Changing the engine coolant on a car is almost as important as changing its oil. Like the lubricating fluid, the coolant will catch impurities from different engine components, like degrading rubber hoses or rust, which will deposit in the radiator clogging it up. Also, they can damage the water pump resulting in a poor recirculation.
Poor recirculation means poor heat dissipation and vital components in the engine will heat up, dilate too much and increase friction. Too much friction means premature wear so you probably understood what are the risks.
Changing the engine coolant is not hard and all you need is a catch pan to collect the used one and the required amount of fresh coolant found in the vehicle's user manual. So here are the steps:
Let your engine cool down if you used the car recently
Open the hood and locate the radiator fill cap, which should be on the passenger side end of the radiator
Carefully open the cap and search the radiator drain plug, it should be on the other end at its bottom
Place the catch pan underneath the drain plug and open it so you can flush the radiator
After that, there will be more engine coolant trapped in the engine and the reservoir so:
Disconnect the coolant reservoir and empty it
Put back the plug and fill the radiator with water
Start the engine and let it reach its normal functioning temperature so that the thermostat will open and let the remaining coolant reach the radiator
Stop the engine and flush the radiator again
Do the this again if the flushed coolant is still dirty
After taking out the old coolant, put the radiator draining plug back and fill it with fresh coolant
Pump on the rubber hose to eliminate air bubbles
Do a 10-minute drive to let the coolant reach every part of the cooling system
Open the radiator filling cap and check the coolant level
Complete the level if necessary and also don't forget to put coolant in the reservoir.
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