I have used Lime-A-Way to clean older radiators & heater cores. I would pull the radiator and stop up the hose connections with ziplocks held by rubber bands. Pour in the the Lime-A-way, put on the cap and than slosh the radiator around. Did it off & on for 3 hours & than emptied out the radiator & flushed it out with water. The inside grey goop on the fins was gone. I have not tried it on plastic radiators but it should work good. Has anyone else used it??

 

I have used a weak mix of muriatic acid (dilute hydrochloric acid), I think even common vinegar (acetic acid) will work.

Lime-Away is probably a weak acid solution of some sort, but I have never used it.

 

Hmmmmm...........might work






Wiz

An Equal Opportunity Truck Lover!

http://www.clubfte.com/users/thewiz427/index.html

 

The Lime Away sounds good.

However,CAUTION! Do not use muriatic acid in aluminum. It creates instant big time chemical reaction and will dissolve aluminum. If you care to experiment, pour a very small drop onto an outside and well ventilated aluminum surface.

 

OOOPS, -forgot about that one. The engines I used it on were old iron, even the thermostat housing. I used a very dilute solution of muriatic acid, 1/4 cup in a ~2 gallon system, dribbled in while the engine was warm and running.

 

I always used Calgon. You know, that girly bath stuff .

It always worked great. The shop I worked at kept it in stock back in the parts department. Looked kind of funny next to a bunch of Heavy-Truck parts.

"Calgon, Take Me Away..."

 

Calgon?

ancient chinese secret......

Does it work? I think this would be the least likely to damage if it works, but does it foam up really bad. How long do you leave it in?

Drew

 

>Calgon?
>
>ancient chinese secret......
>
>Does it work? I think this would be the least likely to
>damage if it works, but does it foam up really bad. How long
>do you leave it in?


Well, it works really well. I used it whenever I got an engine with a bad oil cooler, or injector O-ring failure. Basically anytime large amounts of oil or diesel fuel puked in to the cooling system.

It gets foamy, but not like a bubble machine . I use one box to 9 gallons of distilled water, and ran the engine until it got to operating tempearature, and then let it idle for a half hour after that. Sometimes I would put it on the dyno, or run it down the road to make sure it got a chance to get good and hot. Then drained and continued to flush with fresh water until the radiator was clear of all oil,etc. It removed rust, scale, and electrolosis to some degree, but I mainly used it to un-clog the radiator of sludge.

I imagine it's not good for the water pump seals, but I only used it in heavy truck engines that usually ended up needing an overhaul anyway. I've never even used it in any of my personal vehicles, and I am not a mechanic (by trade LoL!) any longer, so I can't really comment on damage.(As far as I know, I didn't destroy anything! ) I've seen it used in many diesel engine shops around the Country. I don't know if it will damage modern gas engines or not. Different sealants used in the blocks, and different gasket technology along with aluminum heads may make it risky.

 

 

That's interesting stuff about Calgon. I'll try to remember that.

I've heard that dropping aspirin into the coolant can help keep thing working. Something about the PH (degree of acidity or alkalinity). As you already know, aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid. When I would get bored at work waiting for a test to complete or a large project to compile, I would soak copper pennies in a dissolved aspirin. The aspirin got them plenty clean.