Has anybody done a cooling system flush with CLR? "Calcium Lime Rust" Remover.... I have read a bit on other boards, just wondering if anyone in the Ford Truck world has done this. I had planned to drop the cooling system, engine block, radiator, and heater core. Add in two jugs of CLR and distilled water, circulate without a thermostat, get it nice and hot and go for a little drive like this. Then drop and flush out with a shop vac on blow... Then replace the lower and upper hose as well as the thermostat and fill with recommended coolant and distilled water... any thoughts?

 

I have never heard of this but I can see the logic and I'm interested as our old ranger has coolant that is more brown sludge than anything so it needs a flush in a bad way. What have you heard or read about this?

 

What I have found so far is that it does release and clean the system up incredibly well. Fixes plugged heater cores as well, any issues with overheating were completely fixed even after 3 years of use since the flush. There has been no issues reported with premature wear on the gaskets... Just flush the system with garden hose very well and get the coolant back into it asap before rust starts to form... I just wanted to see if anyone here has done it.

 

CLR eats cast iron.

 

I have done the CLR treatment several times. It does work, but be careful and not leave it in the system too long as it could eat up some seals and hoses. I left that stuff in a radiator for a week(laying flat on the ground) and found old hoses I used to hold the CLR in the radiator became very soft!

 

Yeah its Acid... would be why I would only run it for a bit, then flush thoroughly. I have heard of people running baking soda after they circulate the CLR for whatever amount of time they decide.