Your vehicle's radiator can get clogged up with numerous contaminants over time. This is especially true for Chevy truck owners who travel in rough conditions. A clogged radiator on your Silverado will cause major problems with keeping the engine cool, but you can solve this by flushing out the radiator. If the radiator cannot be flushed out using the following steps, you will need to have a service technician take a look at it.
Preparation
Step 1 - Park the truck on a level surface, set the parking brake then place a large container under the radiator at the drain hose.
Step 2 - Disconnect the drain hose from its support and insert it into the container. Unscrew the radiator drain valve--use pliers if you can't do this by hand--and pour the engine coolant into the container.
Step 3 - Reconnect the lower hose and make sure the heating controls on the truck's dashboard are set to "Hot."
Step 4 - Loosen the clamp fastening the air duct to the air cleaner with a screwdriver and detach the air duct, then unscrew and remove the air cleaner housing with a screwdriver to access the thermostat.
Step 5 - Detach the radiator hose from the thermostat housing cover then unbolt and remove the cover with a wrench.
Remove the thermostat from the housing, taking note of the direction it is installed, then reconnect the empty housing to the engine block.
Flushing
Step 1 - Disconnect the upper radiator hose at the radiator, loosening the hose clamp with a pair of pliers.
Step 2 - Insert a garden hose into the open fitting on the radiator. Turn on the faucet and look for water to come out of the disconnected radiator hose. Wait until clean water comes out of the hose.
Step 3 - Reconnect the hose to the radiator then reinstall the thermostat in its housing.
Step 4 - Reinstall the air filter housing and the air duct.
Refill the radiator. It is likely that the old coolant is contaminated so use a fresh mix of half water and half coolant.
TIPS: If you can, use another large container to catch the contaminated water and fluid coming out of the radiator so you can properly dispose of it.
THINGS YOU'LL NEED: Large container, Wrench, Screwdriver, Pliers, Dex-Cool engine coolant
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