How To Put Antifreeze In The Car

Whether it is the first time you have a car or if you prefer to know how to maintain your vehicle, which will mean an interesting saving and a greater knowledge of it, one of the operations that you will want to know is to know how to put antifreeze to the car.

The first thing is to clarify that although this is how it is called colloquially, we are actually talking about coolant, because its purpose is to cool the engine. What happens is that at the same time this product prevents the engine from freezing when winter rages.

But its function is equally important in summer, and what the liquid actually does is balance the temperature to prevent it from reaching extreme degrees, combating the dangers of both freezing and overheating, something essential for the good work of the engine, as well as for its durability.

One important thing is to know that tap water cannot be poured into the cooling circuit, because it oxidizes its components and does not have the same capacity as antifreeze.  Here we show you how to put antifreeze in the car.

What do you need to put antifreeze in the car?

• A motor vehicle
• Coolant -antifreeze-
• A container for old antifreeze

Instructions to put antifreeze in the car

1. The circuit. The refrigeration circuit is made up of several elements: the expansion bottle, the radiator, the thermostat, the water pump, the electric fan and the hoses or tubes through which the antifreeze or coolant circulates.
2. Open the expansion bottle. You must open the expansion bottle cap. Do it very carefully, and unless there is no other possibility, always do it with the engine completely cold, to avoid that when you open it you burn yourself with the liquid that can come out and that could have a temperature so high that you could suffer serious burns.
3. Remove the drain plug. Now you must open the antifreeze drain plug, which is housed in the underside of the radiator or next to a hose. If you cannot find it in that area, you can easily remove the hose or tube that you will see connected to the lower part of the radiator. If you choose to remove the hose, keep in mind that it is very easy for all the most immediate parts to stain. , and of course, your hands, sleeves, etc.
4. Close the plug or sleeve. After you have completely emptied the refrigeration circuit, close the cap again or put the sleeve you removed back into place. Make sure it is completely closed, otherwise the new antifreeze you add could be lost, perhaps little by little, and could damage the engine.
5. Filling. Now that you have left the circuit completely empty, you can proceed to fill it with new coolant in the expansion bottle, until it reaches the maximum level. On the other hand, the old antifreeze must be taken to a special waste collection point so that it can be disposed of in the most ecological way possible.
6. Purge the circuit. After you change the antifreeze, you must bleed the circuit to eliminate the air pockets that will surely be in it. If this purging is not done or is done badly, it could also cause a serious damage to the engine, because it would start to overheat.
7. Open the traps. Many car models have bleeders in the hoses, either one or several. If so, you have to start the engine, let it idle, and proceed to open the bleeders of those hoses. The most common thing is that you see bubbles appear, which means that there is water inside. Leave the bleeders open until only coolant comes out. At the same time, keep an eye on the level of the antifreeze to see if you have to add more to get it to the maximum level.
8. If your vehicle is a model without bleeders in the hoses, or at least you can’t see them, you can start the engine and leave it like that, while you fill in fluid until you see that the level is optimal. In any case, in all cases it is important that the car is started until the coolant passes through the entire circuit and this will only happen when the car is running. This is so because the person in charge of passing the liquid to the entire circuit is the thermostat, and for the thermostat to do this, the engine needs to be running and hot.
9. Wait for the electric fan. It is best to leave the engine running until the electric fan kicks out. When this has come on, it means that the circuit bleeding process has finished, and you can close the drains on the hoses or the expansion bottle cap.

Tips to put antifreeze in the car

• It is recommended that you change the antifreeze fluid every two years, or at least after having traveled 40,000 kilometers, although it is best to consult your brand’s manuals.
• The old liquid must be thrown away, not in the common garbage, but in a container that must be deposited in a waste collection point.