Two blue gloved hands wrestle the engine fan up and out of a crowded engine bay. For about a second it looks like it is coming free. Then a blade catches the radiator behind it, the captions on screen flash “OH!” three times, and a thin line of bright green coolant starts running down the face of the radiator core. That is most of a 13 second Instagram reel posted on September 18, 2026, by the shop account @theroygarage.

“That’s one way to drain the radiator,” the caption reads, followed by a grimacing emoji. A yellow sticker that pops up in the final seconds sums it up in two words: “Rookie Mistake.”

The burned in captions carry the reaction as it happens. After the “OH!” moments, the fan is lifted clear, its hub and blades swinging past the camera. Then, with the coolant spreading in a widening green streak across the fins and pooling near the bottom tank, the captions read “Oh, I guess we’re draining the radiator,” and finally, “Ah, jeez.”

The reel does not show what vehicle it is, what job was underway or what happened next. Under the reel, one commenter suggested putting a piece of cardboard between the fan and the radiator before you start.

Protecting the radiator when you pull a fan

The cardboard trick is simple. Before the fan comes out, slide a flat sheet of cardboard down between the fan and the radiator so it covers the core. If a blade swings back while you are lifting, it hits the cardboard instead of the thin tubes and fins that hold the coolant.

Plan the lift before you start pulling. In the clip, the fan comes out at an angle in a tight space, and the moment it tips toward the radiator is the moment the damage happens. Check which way it has the most clearance, take off anything in the way first, such as a shroud if the vehicle has one, and lift slowly instead of yanking.

If it does happen, put a drain pan under the radiator right away so the coolant does not run onto the floor, and keep pets and children out of the garage until it is cleaned up.