Many people tend to overlook some of the preventative maintenance that should be taken to keep your car in proper working condition. One task that should be done periodically is flushing out your radiator. If you'd like to do the job yourself, read on to learn how to flush a radiator.

1. Do not flush a hot engine. Allow 2-3 hours after the last time you turned the car on before flushing the radiator. If the engine is not cool, you could be burned severely.
2. Coolant is highly toxic but has a sweet smell that's attractive to children and animals. Never allow it to drain unattended and never allow it to drain onto the ground.http://www.kmcoinc.com/antifreeze%20MSDS.pdf

1. Never add cold water to a hot radiator.

2. Never remove your radiator cap when the temp gauge reads near hot.

3. Always wear proper ppe (personal protective equipment).

4. Always dispose of hazardous material properly.

5. Always keep hazardous material locked up so no one can hurt himself or herself.

6. Check your radiator cap; if the springs are loose replace it.

7. Check your hoses, if they are brittle or look waorn, they need to be replaced.

When you flush out your radiator, you empty it of all fluids, clean it out with water, and refill it with coolant. It could take an hour or longer to flush your radiator. Most cars need their radiator flushed every 1-2 years.

• Antifreeze (4-8 liters) depending on system capacity
• Distilled water
• A drainage pan or bucket
• A garden hose with a nozzle
• A pair of work gloves (preferably waterproof)
• Safety Glasses
• Disposal containers that can be tightly sealed, such as a gallon milk jug
• Rags
• Funnel

1. Park on a level surface; the engine should be off for 2-3 hours before you begin.
2. Put on your safety glasses.
3. Slide the drainage pan under the car and center it under the radiator's drain valve.
4. Unscrew the drain valve (while wearing your work gloves) and allow the coolant to flow out into the drain pan you placed underneath your vehicle.
5. Once all the fluid has drained, replace the valve.
6. Funnel the used coolant into the container you have set aside for that purpose.
7. Replace the drain pan back under the valve.

1. Take your garden hose, insert its nozzle into the fill spout of the radiator, and let it run until the radiator is full.
2. Turn on the engine and turn on your heater (maxed) until your temperature gauge is at warm.
3. Turn off the engine.
4. Remove the drain valve and drain all the water from radiator into the drain pan.
5. Replace the drain valve.
6. Pour the water from the drain pan into the sealable containers.
7. Wait till temperature gauge is near cool again, about 5 minutes since the engine wasnt running for very long.
8. Repeat until the water runs clear.

The ideal coolant mixture is composed of 50-percent antifreeze and 50-percent distilled water.You can either mix it beforehand in a clean container, or do it as you add it in. Use the funnel to add the antifreeze and water to the full line on the antifreeze reservoir..

We now need to bleed the cooling system. Bleeding the cooling system means to remove all the air pockets that might have been made while flushing the radiator and allows us to add more coolant.

1. Remove the radiator cap (I suggest you place a rag over the cap and turn it and don’t remove it for a few seconds to just be on the safe side, treat a radiator cap like a gun)
2. Turn your engine on and leave it on for about 15 minutes, with the heater/ac off. After the 15 minutes passes turn your heater on max for about a minute.
3. Turn off your engine, replace the radiator cap (there might have been some bubbling up out of the radiator cap spot so just wipe that up with a rag) and top off the reservoir with your coolant mixture.

Transport those containers to the nearest recycling center that handles hazardous materials (you can check you nearest AutoZone or Napa). DO NOT let the containers sit around for to long and never leave any leftover antifreeze within reach of children or animals.