1

I need to flush my coolant however I don't have access to a warm garage (without paying for a tow). Was curious if it's bad/possible to flush it outside when temperatures are below freezing? Any suggestions welcome I am very new to all this. Thank you.

Improve this question
2

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

It shouldn't be an issue changing the coolant in your vehicle no matter what temperature. What you need to be aware of is to prepare yourself appropriately in doing the work.

Several things to consider -

  • Ensure you have a container which will hold all of the coolant you take out of the system. Look up for your car how much coolant it takes. Make sure you have a lot more container than you will coolant.
  • Know ahead of time where you can turn the used coolant into. Used coolant is highly recyclable. It shouldn't just go down the drain. Also, it's highly toxic if someone or animals were to drink it, so get it bottled up quickly after you've done your work.
  • When doing the work, keep your hands covered. Using nitrile gloves work great. There isn't an issue with coolant getting on your skin (not toxic to your skin), but you don't want it evaporating off your skin in cold weather as it can possibly cause frostbite.
  • It's a lot easier to use 50/50 premix coolant than to get full strength coolant and try to mix it down with distilled or ionized water to get the correct concentration.
  • You may want to warm the car up some, but not completely before you go to change it out. Warming it up a little will help you not to get frozen by cold coolant. You don't want it too warm, though, as when you pop the radiator cap it will have pressure and may spew. Warm the car up just to the point where the temperature gauge comes up off of the cold mark. It's a lot easier to work on a warm engine than a cold engine ... just ensure it isn't hot or all kinds of heck could break loose!

I don't really know why it's imperative for you to change your coolant out in cold weather. If it can wait until it's warmer out, I'd do it. Just my humble opinion.

Improve this answer
1
  • @paulster2 Thank you so much for the response! I am in need of changing it because I am troubleshooting another problem. In the summer I changed my radior but forgot to put coolant in my system. Fast forward to winter time...my cars starts to sound bad, it's cold and i remember I forgot to add coolant. So I added some. However, now my car is auto revving when I try and start it. I read: honda-tech.com/forums/honda-prelude-4/… trying to "burp" or flush the coolant solved this problem. Any other input would be welcome! Thanks!
    – Christina Rule
    Commented Jan 2, 2018 at 22:37

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .