With the arrival of warmer weather, standing in traffic jams/at traffic lights, the fan began to turn on frequently, so I started thinking about why not flush the system. I started to think about it, but now a couple of weeks have passed and I haven’t really done anything, but just when I stopped at the store for some small change I saw antifreeze on offer like two for the price of one (700 rubles), well, I think in general I still shouldn’t buy a new cooler , and now I’ll just switch from antifreeze to antifreeze, even though they say it’s the same thing. I also bought 3 sachets of citric acid, 20 liters of distilled water was found in the garage.
For almost 2 years, I changed the pump, added 5L, blamed the heater radiator, added 5L, the main radiator again added 5L, but Alaska still turned from blue to dark green (which means dog to him), and even with sediment in the expansion tank.
In case of prolonged overheating of the power unit, carbon deposits may form on it. As a result, this prevents the valves from working properly, which leads to burnout of the elements and the occurrence of rust.
Thus, a malfunction of the cooling system leads to engine failure. But systematically replacing antifreeze will avoid this. We’ll talk right now about how this is done, and whether it is necessary to flush the cooling system before replacing antifreeze.
When to replace
First of all, it is important to understand when to perform such a procedure. Most auto mechanics advise replacing antifreeze at least every 24 months. This especially applies to vehicles with a cylinder head and radiator made of aluminum. In addition, the technical documentation indicates the maximum period for the operation of the coolant.
For example, on Ford cars the manufacturer sets 240 thousand km. mileage, on Mercedes - five years, etc. In domestic models, this period is usually 2-3 times less. Long antifreeze service life is achieved through the use of innovative coolants with an improved formula.
In addition, it is necessary to carry out such a procedure if the liquid changes color, becomes cloudy, or a precipitate begins to form. You also need to change the antifreeze after repairing the power unit and adding fresh material there (this prevents its corrosion).
At the same time, it is advisable to use the original composition, so when choosing a product, follow the manufacturers’ instructions.
Is it necessary to flush the system when replacing antifreeze?
Before you get started, you need to understand the answer to the question: “Is it worth flushing the cooling system before replacing antifreeze?” The answer here is clear: yes. This is especially true when the drained mixture contains oil and various contaminants. If the antifreeze is clean, and you change it to a similar composition, then the question is: “Do I need to flush the cooling system when replacing antifreeze?” disappears.
The washing itself is quite easy. We simply fill the system with purified water, after which the power unit is started for about ten minutes. When the system is heavily contaminated, it is worth adding twenty percent of the cooling compound to the water. The procedure is repeated until everything is cleared.
How to replace antifreeze
The question of whether it is necessary to flush the cooling system when replacing antifreeze has been resolved. Now let's proceed to the actual procedure itself.
First, we drain the used composition. It is worth remembering that everything must be done on a cooled engine, because otherwise the temperature of the antifreeze can reach almost a hundred degrees Celsius. There is nothing complicated here, just remove the radiator cap and then unscrew the drain plug (don’t forget to place a large bucket underneath).
Next, it is important to check the cooling system hoses for damage. If cracks or other defects are found, the element should be replaced.
As already mentioned, we flush the system to eliminate corrosion and various contaminants. If necessary, you should use special cleaning chemicals. Fill the system to the brim, then turn on the engine until it warms up to its normal operating temperature. Then turn off the engine. Again, we wait for the engine to cool down, and then drain the water.
Again, pour water into the system, close the lids, and turn on the engine for 15 minutes. When everything has cooled down, drain the liquid. Only when everything is completed do we begin pouring the new composition.
When the purchased antifreeze is in the system, turn on the engine and heater to the maximum level. This allows the coolant to be evenly distributed and also eliminates air bubbles from the system. But it doesn't end there either. After a couple of days, it is important to look at the antifreeze level. If necessary, add more composition.
Remember that before starting such procedures, it is advisable to read the recommendations of the manufacturer. Sometimes it happens that during use the composition changes its shade, and this is quite normal - everything depends on the characteristics of a particular brand.
What volume should I pour?
Before purchasing antifreeze, drivers are wondering about the amount of liquid that is used in the cooling system. This figure is indicated in the instruction manual. Typically, for passenger cars with an engine capacity of up to two liters, 7-8 liters of antifreeze must be used. For example, the domestic “ten” requires 7 liters of liquid. For SUVs like UAZ Patriot - 12. The least needed for Oka is 4.8 liters. Engines produced by ZMZ, which are installed on the Volga and Gazelle, require about 10 liters of coolant. But in any case, it is necessary to fill antifreeze to the mark that is between the maximum and minimum.
Remember that as the temperature increases, the liquid expands and needs additional volume, which is compensated by the expansion tank. If you overfill antifreeze, it may simply explode or flow out of the pipes under enormous pressure.
Replacing antifreeze with antifreeze in a car cooling system
This option is quite common. For many years, our compatriots knew only one coolant - antifreeze. At the same time, everything is changing, and new formulations have appeared on the market.
You don’t need to think that antifreeze is radically different from antifreeze. In fact, the second is the global name for cooling compounds, while antifreeze is a domestic trademark of such products. As a result, the process of replacing antifreeze with antifreeze must be done exactly as with any other liquid.
So, we figured out when it is necessary to change the fluid, and also whether it is necessary to flush the cooling system when replacing antifreeze with a new one. It is worth noting that the procedure itself is quite easy. So, by following all the necessary rules, you can significantly extend the life of the power unit in your vehicle.
Causes of fluid leakage
If the engine begins to overheat and steam is coming from under the hood, then perhaps the problem is a coolant leak. To eliminate these signs, you need to understand the causes of engine leakage:
- Moisture on the pipe . The fastener has become loose, causing antifreeze to slowly drip from underneath it. To quickly eliminate the cause of the leak, the clamp can be moved higher than the previous fastening.
- The radiator has failed . Another reason for fluid leakage. To determine the failure of the radiator, you need to take into account a number of symptoms. First of all, carefully inspect the surface of the radiator. A puddle may also form on the front seat carpet. In such a situation, the radiator is replaced with a new one.
What is the difference between antifreeze and antifreeze - historical outline
There is undoubtedly a difference between antifreeze and antifreeze. And we will talk about this throughout our article. Let's start with a little look into the past. There was a time when there were no foreign cars on our roads yet, and the country had a curtain on any import, including consumables for cars. Our industry could produce everything itself; it did not ignore the coolant. Antifreeze is an exclusively Soviet product, and is essentially antifreeze, because it acts in exactly the same way. Only earlier it was a proper name, even an abbreviation, and then it became a common noun and brings discord into the heads of novice car owners.
The difference between antifreeze and antifreeze is visible already at the development stage; their composition was invented independently, although the typical mixture was taken as a basis - alcohol (ethylene glycol) and distilled water. The essence of selecting the main components is simple: alcohol lowers the freezing threshold of water, which allows you to cool the engine even in cold weather, and the upper temperature threshold is determined by the properties of water, i.e. The composition will boil at about 100 degrees. But the set of additives is the main difference. The composition of antifreeze and antifreeze includes additives and dyes of different nature, hence the slightly different properties for each of them.
How to distinguish antifreeze from antifreeze - let's understand the chemistry
The properties of antifreeze and antifreeze are determined by a set of additives. Moreover, even the color of a liquid can tell us a lot about its quality characteristics. The most important difference between additives is their nature; in domestic antifreeze they are inorganic, while in imported antifreeze they are organic. This cannot but affect the service life and quality of the fluid itself and its relationship with the engine cooling system. In addition, this leads to the fact that the boiling point, density of antifreeze and antifreeze are also slightly different.
Let's briefly go through all the indicators. Antifreeze is less perfect than imported antifreeze, therefore it forms an anti-corrosion layer over the entire area of the system so that its aggressive components do not burn the walls, which makes the metal transfer heat worse and reduces the efficiency of the entire process. Because of this, the engine suffers, its wear accelerates, and fuel consumption increases. Antifreeze loses its properties after 35 thousand km. An imported product acts “smarter”. It forms a protective layer only in problem areas, and not over the entire surface, so heat transfer remains at a high level, engine problems become less likely, and the coolant will need to be changed only after 250 thousand km.
The color of the liquid tells us what the boiling point of antifreeze and antifreeze is. This also allows you to avoid confusion when purchasing a new batch of liquid, because you can only mix the same colors.
Let's get started
First you need to place the machine on a flat surface. It is advisable that this be an inspection hole (if there is none, we take a jack). We need the latter in order to get to the fluid drain bolt. It is located in the cylinder block, near the plug. To unscrew it, use a ratchet with a 13mm head.
Replacing antifreeze with antifreeze - how to do it correctly?
It is believed that it is better not to mix dissimilar liquids with each other. Considering the above composition of these liquids, it is clear that you can get anything you want as a result. Although many people believe that antifreeze and antifreeze can be mixed, any chemist will tell you that this will have a very unpredictable effect on your engine. In any case, there is a simple trick that will show you the compatibility of antifreeze with antifreeze. Before pouring them into the car, mix them in some container and make sure that no gel-like or flaky sediment has formed, because it will clog all the channels and ruin the system.
How to replace antifreeze with antifreeze - procedure
Since we agreed that mixing antifreeze and antifreeze is not the best idea, let’s figure out how to properly carry out the replacement. First, you should buy a new composition of proper quality. In the market you will often hear both names used equally, although this is often just a gimmick. After all, antifreeze is indeed antifreeze, but the inverse relationship between the concepts is excluded. And it seems like you came for antifreeze, but they sell you a domestic analogue under its brand name. To know how to determine whether they are trying to sell antifreeze or antifreeze to you, come make a purchase after a quality educational program from experienced motorists or Internet forums . Also study the popular brands of coolant recommended by the car manufacturers themselves; you can find this out on the official websites.
Now let's look at the procedure for changing antifreeze to antifreeze or vice versa. Logic dictates that, first of all, you will need to flush the cooling system. Therefore, you drain the old antifreeze completely (from the cylinder block, radiator and tank), you can put the car on some slope so that the front part tilts down. Next, take distilled water with a small addition of a special cleaning mixture and pour it into the system, close all the plugs, turn on the engine and stove at full power, wait until all the valves open and the liquid runs through all the tubes. The spent composition is drained, and the operation already described is repeated a couple of times.
We managed to clean the system, now we’ll figure out further how to replace antifreeze with antifreeze (or vice versa, if there are such adventurers). We put our car on the same slope, only now we lift the front part up, fill in almost the full volume of antifreeze, but do not close the car’s radiator cap, but start the engine. This is how we expel air pockets from the inside. Then we turn off the engine and add liquid to the top, close the lid. Beginners should also keep in mind that most often we buy antifreeze concentrate, it should be diluted before filling the system, the proportions are indicated on the label.
Radiator flushing
Anyone who wants to learn how to properly change antifreeze in a car should pay attention to all stages of this process without exception. Before adding new antifreeze, it is necessary to remove scale from the walls of the cooling system. Car enthusiasts have long noticed that a lot of scale forms when antifreeze is diluted with distilled water.
A radiator that has not been touched for a long time is usually full of dirt and oil deposits. The most basic way to clean the cooling system is to fill it with plain water. After the car has been driven on such fluid for at least one day, it is drained. It is useful to pay attention to the color in which it is painted. If the water becomes very cloudy, you should think about flushing the system again.
You can use a citric acid-based anti-scaling agent. After pouring it into the system, start the engine and let it run for a few minutes, then drain the cleaning solution. Specialized stores offer a wide range of anti-scale preparations in powder form.
