Radiator Crud

[Auminer]

Bought this '94 used, ran great for years, now overheating. I have a blown head gasket, can't afford to do it right, so needing to use sodium silicate. Wanting to flush the radiator, but I'm afraid simple flushing won't remove this crud. Any suggestions on what this is and effective stuff to remove it?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

im honestly not sure, the prestone flush has worked well for me, but never used on on that before! maybe skmeoen else woll chime in. imo for coolant sealwrs, kseal gets my vote

 

[BrooklynBay]

Add a cooling system flushing chemical to the radiator. Let the engine run for a while at the correct temperature with the heater on, then flush the system. Use an anti rust chemical with the correct mixture of coolant. The build up in the radiator looks like there was more water than coolant for an extended period of time.

 

[Josh P]

Oxalic acid works good, it used to be the heavy duty clear, the stuff now is as strong as mouth wash. Oxalic acid can be bought as wood bleach, use baking soda after the flush.

 

[Turdle]

Another that I like is CLR , add about a quarter cup of vinegar to reduce foaming.

 

[Auminer]

Hey, many Thanks guys was hoping for one response at least, but ya all knocked it out of the park with quality input!!
Believe I'll go with Josh's Oxalic acid treatment. I've used it to clean up rocks, forgot all about it.
Kseal has been on my list too, thanks fix4dirt for that. After doing a bit of info gathering, I see that Kseal does not contain sodium silicate, but uses special ceramic micro-fibre and copper formulation.
From the Kseal site:
"Seal-Up is the original cooling system formula and is based on Sodium Silicate technology. This is very effective at sealing leaks throughout the cooling system but it has one drawback. If Seal-Up mixes with antifreeze and is heated then a reaction can occur leading to coagulation of the compounds in the cooling system and potentially causing blockages."
Now I realize why some have problems with liquid glass...it's the anti-freeze left in their system.

I've also thought about using CLR, but gonna try the acid stuff first...thanks Turdle for the vinegar tip too!
BBay might be on to something considering water for extended time, but being in Alaska, it would have had many leaks come spring.
Didn't mean for such a long post, but maybe someone will gain info as I have,
Love my Navajo!

 

[Fix4Dirt]

imo when it comes to sealers KSeal is at the top. it stays suspended in the fluid, so it can keep sealin, and also doesnt clog. i wonder if the liquid glass oen is like what they put in the cash for clunkers rigs. i totally forgot about what they did to em, but i rememebr it was something that when heated solidifies and makes the engine lock up. all the god rigs destroyed.... so many 5.0s that we couldve used!!! oh well, life goes on. also dont take this in any negative way, but had a good laugh with the thread title. often do we have descriptions that are either too little info, or the wording is a bit "too serious" dare i say. seeing someone call a thread radiator crud was kind of funny!

 

[Auminer]

Regarding liquid glass in cash for junkers, I've read that it was used in the oil which set the engines up big time...aka nfg. Along with that adding it to the radiator is good as long as it is an exhaust leak, as in "smoking" (steam) out the tail pipe or seeing bubbles in the radiator. BUT if you see water in the oil, it's a no no, which means the glass is going into the oil, again see nfg above. Must be clean water only as I'm guessing it has a negative reaction with anti-freeze and/or oil, which are both(?) petro products.
Now to deal with all that crud...

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Regarding liquid glass in cash for junkers, I've read that it was used in the oil which set the engines up big time...aka nfg. Along with that adding it to the radiator is good as long as it is an exhaust leak, as in "smoking" (steam) out the tail pipe or seeing bubbles in the radiator. BUT if you see water in the oil, it's a no no, which means the glass is going into the oil, again see nfg above. Must be clean water only as I'm guessing it has a negative reaction with anti-freeze and/or oil, which are both(?) petro products.
Now to deal with all that crud...

yeah it was in the oil. just i cant help but wonder about that in the cooling system

 

[BrooklynBay]

Do you have a flush tee installed? This allows you to use a garden hose with water going directly into the system. The attached PDF contains a mixture chart for Ford cooling systems.

 

[Auminer]

Do you have a flush tee installed? This allows you to use a garden hose with water going directly into the system. The attached PDF contains a mixture chart for Ford cooling systems.

Well, I'm not to the point of adding anti-freeze/coolant, but I'll look into using a flush T. I'm needing good info on what to use to remove that crud from the radiator first, then sealing up the head gasket. I'll keep that in mind when and if I get to that point, Thanks.

yeah it was in the oil. just i cant help but wonder about that in the cooling system

Yup, changed my mind on using sodium silicate as I'm afraid there might be repercussions with any anti-freeze remaining or interacting in the future.

 

[BrooklynBay]

There is something else which could be done but it's a lot more work for you. Remove the radiator, get a rubber Jim cap from a plumbing or hardware store, block the lower radiator hose fitting with the cap, get a container of WD-40 (not a small spray can), and fill the radiator with the WD-40. Let it sit for a few days, then empty the WD-40 with a ton of garbage from the radiator. You could reinstall the radiator after this. It's a good idea to replace the radiator hoses if you remove the radiator.

 

[Auminer]

Hmmm, WD-40 eh? Haven't heard of that one, this work for hardened deposits like mine? Worth a shot, thanks!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Evaporust.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Hmmm, WD-40 eh? Haven't heard of that one, this work for hardened deposits like mine? Worth a shot, thanks!!

it softens newer paint (ie paint transfer) in my experience, so maybe itll work on the buildup.