Engine flushing question

[Earle]

Well, my tired old original radiator finally bit the dust - leaks, low flow, too many dinged/squashed tubes and loose fins to risk sinking any more repair money into it. So I yanked it and I'm waiting for my new BrassWorks unit to arrive ('can't wait). 'Just ordered it today and can say for sure what a great, professional outfit they are. Lee spent nearly a 1/2 hour on the phone gladly answering all of my many questions about their most authentic-looking, 6-fin-per-inch, dimpled, '31 type radiator they carry before he even knew whether or not I'd end up buying one.

Now is a good time to use a garden-hose-to-engine-hose adapter fitting and flush the block water jacket out real good.

Question - besides plain water at full force via the garden hose (in at the water pump hose and out through the lower "engine water inlet hose") can anyone suggest any other special flushing agent, solvent, etc. I could flush through the engine (or let soak in for a period then flush) to get a better loosening and desolving of crud, rust, debris, etc.?

Any techniques or procedures anyone can recommend? Warnings on what NOT to do?

Thanks in advance!

Earle

[aaron griffey]

Take off the bottom water inlet on the side of the engine and make a sheetmetal or plywood plate to block it off. Or put it back on with a gasket with no hole in it.
Mix a jug of CRL (CLR?) with water in a bucket. 25% CLR and 75% water.
Pour it in the top of the engine and let it set for 20 minutes and then remove the inlet block-off and flush with the garden hose.
Don't let any splash on you and wear rubber gloves and safety goggles.

[Earle]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is CRL/CLR?

[Blessyouboys]

Originally Posted by Earle

Forgive my ignorance, but what is CRL/CLR?

Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover.

http://www.jelmar.com/CLRbasic.htm

[Earle]

Thanks!

I assume a good auto parts store should carry it?

[John Kuhnast]

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Try a hardware store.

[erthhipi]

The "Big Box" hardware stores will have it.

[Afordman31]

You can get it in grocery stores, Walmart, etc.

[skip]

Two ways to go after filling and holding what ever liquid is used for a 'treat-then-flush' in car block cleaning.


Raise or lower the 0 to 15 pH scale of the solution.

Either way will attack oxidized metals

Around 7 is Natural. 4.2 is acidic. and 13~14 is alkaline. There is a 100% difference between each number. That's a big jump when chemically cleaning.

C.L.R. works as does 3 normal Muriatic acid. Can use regular white cooking vinegar. Soaps with surfactants, cleatching agents, and a whole host of products.


It's all time in solution, strength of solution, temperature of solution, agitation of solution, and rinse, rinse, rinse.


You might want to go the the pharmacy and buy a pH paper test strip kit so you can monitor what ever is put into the block to dissolve the pig iron.


Also waterborne acids won't do any good if they sit on grease, so go the other way on the Ph scale, up toward 14 Ph and degrease, than go back to lower pH for an acid clean.

If your block goes away, don't call me. pH...it's a big 'H' because hydrogen is involved. Extremely Volatile !!

skip.

[1928Pickuppain]

Be very carfull CLR can sure eat almost any gaskit thats not metal, any cork gaskits, or rubber gaskits are goners. Becouse even if you flush and flush the acid is still in the pores of the Iron and gaskits eating and doing damage you need to find a proper acid nutrilzer to match up with the acid you use. Keep it in there twice as long afterwards as the acid was. Id say flush with water and get a coolent line filter and keep checking that and gleaning that untill theres no more build up in the filter

[kp]

We have lot of Limestone in the water here,Limeaway is sold for use in Dishwashers and such to remove it and keep it off dishes,wonder if it would work in Model A radiator ? Just ramblin.

[Gary Gregory]

How about a product called Evap-o-rust ? I've only used it on small Items and it works great. Its very safe..no acid and can be reused. I'm thinking of trying it n my engine and then using a pressure washer through the water inlet.

[Bassman/NZ]

+1 for vinegar.

[FL&WVMIKE]

When you are finished with your cleaning and still have your radiator off, use a POWERWASHER on your engine openings. You will be amazed as to how much crud will still come out !
MIKE

[PC/SR]

Some of this stuff recommended sounds a bit like Draino or TSP. Would they work? Both I think are alkaline, high on the ph scale. Neutralize with vinegar then baking soda? Just some thoughts for cheap and easy to get stuff and wondering if they would work. What say the chemists out there in Barnland? How much to use in a 3 gallon system?

[Paul from Maine]

Those telescoping magnets are great for snagging debris out of the water jackets with the head off.

[mngreen]

I too am waiting for my new radiator to arrive and want to flush out the block before installing the new one.

In addition to using the garden hose, I was thinking that I might try inserting my pressure washer (2200psi) nozzle into the top hose opening to flush it out. Any thoughts?

[whirnot]

Here is what I did and found it quite successfull. I had the head off of mine at the time but the process is the same. I jacked up the rear of the car to get the engine level. Then turned the water inlet pipe upside down and reinstalled it. The filled the engine clear full of Vinegar. Let it set for two weeks. By then there was a thick layer of crud that had floated to the top of the water passages in the block. Put the head back on, and flush everything with water really well, and then put 50/50 in immediately, or it will start to rust again. Of course with the head still on the process is simplified just fill it up and let it soak, then flush several times.
One warning, don't drain the vinegar on concrete unless you want beautifull rust colored concrete.

The pressure washer won't do much as it is high pressure, low volume. The first obstruction it hits takes all the energy out of the stream.

[Mitch//pa]

After you finish dislodging and loosening all the junk run the car with a flush pipe so as to not pump it into your new rad and clog it up. Remember a radiator is like a big filter

[Purdy Swoft]

I would have tried cleaning the system with the old radiator still in place, then you could have run the engine and let the water pump circulate the various cleaning solutions. I would first use diswashing licquid to remove oil and grease and then used vinegar. Good luck with the Brass Works radiator .

[mngreen]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I would have tried cleaning the system with the old radiator still in place, then you could have run the engine and let the water pump circulate the various cleaning solutions. I would first use diswashing licquid to remove oil and grease and then used vinegar. Good luck with the Brass Works radiator .

I still can Purdy...the old radiator is still in place.

[Girl with wrench]

Phil // Pa - Please explain - what's a "flush pipe"?

[Brentwood Bob]

You divert the water away from the block, isolating the radiator. I made a rube goldberg thingy that comes off the side/return inlet of the block. I have air and water and a gate valve on the pvc piping to force the water counter-current out thru the inlet. Looks bad, works good. Put a rag over a funnel and see what you are pushing out of the cooling jacket.
If I can find it I will take a documenting picture. royalities I guess I will loose out on.
But we could call it brentwood bobs thingy.
Bob

[Barber31]

A while back I did the vinegar flush. I never ran the engine, just let it sit for about 3 or 4 days. And now I have head gasket issues. I'm not sure if it's just coincidence but the gasket was the newer one recommended for the hi comp heads, only a few months old and never leaked before.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I turned my radiator upside down and used a sump pump to backflush it, then used the sump pump to flush out the block. This provides the needed flow of water to flush out the rust. I did this after first driving for 2 days with water and Cascade, then rinsing, and filling with pure white vinegar and driving for 30 days, then flushing it with plain water.

[Mitch//pa]

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Originally Posted by Girl with wrench

Phil // Pa - Please explain - what's a "flush pipe"?

"Girl with typo" did you mean me

I use a long fence pipe or equivilant to fit in the upper radiator hose outlet and long enough to reach past the front of car. Stuff the upper radiator inlet where the hose came off from with some rags to hold the water from coming out. Insert garden hose into radiator and start the motor this will exit all the crap coming out onto the ground and not into the radiator. Holding the rpm's up higher makes a large difference of flow while flushing.
I also subscribe to using evaporust for cooling systems, filling the system with that then after letting it sit for the proper amount of time do dissolve the rust install the flushing pipe before restarting the motor flushing it through that way.
As purdy mentioned if your replacing the radiator do that very last if possible..

[Ray in La Mesa]

I made an attachment to back flush the radiator using a piece of 1 3/4" exhaust pipe to clamp in the lower hose. I braised a female hose fitting on the end and a tire valve on the side. When the radiator is full (with the cap on)I hit the air pressure and stood back. The water gushed out with a load of debris that I caught in a strainer to see how much was in there. Let the radiator refill a few times and repeat, change the position from vertical to laying on it's face and standing on each side strap. I just did a replacement honeycomb that had zero flow and got over two cups of acorns, leaves, etc out.

[Girl with wrench]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

"Girl with typo" did you mean me

I use a long fence pipe or equivilant to fit in the upper radiator hose outlet and long enough to reach past the front of car. Stuff the upper radiator inlet where the hose came off from with some rags to hold the water from coming out. Insert garden hose into radiator and start the motor this will exit all the crap coming out onto the ground and not into the radiator. Holding the rpm's up higher makes a large difference of flow while flushing.
I also subscribe to using evaporust for cooling systems, filling the system with that then after letting it sit for the proper amount of time do dissolve the rust install the flushing pipe before restarting the motor flushing it through that way.
As purdy mentioned if your replacing the radiator do that very last if possible..

Mitch //pa Thanks for deciphering my typo - and for the explanation of flush pipe. I'll try your method today while it's warm enough to work outside. Thanks, Girl with garden hose.