Re: Radiator cleaning

["Rich Wagner" <drsavage@domain.elided>]

Ralph wrote:

>Although I've used dist. H2O in my SPider engine for many years, I did no=
>tice
>some crud (& a bit of oil) in antifreeze  removed during my recent engine=
> out
>episode (to replace clutch).  Soooooo.... I think it would be a good time=
> to
>do an engine/radiator cleaning to remove scale & oil.  Any suggestions,
>favorite remedies to pass on??

The radiator on my GTV6 used to be somewhat constricted, largely with hard
water deposits.  The car wouldn't overheat, but after being stopped in hot
traffic, it would take a while, after the fans came on, or after getting
moving again, for the temp to come back down to normal.  Last year, when I
had everything apart to redo the head gaskets, I filled the radiator with
regular white vinegar and let it set for three days.  Then, I poured out
the vinegar and flushed it thoroughly with water.  Now, when the car's
sitting still, the fans come on for less than a minute before shutting back
off.  And after getting moving again, the temp comes right back down to
normal very quickly--much more quickly than before.  It's made a very
noticeable improvement, and I couldn't find any damage at all to the
aluminum in the radiator.  It's not a conventional technique though, so use
it at your own risk.


Rich Wagner
Montrose, CO
'82 GTV6 Balocco

------------------------------