Coolant system flush

Lizooki

Lizooki

Samurai Frogger
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Stokes Co. NC
So does anyone use any of the flush chemicals that actually works?
My S-10 heat isn't hot, I'm thinking the heater core is getting clogged and I want to flush and clean.

Any suggestions?

Matt
 
acids will clean a metal much better than a alkali. if you can get your hands on a pump i would create a circulatory pump using a 5 gal bucket, the pump, with acid - hook up the core. let it run for a bit. not too long.
 
Go to your nearest Cummins dealer, probably greensboro.

Get a gallon of "Restore" and a Gallon of "Restore+"

You want both. You have to use them a specific way and in a specific order. Not at the same time. Shit is AMAZING.
Costs about $20 each.

One is acidic, one is alkaline.

You add one, drive it 30 minutes to an hour, flush a few times then ad the other and run it 30 minutes and flush. You will be shocked what will come out of a "cleaned" coolant system.
 
I had this question myself after seeing a few water pumps that got eroded and deposited all their iron oxide throughout the cooling system. @Ron is spot on. Two step chemicals are the best way to go, since extreme pH chemicals require neutralizing to stop their reactions. The peak/prestone stuff works mediocre at best. My view is that if a chemical isn't covered in warning labels and banned in most liberal states and doesn't say for professional use only, it isn't worth a crap. Now as far as other products (penetrants specifically) the freeze-off by CRC is pretty good. Along with torq-cb by Kimball Midwest (if you can stomach $15/can)
 
a_kelley said:
I had this question myself after seeing a few water pumps that got eroded and deposited all their iron oxide throughout the cooling system. @Ron is spot on. Two step chemicals are the best way to go, since extreme pH chemicals require neutralizing to stop their reactions. The peak/prestone stuff works mediocre at best. My view is that if a chemical isn't covered in warning labels and banned in most liberal states and doesn't say for professional use only, it isn't worth a crap. Now as far as other products (penetrants specifically) the freeze-off by CRC is pretty good. Along with torq-cb by Kimball Midwest (if you can stomach $15/can)
Click to expand...

Torq-cb is nothing next to hill lube. We've used the side by side and it was literally unbelievable the difference. If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't believe it.

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Many years ago, one really cold morning, my dad called me wanting me to come over. I told him I would, when it warmed up some. So he asks, Why? don't your heater work in your Jeep? And I replied, No, not too good anyway. I think I might need a new heater core" So Dad proceeds to tell me to take down to "Well's and Seals, Radiator shop" Ask them to flush it for you.
So I took it down there, told the guy that my dad said to bring it by to have the heater core flushed.
So I pull it in, over a drain. he let's the pressure off the system, unhooks both hoses off the heater core, and hooks up a water hose with some sort of attachment to it. turns on the water, and it flows to the ground. That's when I saw him hook up an air hose to the system too. As the water was flowing, he turned the handle on his home made contraption, and pushed air mixed with the water through the core. all kinds of stuff came out. He then switched it to push thru the other other side of the core, again, all kinds of stuff came out, switched it back and forth a couple of times until it was clear. Put it all back together, cranked it added fluid, and charged me $5. and I had heat that would run you out.
No chemicals.
Years later I made me one of those, and worked miracles several times on both my junk and others too. I loaned it out to someone, don't remember who, but it never came back home.
 
upnover said:
Many years ago, one really cold morning, my dad called me wanting me to come over. I told him I would, when it warmed up some. So he asks, Why? don't your heater work in your Jeep? And I replied, No, not too good anyway. I think I might need a new heater core" So Dad proceeds to tell me to take down to "Well's and Seals, Radiator shop" Ask them to flush it for you.
So I took it down there, told the guy that my dad said to bring it by to have the heater core flushed.
So I pull it in, over a drain. he let's the pressure off the system, unhooks both hoses off the heater core, and hooks up a water hose with some sort of attachment to it. turns on the water, and it flows to the ground. That's when I saw him hook up an air hose to the system too. As the water was flowing, he turned the handle on his home made contraption, and pushed air mixed with the water through the core. all kinds of stuff came out. He then switched it to push thru the other other side of the core, again, all kinds of stuff came out, switched it back and forth a couple of times until it was clear. Put it all back together, cranked it added fluid, and charged me $5. and I had heat that would run you out.
No chemicals.
Years later I made me one of those, and worked miracles several times on both my junk and others too. I loaned it out to someone, don't remember who, but it never came back home.
Click to expand...
This is similar to what we do at work. Pop both hoses off, use an old shock bushings between the core or heater hose and the garden hose. Run water through it BACKWARDS. Use shock bushing grommet and an air blower to blow the water out. Repeat until clear, then flow water through the normal direction. If it's dirty again flush it that way some. Repeat until clear water both ways. We blow the old water into a drain bucket, it's crazy what comes out.

Most engines the water flows from the intake or thermostat area through the core then back to the water pump or radiator, so use that as a guide, you want to back flush it first.

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upnover said:
when I saw him hook up an air hose to the system too. As the water was flowing, he turned the handle on his home made contraption, and pushed air mixed with the water through the core. all kinds of stuff came out.
Click to expand...

A high gpm aquarium pump can be used with chems from a bucket. Or a standard garden hose from your house can be used. The air device is called a Venturi. We use them a lot in our Ag business. You can suck ambient air or you can hook up to a oxygen concentrator for old people - pure oxy.

Knowing all this, if I wanted superior results. I would do the garden hose (the air is cool, agitation). I would then use a circulatory pump with acid to clean the metal
 
Mine was a simple unit, much like the guy who first did my Jeep. I piece of pipe, one end adabpted to a water hose, drill a hole in the pipe and threaded in a air stem. other end had a hose attached with a hose clamp. I used 3/4 hose, I could tighten it to go over either 3/4 or 5/8 ends of the heater core. Attached a clamping type air chuck , the type that had a lever to fill the tire, and you could regulate how much air you sent through.couple blasts each way and it was good to go.
 
Forced air and forced water work, somewhat.

The scale that can and does build up in a core is no different than hard water scale that can build up around a bathtub drain.

Now dont clean your bathtub for the next 20 years.
Go look at the hardwater stains and take your choice. You can spray them with a water hose, through a screen. Or you can pour some CLR on them and let them soak for 20 minutes.

This is the exact scenario playing out inside your coils. No amount of water pressure or direction of water flow will ever clean as well and as thorough as a chemical clean.

NOW HERE IS A HUGE WARNING FOR EVERYONE. IF YOU ARE WORKING ON AN ENGINE THAT UTILIZES AN EGR COOLER. THINK TWICE BEFORE CHEMICALLY CLEANING. IT MAY CLEAN SO WELL YOU FIND THE LEAKS THAT THE SCALE HAS STOPPED UP.
 
Thanks to the mind trust here for the replies.

And here's the stupid question of the day .....
Can I use CLR Clear to flush the radiator?

Matt
 
You could. I wouldnt, but you could.
Its also more expensive than the equivalent restore product I mentioned above. I cant remember whihc restore or restore + is acid and which is alkaline
 
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