Sometimes engines end up with sand in the coolant passages. As sand will slowly plug radiators, and no matter how vigorously you flush the engine radiator plugging sand remains. The only workable solution is to put a sand filter in the coolant hose. I have done this on two engines. After a few thousand miles, all of the sand is filtered out and you remove the filter. I'd check it periodically to be sure it does not fill up with sand and restrict coolant flow. It can be a full flow filter in the upper hose (faster) or a bypass filter in the heater hose (safer as it can't block the coolant flow). The stainless steel screen filter element is made for sediment filtering in wells. It will cost about $15. I have used two different housings plastic when I did not know better (It still worked as it did not know better either) and steel. A disposable propane bottle is large enough to work but not so large that it is hard to fit in. I brazed a pipe coupling to the side of the 2/3 propane bottle and a flange to its open end. A second flange completes it and a 90 degree coupling brazed to it is the outlet.
Hmm here in USSR many years ago, when trees where big and grass was green and cars were made from steel... =)) was a cheap way to create such filter. All you need is kapronic stockings. You can get them from your wife/girlfriend for free ) Than you should cut out a small piece, get off top hose from radiator, put stocking's piece over radiator nipple and then put on hose back over it (allowing it to overlap stockings piece to set on nipple tight. That's all.
filter for sand in coolant All you can see is the housing, but it is the only part you make. Coolant goes in through the side hole and out the top hole. It was necessary to vent the upper tube to fill the system. The upper tube is a brazed in tube as using water pipe seemed needlessly heavy.
I have used woman's stockings on 3" pipe to filter out rust. As I used a whole stocking, filtering 300 gallons per minute was easy. I was not brave enough to try it on my car, but yes, I did consider it and it certainly is easier.
I do the stocking thing its working just fine. One daily has had one in the rad inlet for a year, I use the (dont ask me the correct term ) foot only ones. Made of stocking material but perfect for radiators, they come in various corseness of mesh (?) to be corse or fine filters. I use the middle of the range ones, filters out muck really well, just check them now and then. They survive driving in our summer at highway speed without any sign of rising temps. cost is about A$3 ish for a few of them at K-Mart. Wouldnt run a rebuilt engine without one in the top hose Roger
The stocking filter certainly is cheap, quick and easy. I just checked the melting temp of nylon and it is around 400 F. So it should be just fine.
A thoroughly cleaned block with fresh coolant should stay pretty clean. On the other side, most of the older engines I pull down are full of rust/mud/sludge/casting sand up above the core plugs. In the Studebaker Driver's Club the standard advice for an engine running hot is, "knock out the core plugs and rod 'er till the water runs clean." Changing coolant every couple of years and reverse-flushing the rad and block is always good science. jack vines
My Stude block when I got it after it was cleaned by hand. I flushed it out and it's as cool as a cucumber. I've only been doing this for 50 years but I've never seen the need for a filter in the cooling system.
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