best for cleaning water jackets

What do some of you guys use to clean rust and scale from engine block water passages?



Ago

 

Dishwasher detergent put into the radiator and left in for a week or so?

 

Are you rebuilding the engine or is it in the car?

Rebuilds generally hot tank the blocks for a day or so,,that usually gets them clean as a whistle. HRP

 

If you are rebuilding the motor some shops have the shot blasting setups that literally get rid of all the rust and scale like it was never there. We've taken engines in that looked hopeless and they come back like the day they left the factory.

Don

 

Molasses bath is what I do if you have the time.

 

My son's 67 mustang was getting hot even after a new 4 core aluminum rad AND an oil cooler AND a tranny cooler. A friend said the passages had to be clogged. He told me to drain the system, add a gallon of white vinegar and then refill, run the car for 20 minutes after it warmed up or it started to overheat then shut off and leave it overnight. Then drain again and flush with water. It worked perfectly and it doesn't hit 190 even in the hottest months in heavy traffic now. I'm a believer.

 

+1 on the vinegar.

 

Drain & flush cooling system, use "CLR" in 20:1 ratio (1 qt per 5 gallon water) or stronger. Get cooling system up to temp and top off. drive normal for 2-3 weeks then flush the CLR and rinse with a vinegar water mix, then fresh water then refill with coolant. this gets crap you cannot scrape with freeze pulgs pulled.

 

I am having a similar problem and like the white vinegar idea. Is the vinegar safe for aluminum radiators or just the brass/copper ones?

 

When I put a new water pump and freeze plugs in my old F1, I let the hose run through the engine while I dislodged a LOT of crap using an old dipstick. Then, vineger treatment and if you put a piece of nylon (panty hose) in the top radiator hose it'll catch lots of what's left.

 

Vinegar works great. It'll also reveal any leaks in the radiator you have, which you would want to fix away.

I wouldn't suggest it for aluminum rads.

 

The motor is out of the car, and is just a bare block. Already had it hot tanked and mag particle checked. I just wanted the water jackets to look cleaner. Already scraped and prodded with the freeze plugs out.



Ago

 

Use a presure washer and stick in every hole. I did this to a block that I got back from a wash and a bake at a engine rebuilder and got a whloe lot of extra crap out.