Question regarding radiator flow test.

[RockHillWill]

I remember testing my radiators for flow rate, but have been unable to remember how much time it was supposed to take to completely drain. Is there a consensus on the time this should take?

[eagle]

Youtube videos show the procedure. Don't have the address saved, just search it in the search box.

[Jacksonlll]

The time it takes to empty a radiator does not mean a thing.

[katy]

Flow rate doesn't mean a whole lot. Sometimes the inside of the tubes are coated w/scale, thus slowing heat transfer, where a flow test will show excellent flow but the rad still won't cool properly.

[holdover]

in my opinion if the radiator empty's out in 3-4 seconds, and does not leak you have a good candidate for a through cleaning to remove any scale on the inside of the tubes. Unfortunately the local radiator shops that use to do this are few. Some of the chemicals available at local auto stores might work, but I am sure they are not as potent as the ones used by professional shops, but maybe repeated applications might be effective. Worth a try as compared to the cost of a new one.

[H. L. Chauvin]

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Hi Will,

1. First is to determine if your radiator tubes are clogged with grease which usually occurred from over greasing the water pump for years accompanied by never properly cleaning the radiator; or,

2. If your radiator tubes are clogged with mineral deposits from water that contacted the earth like clean well water, or even potable, filtered water from water treatment plants where this water came from lakes, streams or rivers, all of which contain dissolved minerals and can easily build up multiple layers of minerals over time; or,

3. Are your radiator tubes clogged with that of both 1 & 2 above.

4. Grease: The grease is easy to clean with Kitchen dishwater liquid soap or POR 15 Marine Clean, etc., etc., over time; however,

5. Mineral deposits: The mineral deposits require harsher more dangerous chemicals such as caustic soda, (Lye), which one can find under above "Search" ....... harmful to Model A paint, human skin and can cause blindness with careless individuals who never take precaution.

6. Also multiple layers of exterior thick paint on radiators can restrict dissipation of heat or heat transfer ....... if so, use paint remover to remove "all" radiator paint; and paint with very thin, special, "Radiator Paint" from "Professional" auto supply stores.

7. Don't be afraid to look under "Search" and experiment with your radiator ........... Model A folks who sit and complain all of the time about their radiators not functioning properly and overheating are usually those who are too lazy to try "Search" and to try to experiment with something new ........ life always tough for those who don't just stand up and get moving. LOL

[RockHillWill]

Thank you Mr. Chauvin. It's nice to hear a calm, pleasant and detailed intellectual reply.

I am familiar with your concerns and they are well presented. The reason for my inquiry is that I am assisting a gentleman that is restoring two Model A's at the same time for his sons. He wants to give them to the boys when he retires. Je currently has two VERY NICE Model A's from which to start, but he is not familiar with much to do about restoring Model A's. He has an abundance of very nice spares, among which are 2 spares for a total of 4 radiators from which to choose, each of which are in excellent external condition. It was my intention to line all the radiators up at the same time and start with the flow and leak visuals, before going on to any cleaning methods. Each of these radiators has great looking fins and seem to be absent much in the way of paint build up.

Thank you to each of those that took the time to respond.

"The time it takes to empty a radiator does not mean a thing." - Personally, I would not be comfortable driving a car that took 30 minutes for the radiator to drain.

[Keith True]

Years ago the A books would tell you,4 seconds to drain when you pulled the ball out of the bottom outlet.I think a lot of that stuff was written by self-proclaimed experts back then.An old radiator guy told me in the 70's that a quarter plugged A radiator would drain at the same rate as a clear one.He said the rate of drain was determined by the size of the outlet,not the blockage,unless it was REALLY blocked up.He did have a formula where he would flow the radiator under 1/2 pound pressure for 4-6 minutes and measure the rate.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Will,

The reason I went into detail is because so many original Model A radiators go to the dump when all they need is cleaning.

My 1930 Town Sedan original radiator looks new ..... I just removed exterior paint & repainted with Professional Radiator paint as opposed to Aunt Jemima's 00.75 cent rattle can mix from a Dollar Store; followed by cleaning with POR 15 Marine clean, mixed with 1 part MC to 10 parts water.

Cleaned my 1930 Coupe's radiator with a concentrated mix of powdered Spic & Span.

[Rex_A_Lott]

Will, some of the old time radiator shops had a machine for checking flow, not sure if there is one up in Rockin Hill.
If it comes down to needing repair, there is Rowland Radiator in Spartanburg. They do a lot of big truck and heavy equipment radiators, so they are very familiar with copper/brass and what it takes. I had them re-core an A radiator for me a couple of years ago, and they did a good job. Needless to say it wasnt cheap, I forget exactly what I paid, but I really am one of those people that will remember good quality and service long after I forgot the price.Good Luck

[RockHillWill]

Hey guys, I'm good to go. Marco called me and cleared up a few details for me.

The YouTube 'stuff' was curious, but was not what I was looking for.

I will do everything I can NOT to take a Model A radiator to a radiator shop. They have ruined two very nice original radiators with their 'expertise'.

[old31]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

Hi Will,

The reason I went into detail is because so many original Model A radiators go to the dump when all they need is cleaning.

My 1930 Town Sedan original radiator looks new ..... I just removed exterior paint & repainted with Professional Radiator paint as opposed to Aunt Jemima's 00.75 cent rattle can mix from a Dollar Store; followed by cleaning with POR 15 Marine clean, mixed with 1 part MC to 10 parts water.

Cleaned my 1930 Coupe's radiator with a concentrated mix of powdered Spic & Span.

HL, I think you are in correct about the paint.

"Aunt Jemima's 00.75 cent rattle can mix from a Dollar Store", Not. That should be "Aunt Jemima's 00.75 cent rattle can mix from the 00.75 cent store.

I need to get a couple of cans.

[Smooth_One]

This is the first one that's comes up.

https://youtu.be/-Uz4wm5VSXc

[Smooth_One]

This is the first one that's comes up.

https://youtu.be/-Uz4wm5VSXc

[Mike V. Florida]

As mentioned time to drain in its self is worthless. Think about this for a second, 3 seconds for 2 pints or 2 gallons. Which is the better radiator as they both drained in 3 seconds.