How and when to flush an engine

Section Engine flushing, article 3 of 22273 words, 2 minutes

So how do you actually flush an engine, and in which cases should you do it?

In this section: 22 articles
  1. What is engine flushing
  2. Flushing and flushing oil
  3. How and when to flush an engine
  4. Should you flush the engine or not?
  5. Is engine flushing necessary? (genuine oil)
  6. To flush or not to flush the engine? (genuine oil, no counterfeits)
  7. Is a flush needed? (genuine oil)
  8. On engine flushing (no flushing needed)
  9. Does the engine need flushing? (quality oil, no counterfeits)
  10. To flush or not to flush the engine? (detergent additives in oil)
  11. Flushing the engine when changing the oil
  12. Flushing when changing engine oil
  13. Is a flush needed? (detergent additives)
  14. On engine flushing (detergent additives in the oil)
  15. Do you need to flush the engine?
  16. Is engine flushing necessary? (detergent additives)
  17. On engine flushing
  18. On engine flushing (flushing additives in the oil)
  19. Does an engine need flushing?
  20. In brief: about engine flushing...
  21. To flush or not to flush the engine? (how to flush it correctly)
  22. Does the engine need flushing? (how to flush it correctly)

How to flush an engine? Really, flushing the engine can and should be done only in the following cases:

1. When you're switching the brand and/or manufacturer of the oil (for more detail, read about how engine oil is made and whether different automotive oils can be mixed).

2. When the viscosity or type of engine oil changes (for example, switching from synthetic to semi-synthetic).

3. When there's a suspicion that poor-quality fuel, coolant or oil may have gotten into the engine.

4. After any engine repair that involved opening the cylinder head.

5. When there are doubts about whether regular oil changes were done on time in the past.

The gentlest method of flushing for the engine is this:

  1. Simply drain the "old" oil from a warmed-up engine, letting the car sit for a good while (to let as much drain out as possible). If the car is on a lift and this is possible, you can "tilt" it both ways, so more oil drains out.

  2. Pour in the "new" oil, fit a new filter.

  3. Drive for a couple of days, without overloading the engine (keep the revs at "break-in" maximum).

  4. Change the oil again, again draining it as fully as possible (the filter should be replaced again too!).

  5. Do the first next oil change after the operations described above twice as soon as usual (that is, if you normally change the oil every 10 thousand km, do the first one after 5 thousand).

That's it, the engine is flushed. If you're still not sure about how clean it is inside, simply shorten your service interval for a while — it can only do the engine good.

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