Vinegar flush

JOHN CT

JOHN CT

Senior Member
I would like to try the vinegar flush treatment for my radiator which the FB talks about. The question I have is do l fill the radiator with 3 gallons of straight vinegar or mix with water? Is it best to drive a round for a couple days or flush right away. And how many times do I have to flush the system to neutralize the vinegar ?
Wow I only had 1 question too ask as I was typing it became 6 questions you gotta laugh!!
Thanks
 
No problems. I've been driving my A for 17 years I'm a strong believer of preventative maintenance. I been lucky all these years the A treats me good with no break downs and I would like to the good luck going:D
 
good preventive maintenance is to drain down the cooling system and refill with new 50/50 or mix full strength.
Vinegar is an acid that can do damage as well as loosen stuck crud from the inners of the engine block. Your radiator can act like a big filter catching all this stuff and block it up.
If it isn't broke don't look for trouble, just drain and fill...

I use evaporust only when absolutely necessary to cure a problem using certain flushing techniques...
 
I have an original radiator on my 29 Tudor that would overheat going up a hill. I used full strength white vinegar and run it for a couple of weeks. I then drained it and refilled with water and added baking soda to help neutralize. I ran this for a few days and then replaced with 50/50 prestone. I am able to drive the same hill with the heat gauge going to about 195 - 200. My test hill was in Arizona and was three miles from bottom to the top and pretty steep in places.

This was my experience, it worked well on my old original radiator. If you do it, be careful when and where you drain the vinegar (ruined my good jeans):mad:.
 
Mitch//pa said:
good preventive maintenance is to drain down the cooling system and refill with new 50/50 or mix full strength.
Vinegar is an acid that can do damage as well as loosen stuck crud from the inners of the engine block. Your radiator can act like a big filter catching all this stuff and block it up.
If it isn't broke don't look for trouble, just drain and fill...

I use evaporust only when absolutely necessary to cure a problem using certain flushing techniques...
Click to expand...

Yeah you're right I just might open up a can worms. If it ant broken don't fix it! The destilled water that I put in in the spring looks pretty clear. So I'm just going to drain it out and put in a 50/50 mix to get it ready for another winter.
 
It seems the OP has his answer so I don't feel so bad about hijacking the thread.
I'm about to build another engine and the block I have has lots of rust in the water jacket. I'm considering putting an old stoking (my wife's, not mine.:D) in the top tank to catch the lumpy bits and running vinegar for a while after I install it. Naturally, I will poke and scrape as much out as I can before I spend $ on it. What do you guys think of that?
 
my main problem i had with mine was grease and slime clogging the radiator tubes. I had much better luck removing the radiator - front side down, and fillign with simple green overnight or longer. Then most important is backflush from the lower with a pool pump, sump pump, or a garden hose but le *** run for quite awhile. I had globs of grease come out.

Some have had sucess with draino - removes the slime and such.

Hardly any rust flakes came out of my radiator but several blobs of grease and slime did.

I filled the block with vinegar and it didnt have much rust come out either. I was pretty dillegent about getting it out when i was building the engine up but you cant reach everywhere.

If your concerned id at least remove the radiator and fill with simple green concentrate - vinegar treatment is also concentrate.
 
I have used a pantyhose filter on a couple of engines. They worked well. Just remove and clean occasionally until you quit catching stuff.
 
Synch, think you will be fine. Have cleaned many rads out with vinegar-remember vinegar is mostly water and about 4% acid. I let it sit for at least a month and start the engine to warm it up a few times a week. I dont even worry about neutralizing either. just flush with clean water when Im through and then do the 50/50 like Mitch says.

did a great job on my 12 Buick and a few A's. Understand, we are talking rust here.
regarding grease buildup, the vinegar is not so effective.
 
There is a video in existence that shows two guys testing a radiator. It begins with the guys pouring water through water through the radiator and holding a stopwatch. If I recall correctly (And I don't because if I did, I'd remember more details) the amount they got was around 25 qts a minute. This was done by creating a set up involving a a ladder ,a large funnel and a catch basin. It started off almost completely clogged (4 qts a minute, again IIRC) Find that video, it tells you how how to clean it and how to measure the results. (Youtube, Ford barn ?)
Terry
 
Terry said:
There is a video in existence that shows two guys testing a radiator. It begins with the guys pouring water through water through the radiator and holding a stopwatch. If I recall correctly (And I don't because if I did, I'd remember more details) the amount they got was around 25 qts a minute. This was done by creating a set up involving a a ladder ,a large funnel and a catch basin. It started off almost completely clogged (4 qts a minute, again IIRC) Find that video, it tells you how how to clean it and how to measure the results. (Youtube, Ford barn ?)
Terry
Click to expand...

Is this the video you are talking about?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93CJVr4_hL4
 
Use the 50/50 antifreeze year round and get the benefit of rust inhibitor and water pump lubricant and you are always prepared for winter. Why would you not? Wayne
 
Terry said:
There is a video in existence that shows two guys testing a radiator. It begins with the guys pouring water through water through the radiator and holding a stopwatch. If I recall correctly (And I don't because if I did, I'd remember more details) the amount they got was around 25 qts a minute. This was done by creating a set up involving a a ladder ,a large funnel and a catch basin. It started off almost completely clogged (4 qts a minute, again IIRC) Find that video, it tells you how how to clean it and how to measure the results. (Youtube, Ford barn ?)
Terry
Click to expand...


GOOD LUCK WITH THAT TEST on a model A or any car>>>>:rolleyes:


"""A quote from Marcos barnyard"""

http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/inlet-1.htm

""Don't be fooled by flow testing! Flow testing your radiator as suggested in several publications will only confirm EXTREME problems. You can block more than 1/3 of the cooling tubes on an original radiator and pass the flow test. The reason for this is the lower water outlet of the radiator is the restrictor. It is designed to limit the speed the water travels through the tubes. More time in the tubes equals cooler water.""

The fill, drop and count method is inaccurate on any radiator antique or modern..
Use your new thermal imager:)
 
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When you are done with the vinegar treatment be sure to neutralize your sysrem with a box of desolved baking soda, and flush the system real good, twice would not hurt. Been there...done that
 
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