Cleaning Out That Water Systems

[Banjo]

After recently suffering a blown head gasket, after thermostat failed, (You may remember,wife got locked in the cupboard for a week for that indiscresion) I realised how much we all seem to neglect the essential old water system.

 

Anyway, I've always put Toyota water conditioner in my 4KC, but the head job I just did on the engine demonstrated clearly how much scale etc. builds up in these things; which I suppose is to be expected when you consider the engines we are playing with, have been around for 20 odd years.

 

Anyway it now has head reconditioned, new gaskets, new hoses, new cap, new thermostat, & I even recored the radiator, as the stress of the head blow created little leaks here & there in core.

 

Lucky the alloy parts have not suffered too much corrosion over the years so I figure if I give the water system a good clean out & then add the best water treatment I can find, it will live for many more years.

 

Now if the total engine had been out, and the block stripped down, you'd obviously get it chemically cleaned.

 

In this case, the block never came out, so I went looking at SuperPro & the like the other day, as to what water system cleaning/additives were available. Heaven's; there heaps of them ranging from about $ 5.00 up to about $ 20.00. Likewise for water treatment, there is again a vast range of products ranging from $ 10.00 to about $ 40.00.

 

I'm always concerned in additives to engines where mixed alloy/cast iron is used, and the effect on descaling products on the water pump seal. In years gone by, I've cleaned the water system in the car, only to have the water pump fail within a short period.

 

So interested in feedback as to what products for descaling & water conditioning others in the RollaClub have used recently with good results.

 

Most of the descaler/cleaners only have to be run for a about 30 - 60 minutes to do their thing. I was thinking of popping in the old radiator just while I clean the engine out, as the last thing I want to do is block up my newly recored radiator.

 

My engineering guy out at AI Engines at Jimboomba told me you wouldn't believe how many head jobs he does as a result of failed thermostats. He thinks they are essential, but a high failure item, and his personal recommendation is to replacement them annually. When you think that they are only a little blob of parriffin wax that heats & expands and eventually leaks by the seal, he is probably right. At $8 -$10 (aftermarket) they are not really expensive. The dearest one I could see was for a Ford F100 at about $ 28.00.

 

I commented that in the Qld. climate you could just as well leave them out. His comment was that this also causes problems, as the water flow increases, to the point where the water doesn't actually stay in the core long enough to cool down sufficiently. I have left the thermostat out in days gone by, and not had troubles. However, I have always ripped the guts out of the thermostat and still used it's outer ring, which results in the same water flow, as if the thermostat was wide open.

 

Anyway, I'd been interested in any comments re this subject and especially recommendations on cleaning & additive products others have used with success.

 

:P

[demuire]

Interesting... I've never used any of them, so can't really comment... Oh wait, yes I have. But I just got some Supercheap brand thing and it seemed to do something (don't know if it was something useful), and my water pump still works...

[crazy_bunny]

just chuck some buckets out in the rain next time..it rains.... use that

[Super Jamie]

my goodness that was a long post :P if you've had coolant and water mixing, then you definately want to flush the block. if you don't, you could end up with a blockage later on and be back where you are now, or worse

 

and yes, i've heard of water pumps dying shortly after this happens too. really, it's just making evident any problems in the water pump that are already there. wether it starts leaking in 2 weeks or 2 years, your car has probably already had 10+ years of service out of it

 

if i were in your position, i'd just buy a new water pump. if you don't want to spend that much money, why not get a water pump from the wreckers (cheap), put it on, flush your block, then when the wrecker pump dies in a short time, put your original one back on

 

i've never used special water in my radiator, just what comes out the kitchen tap. i add half a litre of nulon green coolant stuff in, never had a problem

[lyonsy]

hey

An old speedway trick was to drill about 5 to 7 holes equaly around the thermostat so that way even if does stop working you have a small amount of water flow.

Which can be the difference between a blown headgasket and just a very hot motor.

if you want to do away with the thermosat then get a bit of exhaust tube and press in a welch plug with around 5 to 9 holes (depending on how hot or cool you wanna run it the more hole's the hoter it runs) and does basicly the same thing as a thermostat.

But also makes the water pump work a heap harder when used with a thermostat and force's any air out of the motor and wont blow the head gasket (if of top quality ie acl race series) as there is no air for the motor to boil.

But hoses tend to blow off at around 140deg lol and that was on a 250xflow which are renounded for blowing head gaskets

As for flushing the system try just having a hoses pushing water through the motor on some of the heater pipe's or replace the welch plugs and flush the block out that way ralitivly easy and cheap to 20 bucks whould cover it.

oh and flush you heater to grate way of droping the temp on a hot day

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