You might be surprised to know that you must flush your motorcycle’s engine. You are not alone, as most people often ignore their vehicle’s engine and radiator unless a severe problem occurs. The issue that might draw your attention to your vehicle’s engine is the radiator, which gradually heats the engine. A simple engine flush will not fix the problem if your vehicle reaches this level.
Therefore, performing an entire engine block flush should be a regular part of your vehicle maintenance, which will help prevent severe engine and radiator problems. This article will discuss how to flush engine blocks and some other helpful information regarding the latter.
Why Should You Flush an Engine Block?
The reasons why you should flush an engine block regularly are as follows:
- With time, the engine coolant accumulates harmful chemicals and toxic compounds. These unwanted substances are formed by the static electricity in the engine cooling system, causing unusual metal reactions like iron and aluminum. When these reactions occur, they release toxic compounds that get blocked in the engine drain.
- With more and more vehicle usage, the coolant properties like anti-freezing and anti-boiling get weaker with time. This makes the engine under-protected against overheating or over-cooling.
- It is less costly to take preventive measures than to repair the entire engine block. Replacing coolants is much cheaper than replacing radiators, cylinder heads, and other parts of the engine.
How Sludge and Other Harmful Deposits Form in the Engine?
Over time, as the vehicle ages, you might notice performance and power losses in your bike. This is due to the deposits of harmful substances and sludge that have formed inside your vehicle’s engine. These deposits are formed due to several reasons, such as:
- Dirt ingestion
- Fuel dilution
- Overheating of the machine, which breaks down the engine oil
- Short commutes that do not allow the oil to heat up and evaporate moisture properly
As the deposits settle down, they cause engine drain blocks and can clog narrow oil passages through the tube to crucial parts of the vehicle, such as the upper valve train. Gradually, this sludge can cause the rings to become sticky, thus lowering the engine’s performance and reducing horsepower.
Can the Deposits and Sludge Be Removed From The Engine?
Many detergents are available on the market to get rid of the harmful deposits and sludge from the engine. They have the correct concentration to dissolve the accumulation inside the engine drain hole. In an ideal situation, sludges do not form in modern vehicles.
However, if there are other minor issues in your bike, like a leaking head gasket, then it can cause the sludge to accumulate and cause an engine drain block.
Though oil detergents help dissolve most engine deposits, this task is more complicated than it sounds. Therefore, it is better to flush an engine block by using an engine flush solely created to clean the drain.
Moreover, cleaning the engine block with an engine flush will ensure a molecular-level cleanup while entirely dissolving the deposits and making them exit through the engine drain hole.
How to Flush Engine Block?
Flushing an engine block is easy without needing to visit your mechanic. Maintaining the cooling system will help your engine run more efficiently for a more extended period by removing dirt build-up and other harmful deposits.
However, you must remember that not all motorcycles require an engine flush. It is only necessary for those vehicles that have not been driven for long or for those whose oil has not been changed for months and require an engine cleanup.
To perform flushing for an engine block or a radiator flush, it is better to seek help from a professional since one can find it a little tricky at first. Following are the simple steps to flush a vehicle engine block:
- Drain the cooling system by uncapping the lowest radiator hose and filling an empty bucket with the draining coolant.
- Similarly, remove the upper radiator hose from the top, and flush the coolant out with the help of a standard garden hose.
- Ensure that the engine’s bottom drips clear and clean water.
- Now refill the coolant and recap the radiator hoses.
It is important to note that flushing an engine block can differ from vehicle to vehicle. Therefore, it is best to go through the manual for correct instructions while performing the engine flush. Your mechanic can guide you better if your vehicle requires an engine flush or not at all.
Why Is an Engine Flush Necessary?
Flushing your engine drain block is necessary to loosen accumulated sludge and dissolve harmful substances to make your vehicle’s engine feel like new again.
Sometimes, in older engines or vehicles that have not been driven for long, deposits might be the only reason the engine oil is prevented from leaking through cracked seals. Thus, performing an engine flush in your old vehicle will expose the broken seals, which need immediate attention.
Sooner or later, the engine will begin to leak, and you might think this is because you flushed out the engine block. However, in reality, this is not the case. The seals were already cracked before but operating due to the accumulated sludge. Flushing out the engine block may reveal the actual condition of your engine.
If you think that flushing your engine is not a good idea because the vehicle is too old or beat up to revive, you can skip the flushing process. However, the choice is yours whether you want to deal with a bike running on a poor performance due to the deposits and sludge or you wish to uncover your engine’s condition by performing the flushing procedure.
Performing an Engine Flush Is a Good Maintenance Regimen
As we said earlier, the choice is yours to perform an engine flush. Keep in mind that engine flushes are a key part of any maintenance regimen. In fact, if you want to restore your low-performance vehicle to transform it into a top-notch condition, flushing your engine drain is the first step.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon to buy a used vehicle whose owner had more fun antiquing on Sunday morning than changing the oil or replacing the transmission pan. Consequently, your “pre-owned” ride may have a sketchy maintenance history.
If this is the case, a detergent-based engine flush will help loosen sticky valves or rings and remove harmful sludge, preparing the engine for new oil. With just a bit of care and elbow grease, you can transform that old bike into something worthy of your pride.
What Are The Benefits of Flushing Engine Block?
Here are a few benefits associated with flushing an engine block.
Makes Your Engine Ready for New Oil
Flushing out your engine will help dissolve the harmful deposits and loosen the sticky rings or valves. If you clean the engine before changing the oil, the new oil will function to its maximum capability, thus meeting your expectations. But, if you don’t flush out the engine before the oil change, it will mix with the old accumulated oil with deposits and sludges.
Increases Fuel Efficiency
Contaminated oil running throughout your vehicle’s engine will reduce its performance, leading to oil breakdown and increasing viscosity. Your engine will have to work harder as viscous oil requires more power to circulate throughout the engine.
On the other hand, if you flush out the engine block regularly, it will ensure that all the vital parts of the engine work efficiently, improving fuel efficiency while giving maximum mileage.
Emissions Are Reduced
Due to the depositing of sludge and other substances in the engine drain hole, piston rings tend to become sticky, making the oil leak into the combustion chamber where it will burn instantly.
This will lead to more deposits while producing emissions through the exhaust as the burnt oil escapes via the bike’s tailpipe. An engine flush will help the rings to loosen up, thus reducing emissions as no oil will leak into the combustion chamber.
Final Thoughts
All in all, performing an engine flush to reopen the blocked drain of your vehicle’s engine can be beneficial for your motorcycle, primarily if you have not driven it for a long time or your vehicle is old.
Flushing the engine block will increase your engine’s performance and make it as good as new, with high horsepower. However, you must remember to go through your vehicle’s manual before proceeding with the flush out or check with your local mechanic if you are a beginner.
