Flush and Fill Time

[Jeff726]

I am getting a sort of checklist for all the items I will need to do a flush and fill of my Corolla's cooling system. The question here is what's the difference between a radiator flush and radiator cleaner? Which should I buy? I know I need at least some antifreeze, flush or cleaner, a container to drain the old stuff into, and I can't think of anything else. Any advice?

[mjrodney]

Flushing your system simply means displacing the old coolant mix with fresh water from a garden hose or the like. Loose sediment should come out with it.

Cleaning means adding a chemical that is moderately acidic. The acidic nature of the material eats away at scale and other deposits that may be in your cooling system.

Most service manuals recommend you avoid the cleaners unless you can visibly see scale or other hard crud inside the radiator neck, on the radiator cap or elsewhere.