Coolant Change Procedure | Radiator Flush Procedure | Buick Encore Coolant Change Tutorial

Рет қаралды 9,581

Күн бұрын

In this in-depth tutorial, Chris Capredoni, the expert presenter, guides you through the step-by-step process of changing and flushing your radiator coolant while replenishing the cooling system with fresh coolant. Learn the essentials, from the required tools and supplies to safety precautions. Don't forget to wear adequate eye protection, secure your vehicle properly, and follow eco-friendly coolant disposal practices. Remember, both old and new coolant can be extremely toxic, so ensure they are kept out of reach of children and pets. Keep your engine running smoothly with this informative coolant maintenance guide!
#mechanic #vehiclemaintenance #transmission #carrepair #carcare #autorepair #buickencore

Пікірлер: 12

@Zeek800 10 күн бұрын

I had a 2012 Cruze with the same 1.4 litre engine. The vehicle I plan on doing the coolant change on is a 2019 Encore. The Cruze and I’m pretty sure the Encore have a bleeder screw on the top corner of the radiator. It’s a plastic plug with a Phillips style as well as a 10??? Mm bolt style head. Before filling the coolant tank unscrew that bleeder plug, not until it falls out but maybe 4 or 5 turns. Once the coolant tops off 5he rad the bleeder will spew out a dribble of coolant ( have your pan ready to catch the dribbles. You should also see a few bubble like dribbles. Once this happens you can screw the plug back in carefully, it’s plastic don’t over tighten its plastic. One of the Encore, Tran, Cruze and Sonic 1.4 litres common issues is coolant leaks etc. changing the coolant more often than the 150,000 or 5 year thing is a good idea less so if you only put 25-30,000 miles on in that time but once again good insurance to do it more often. The best purchase you can make for doing coolant changes yourself is a “ coolant change kit “ which is a fairly big see through funnel that comes with several caps and plugs to fit into almost any coolant system. That funnel also has a tee handle plug that you can plug 5he inside of the funnel when the coolant system is full and pull off the funnel put it onto the coolant jug and pour the extra coolant back into the jug. The other feature is you can easily monitor the coolant both to make sure the reservoir doesn’t run dry and most importantly to see th3 air bubbling out. Once 5he blurb blurb bubbles stop you know the air is bled out but squeezing the top radiator hose a few times is also a good idea ( use a fairly heavy rag as the hose will be very hot after a while. The best part is that coolant fill kit only costs around $20. p.s. measure how much fluid you take out and have that same amount, maybe a bit more ready to go while filling. Never hurts to monitor the coolant level a fe2 times over the next week or two.

@drive-chriscapredoni 8 күн бұрын

Thanks for your feedback. I am aware of that plug in the top corner made of plastic. I would avoid touching that plug as it is not very sturdy and that would be the place to create a coolant leak if not tightened enough or tightened too much that you create micro cracks. I still recommend using the reservoir as your guide to filling the system. Your approach does work but as that radiator ages, those plastics become brittle from heat and that would be were the rad would potentially fail. Just me being overly cautious.

@Zeek800 7 күн бұрын

@@drive-chriscapredoni q I just did the 2019 Encore and that bleeder screw is actually on the drivers side of the radiator just above the upper radiator hose. There’s not much room for a screwdriver so I had to remove a part that is about the size of a cigarette pack to get at it easier. I used one of those coolant funnel kits and learned that using the proper fitting is important. One of the “ tubes “ fit in but it wasn’t long enough to “ block “ the overflow drain so the coolant in the funnel pissed out. I found a tube adapter that was about a half inch longer and solved that issue. The bleeder screw did “ work “ somewhat and a few bubbles came out of the coolant in the funnel but I also squeezed the upper radiator hose about 15-20 times. The heater started blowing really hot air and the Waugh on the dash didn’t go over the hallway mark so hopefully that’s a wrap. I just have to monitor the coolant level in the tank for the next few days.

@mikep490 Жыл бұрын

This is similar to a procedure I practice. In my '80 car coolant didn't mix with the internal flush water (after idling for 20 minutes) so a freeze plug popped. In my 78 there was a trapped air pocket which caused some spalling of aluminum. I modify your method somewhat, since the radiator caps are on the coolant tank, not on the radiator. My current coolant is rated at 10 years/100K miles. I'll syphon out the coolant in the tank or drain until that tank is nearly empty. I'll fill it to the top and begin a slow drain, keeping the tank filled. When I've reached between 1/4 to 1/2 a gallon of 50/50 (clean fluid flowing out) I'll close the drain and fill the tank to its cold level. I begin this procedure before the car's coolant has reached 50% of its expected life and about every 2 or 3 years after. This mostly replaces coolant in the radiator and hoses but doesn't introduces almost zero air to the system. I figure it's much like replacing tranny oil, which might replace 30 to 50% of fluid. It's never 100% clean but enough to continue engine protection. Granted, some of the fluid flowing out is the new stuff, but most is the old fluid since it usually fills at the radiator top. It's hard to tell how much new fluid because the cooling system always looks clean.

@drive-chriscapredoni Жыл бұрын

What car are you working on?

@mikep490 Жыл бұрын

@@drive-chriscapredoni It's been Mopar products, after they changed to the sealed cooling system. After companies started using the coolant flush machines it was rumored the same anitfreeze was put back in, just filtered and maybe with anti-corrosion additives; no idea if there was any truth in that. The spalling occurred in my (then nearly new) 78 Mazda. I ended up with fine bits of aluminum in the radiator. The expansion plug was in an '80 Subaru. I ran the car 20 minutes after reaching operating temp. I should have taken it for a drive to fully mix the coolant and water. My fault. It popped the freeze plugs in the left head, filled the crankcase with coolant. Fortunately I realized it before starting the engine and a simple fix. I've seen some engines trap air (a sudden geyser of steam out the open cap). Probably no damage but I wondered how hot those hot spots were. I figure the new method replaces about 1/4 of the coolant (radiator mostly), thus why I repeat every 2 or 3 years. No bubbles in the system.

@drive-chriscapredoni Жыл бұрын

I know some guys that refuse to do a full coolant flush as bigger problems occur than what they are trying to solve. Repeated partial flushes is safer and achieves almost the same result.

@mikep490 Жыл бұрын

@@drive-chriscapredoni There's also the bit that I only kept my last vehicle 13 years, 185K miles. Granted it had 5 year coolant. The current was bought on retirement, the only need to donate the old car. At maybe roughly 4K per year this car might last as long as I drive. Probably also my nearly 30 yo Ranger truck. Like your car, that's where maintenance comes in, as well as a bit of luck. (No accidents.)