. Attach the hose after all the coolant has been drained and then add the required amount of coolant . After the coolant is added you should place the cap on LOOSELY so that you can flush out any air that has gotten into the system. With the cap loosely on, start the vehicle and let it run. Make sure you keep an eye on your vehicles temperature while the car is running. Once the cooling fan has turned on and is running at full blast you should let the car run for another minute and then shut it off and tighten the cap. The last step is to check for any leaks . If there are no leaks or other problems then you are ready to drive!
Again, checking your engines coolant is important to get the most out of your vehicle. This should be checked every time you change your oil and is very easy to do yourself.