[4x4ish]

the water in the radiator is a little mirky. i would like to give it a good clean before i put in new coolant. ive heard a few of the coolant cleaners/ flushes can block up stuff. is this true.

is there a good brand to use?

thanks

[Scrawny]

H2O then just add concentrate coolant. Pull a heater hose carefully off the firewall and bung the hose up there. Don't forget to put the heater on hot

[Jasen]

I had all sorts of heating problems which was pointing towards my head gasket going. It was randomly overheating and bubbling out the overflow - but I still thought it was a blocked cooling in the back of my mind. So I put in a bottle of abrasive rad cleaner (some are just a chemical cleaner). This cleaner was a dry sand-like powder which needs to be run in the system for about 200kms (I can't remember the brand but it came in a small grey oval bottle with a black and red label lol - about 7 bucks at SCA etc). After about 50kms my overheating preoblems just seemed to disappear!

So basically from my own experience (I always flush my system when I do a coolant change and usually use the liquid chemical type flushes) I'd highly recommend the abrasive cleaner. I'm not sure if there are any down-sides to it. I ended up leaving it in for close to 400kms and have not had any leaks or heating problems over 1000kms since I did the flush. How old is ur ride?

[4x4ish]

its not using any water as far as i can tell nor overheating.

i cleaned it with just water so its fairly clean, i just need to go for a huge drive and see if it gets brown again. ill get some of that abrasive cleaner next time im there then.

[Rusho]

You may never get it 'clean' so to speak. It would have years of build up running through there.

[BUZOOKA]

i used 2 just pull my radiator out every 3 months and give ita good and proper clean with a presuire hose on the out side and the flush it with some radiator cleaner stuff then flush it again was some water till it ran out of the bottom hole crystal clear .. seemed to work for me .. but others might have a simpilar solution

[whincup]

BUZOOKA wrote:

i used 2 just pull my radiator out every 3 months and give ita good and proper clean with a presuire hose on the out side and the flush it with some radiator cleaner stuff then flush it again was some water till it ran out of the bottom hole crystal clear .. seemed to work for me .. but others might have a simpilar solution

nah i do that to the radiator, but not as often. but to flush the engine i take the thermostat out and stick a garden hose down there, flush it until it comes out green (bottom hose disconnected from radiator). once its clean, i stick the garden hose up the bottom radiator hose until the water coming out the top is clean.

[shakes]

If its really filthy. get an old stocking, double it over and stick it in the upper radiator hose as a 'sock' filter.

Drain the system and fill it with a mixture of roughly half a cup of vinegar to every litre of water. do a couple of runs around the block. Flush as whincup described above. clean your filter. fill with clean water only. go for another half hour or so drive. remove the filter. if you water is still clear flush and change again and add coolant if you use it. If not repeat with the vinegar.

The heavier cleaners can do as much damage as good if not flushed properly. Vinegar is a fairly mild acid and enviromentally friendly compared to most of them

The stocking will break down after a few of days of being there so only use the same piece once, and once your happy it's not catching much more crud remove it, but check often because it can cause a blockage!

Make sure your heater tap is ON.

be carefull pressure hosing the outside of your radiator, you'll bend the fins.