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blocked radiator.
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iain
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PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:20 am    Post subject: blocked radiator. Reply with quote

Hi,
Anyone any good ideas for cleaning out years of silt from a radiator? I was sort of visualising some magic substance to bung in, let dissolve all the crud, and then be flushed out, but cant think what.
I know the end solution might be to have it recored, but was wanting to try low budget options first!
cheers
Iain
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Rick
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Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back-flushing might shift some of it, and is it sodium-bicarb that can be used (with care!)?? not used it myself, am sure others can comment on this one!

RJ
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 8:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are proprietry solutions available, any of the car stores, such as Halfrauds will have them. personally though, I've never found them much use if the rad is reallty bad.

UJ
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iain
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had heard of the sodium bicarb remedy before but wasnt sure if it was real or just something I'd remembered wrongly. I'd guess that the sort of stuff Halfrauds would sell would be too mild as it all has to be be safe - bit like the hugely diluted phosphoric acid rust killing solution.
Gut feeling is that the rad is quite bad - it starts running hot after about 5 miles and steadily gets worse, unless its a really cold day and it holds its own. I had the water jacket off the side of the block and it all seems clear round the cylinders. I'll try and get the rad off over the weekend and have a look....
Iain
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, bad is when you try to open the siezed tap at the bottom of the radiator, and it comes away with the boss - and coolant STILL doesnt run out... Shocked which happened to me once....Curiously though, this car never overheated... Have you thought that you might have some other problems?

By all means try some Radflush or something, remove the rad, and then backflush with a garden hose.

UJ
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buzzy bee
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

Would flushing some water through it at a slight pressure, or maybe a large amount of water quickly, using a large hose, something like a 3" hose?

Cheers

Dave
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

buzzy, I hope that your bees dont drink that much that you have to supply them with water through a 3" garden hose...no wonder theres a water shortage! Laughing

Seriously, just a common or garden (!) hose is OK!

UJ
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buzzy bee
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

Yeah the bees do get a bit little thursty! Laughing Wink

Yeah, perhaps a standard hose with a bit of pressure would be fine! Not sure why I said inches! I should have said cm, or 30mm, 3 inch would get a little hard to control!

Cheers

Dave
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iain
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PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that! It did cross my mind that it may be something else, though there's no sign of a head gasket failure or owt like that and if the impellor had dropped off the water pump shaft I would have heard a noise(?) but when you peer in through the radiator cap, some of the tubes do look a bit blocked up... I could wap a bit of pressure through it with a pressure washer, but wary of upsetting a 70 year old rad.
I'll get it off the car this weekend and have a go - gentle start with a hose and some radflush and work up from there!
Hmm, a 3" hose would fit the pipes on the rad quite nicely, though I suspect we'd struggle on the tap pressure to keep it going...
Smile
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buzzy bee
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PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2007 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

You need to get a pump and a stationary engine and start pumping your own water! hehe

Seriously, I would be careful to using a pressure washer! I mean there is some serious pressure in them, they have cut me in the past! A hose should be ok, but I have never used a pressure washer on a radiator! What do you think UJ/Rick??

Cheers

Dave
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UKdave2002
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PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2007 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I bought my Stag, the bottom of the radiator was not getting hot, which is a sure sign of sludge build up, tried hosing it out , to no affect so I used Bars rad flush, (Halfords sell it) you have to leave it in for a period of time , it cleared loads of rubbish out of the system. I hosed the rad out afterwards as well, the rad now gets hot all over.

I would avoid the quick 10 min rad flush solutions if you think there is a fair amount of sludge in your system.

Dave
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iain
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Update on the situation... I got the radiator off - no mean feat, and was able to borrow a spare from another enthusiast. A quick razz down the road and back showed a very normal temperature, so confirming that my rad was a bit iffy. On closer inspection the few tubes that were visible from the filler cap looked quite blocked with hard deposits. A poke with some welding rod did move it abit, but with 90% of the tubes inaccessable and presumably worse at the bottom than in the header tank, I succumbed and sent it for recoring. Just waiting the results, and the big bill..... Shocked

Iain
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oldgoaly
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iain, it maybe a little late for you but I had a 37 mgta that the radiator was clogged like you mentioned. I ran water thru it saw how long it took to fill a 5 gallon bucket. When I got the radiator back repeated the test. exactly the same. ultrasonic cleaned. Did nothing to clean it, so I made a hot tank, lye and water with a heating element from a electric water heater. That worked very well! still have it, use it regularly. Strips paint, degreases, cleans radiators! Take care! tt
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iain
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A further update.... We managed the run from Worcestershire to the Brooklands Centenary on the borrowed rad with no problems. Well, a slightly worrying engine rattle that I'm hoping is just a broken valve spring, but temp wise was great. Steady 70deg F on the open road, going up to 80 on the stiff climb out of Broadway.
The new recon rad came back the other day and was fitted this afternoon, which was nice as the bonnet fits much better on its own rad. Evrything seems fine and cool, just the rattle to find now. Road test has been postponed till better weather arrives, though may have a run down to Shelsey Walsh hillclimb tomorrow if not too wet.
Ta for all the advice
cheers
Iain Smile
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