Radiator Flush??

F

frank55a

Well-known member
Well it's that time of year again, I was going to flush my radiator with the same stuff I have used for years, Super Flush, that you can purchase at any parts store. I got to thinking, it just does not seam to clean as well in recent years. Could it be the EPA has struck again, or perhapse the formular has been changed since most cars of recent years have their cooling system mostly made of rubber, plastic, and aluminum instead of cast iron and they probably have little grease and/or rust problems.

At any rate, have others seen the same problem?

What do you use?
 
Try a cup or two of Simple Green. Drive it for a day, then flush with fresh water. Simple Green is a great grease cutter but won't do much about rust. Muratic acid will disolve rust but I don't know how much will be safe in your radiator or how long to leave it in.
 
I like using simple green then the flush like Glenn suggested. It's great for flushing grease out of the block and radiator. When I use muratic acid I only do the block and usually leave it in for about 12 hours.
 
I've had excellent results using muriatic acid to remove rust and crud. I run it for half hour or so, then rinse with a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid. Flush with water, then fill with your choice of coolant or whatever you usually use.
 
Fill the cooling system with distilled vinegar and drive for a few days, then flush complete system with fresh water. The heating and cooling of the vinegar over a few days does wonders. Or just start it and run it up to operating temp and shut off a few times over the course of a few days. But you do need to run it to get the best cleaning of the system. Then run distilled water/coolant mix after completely flushing the system.
 
Check out this thread, in particular posts #11, #26, and #32.

Be very careful to avoid splashing the OA solution when filling, and rinse the radiator shell thoroughly even if you don't think you spilled any. I don't think if will mark stainless steel, but I can tell you it will stain nickel.:(:mad:

Joe
 
JOE WAY, it will remove crome and to answer franks55a question, there is no product on the market anymore that works to clean a raditor, you can think the epa for that, also no carb cleaner sold on the market that works, save your money
 
Frank55A .....................
You are right. The EPA has killed the radiator flush business. What they can sell nowdays, is almost useless.
Try the vinegar method, described above. It is not harmful to the environment, at all.
MIKE :)
 
Just noticed this post! What about using CRL. That is the name of the product...Calcium, Rust, Lime, cleaner. I was going to use it myself, but since nobody mentioned it...I'm a little apprehensive. What say you all?
 
Munker said:
Fill the cooling system with distilled vinegar and drive for a few days, then flush complete system with fresh water. The heating and cooling of the vinegar over a few days does wonders. Or just start it and run it up to operating temp and shut off a few times over the course of a few days. But you do need to run it to get the best cleaning of the system. Then run distilled water/coolant mix after completely flushing the system.
Click to expand...

Is this white distilled vinegar, or any particular type? Thanks
 
I bought caustic soda crystals at the hardware store, added them to the radiator and ran the engine for an hour or so. Flushed and refilled.
 
Anyone tried Castrol Super Clean? It is far more powerful than Simple Green. You have to be careful with it. Undiluted it will discolor or even remove some paint. It won't remove rust but it should do a good job on the grease in a radiator and block.
 
I use Lestoil, one cup mixed with three gallons of distilled water. When I bought my car, the coolant was very rusty so it took three flushes to clean everything. For each flush, I drove the car at operating temperature for a couple of miles, drained, and repeated. Once the water was clean, I finished by putting in a 50/50 mix of Sierra antifreeze and distilled water.
 
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