im trying to get some info on using oxalic acid to flush my cooling system on my 41 . read a old thread but there was no mention of concentration or how long to leave it in . i want to give it one last try and be sure its as clean as is possible and done !
That used to be the active ingredient in common cooling system flushes, and I recall the last container I had was about six ounces, and recommended driving with it for a few miles to get good and hot. The container had a smaller pack of neutralizer (baking soda?) on its other end. So far as I can remember, you were supposed to drain and flush with fresh water after cleaning with the oxalic acid, then refill with water and neutralizer, then finally rinse again with fresh water before changing to the correct antifreeze solution. Edit: You were instructed to remove the thermostat for the whole cleaning process.
Basically any acid will help dissolve rust (iron oxide) particles. Oxalic acid is also known and found as wood bleach in hardware stores. You can buy it direct as dry powder on Amazon or similar. It is what used to be purchased as heavy duty cooling system cleaner. Neutralizing any acid is a good idea.
i used evaporust but at $25 a gallon and a 4 gal system its a bit expensive .1 gal. diluted didt give the results im after .tried 1 gal .white vinegar to ,wasnt happy with that either . im waiting till its as good as i can get it before i use the green shit . and winter could show up real soon so im wanting to be done once and for all asap !!
I like a chelation agent (such as Evaporust), but I agree that it is expensive, For situations like this, I use a product called Rust-911, which is a concentrate and is significantly cheaper. When I did the '51 Merc in my Ford club coupe, I treated it with a commercial product first and then flushed it with plain water. I then introduced the Rust-911 solution and let it sit a day. I then drained, treated, and flushed the system a second time, and repeated the Rust-911 process a second time. I then did a final lush and rinse. Here's how it turned out :
The search function is your friend: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/radiator-flush-cemicals-question.16278/ Cheers, Harv
At work, we use a product from Fleetgard called Restore Plus. There are two different kinds, be careful which one you choose. It works extremely well. I also suggest removing the thermostat and driving the car for at least an hour. Restore Plus has to be used with water, no antifreeze or coolant.
The Jalopy Journal
