flushing the cooling system
#888137
12/25/10 07:45 PM
12/25/10 07:45 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
mickm
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
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ok, now that i know which hose is the return hose from the heater,  , recommendations on the best way to do a good flush on the cooling system, without blowing freeze plugs and such out!
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: scratchnfotraction]
#888139
12/25/10 11:20 PM
12/25/10 11:20 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
mickm
OP
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OP
master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
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Quote:
in line tee in the heater hose and back flush thru open rad top engine not running till water is clean
drain and refill,burp and top off
don't need to remove the thermostat or anything, that's enough to flush the block as well?
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: mickm]
#888140
12/25/10 11:31 PM
12/25/10 11:31 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487
Florida
scratchnfotraction
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 15,487
Florida
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i dont remove it,you can if you want on my sb,I remove the 2 lower t-cover bolts,1 each side,to drain the block,put them back in and flush it you can run the engine with a rad flush,then drain and back flush it I drill the 1/8" hole in the stat to burb it on fill up I flush it till it runs clean with the petcock open on rad,stop water flow,let drain,flush,drain..ect i do this 3-4 times last time it drains,I close petcock,add 1 1/2 gallons antifreeze,fill thru the tee till it at top of rad,the hole I drill in stat lets all the air burb on fill up test run till up to temp shut down and let cool,check water lever to make sure its full...done thats the way I duz it anyway  never had a problem this way if the stat is not drilled,I run till up to temp and wait for the stat to open then fill the rest of the way from top of rad...not the tee i turn the hose on about 1/2 way when flushing thru the tee
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: mickm]
#888141
12/25/10 11:43 PM
12/25/10 11:43 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert
Circle Track
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Circle Track
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
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Take the return line off at the manifold and w your rubber tipped air nozzle blow the coolant in that foot or 2 of heater hose in reverse thru the heater core. Use your hand to modulate the psi as water faucet psi is ~60 psi (at least in Nebraska) and heater core/rad are designed for ~15-20 max. If you think the rad is partially plugged best would be to take it off and back flush it the same or take it to a rad shop & let them boil it or even "rod it out" if it's really plugged w scale as chemical flushes are not stout enough to attack scale w much effectiveness. Rodding out can be dangerous to tubes that are old and your rad shop can further advise you. Back flushing is way less effective on the block/intake cause the passages are so much larger/unrestricted but if enough debris builds up in the bottom of the block cyl cyl cooling (hot spots that produce steam) will be affected but this requires core plug removal but is worth the effort. Dont know how far you want to go on your deal but throwing stuff out there
live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: mickm]
#888142
12/26/10 08:59 AM
12/26/10 08:59 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,072
Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,072
Niles , Ohio
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Pull the plugs in the block also.You will be suprised how much crud is there.Most times they wont drain because crud is over the holes.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: therocks]
#888143
12/26/10 11:23 AM
12/26/10 11:23 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,485
Candler,NC / Myrtle Beach, SC
JDMopar
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,485
Candler,NC / Myrtle Beach, SC
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My 71 Challenger was from California,and apparently hadn't had much antifreeze over it's life. The block was so full of crud I had to pull the motor, knock out all the freeze plugs and flush the block with a high pressure steam cleaner. Then that turned into a new cam,LD4B intake,headers, new exhaust,bang screech 727,8 3/4 in place of the 7 1/4,etc,etc! 
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: mickm]
#888144
12/26/10 01:01 PM
12/26/10 01:01 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,277
West Coast, USA
jbc426
master
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master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,277
West Coast, USA
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I don't have a scanner, but the 1970 Field Service Manual describes a procedure using low pressure compressed air much like Rapid Robert recommends. If you can get the original freeze plugs out, it is a safe bet they needed to be replaced with fresh ones anyway.
The process to remove an replace them all on a big block car without the engine out is not for the faint of heart. Digging around inside the block through the freeze plug holes with a hooked wire can help coax some of the inner cast passages to give up their cargo of corroded gunk.
Kelley-Moore Paints sells a product called Corro-check. It's used to stop corrosion in water-based spray equiptment, and it does! It's blue in color, cheap, is dilutable(a little goes a long way), is unhindered by heat and is an extemely long-lasting corrosion inhibitor. I use it with distilled water alone or together with anti-freeze.
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda #'s 440-6(block in storage)currently 493" 6 pack, Shaker, 5 speed Passon, 4.10's
1968 Plymouth Barracuda Convertible 408 Magnum EFI with 4 speed automatic overdrive, 3800 stall lock-up converter and 4.30's (closest thing to an automatic 5 speed going)
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: Russ H.]
#888146
12/26/10 02:29 PM
12/26/10 02:29 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
mickm
OP
master
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OP
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
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Quote:
Back in the day we drained the system, refilled with clean water and added 5 or 6 tablespoons of crystal drano, Ran it for 10 or 15 minutes then drained again. You would be amazed at what came out.
Russ
that sounds interesting, funny how things can be used, when you stop to think about it...
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: Russ H.]
#888152
12/27/10 03:13 PM
12/27/10 03:13 PM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,181
Lost in the ozone again
stubbs300
Vacation
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Vacation
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,181
Lost in the ozone again
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Quote:
Back in the day we drained the system, refilled with clean water and added 5 or 6 tablespoons of crystal drano, Ran it for 10 or 15 minutes then drained again. You would be amazed at what came out.
Russ
I have done that with either muratic acid or CLR. When I bought my van it was really crustified on the inside of both block and rad. I drained the system and filled with H2O and some acid [about 1 cups worth] and drove around, flushed and back flushed it, then repeated the process 3 more times till I was happy with it. Sometimes you have to do it more than once depending on how well the system was maintained to be happy with the results.
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: Russ H.]
#888153
12/27/10 06:22 PM
12/27/10 06:22 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 205
Martinsville, VA
440child
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 205
Martinsville, VA
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Quote:
Back in the day we drained the system, refilled with clean water and added 5 or 6 tablespoons of crystal drano, Ran it for 10 or 15 minutes then drained again. You would be amazed at what came out.
Russ
That won't hurt the radiator or heater core? I've heard that white vinegar was a good flush agent, anybody ever tried that?
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Re: flushing the cooling system
[Re: Pauls69]
#888155
12/27/10 10:27 PM
12/27/10 10:27 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
mickm
OP
master
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OP
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,179
California
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Quote:
i flushed out my system, once. a few days later, my waterpump's bearing seized. an old-timer across the street told me that when you aggressively flush out your cooling system, you also stir up some sediment/debris that can jack up your waterpump, which would seem to make sense. i just drain the radiator & refill every 2 years & have never had a problem. my $0.0002.
i think that's a good idea. $15 for antifreeze and no worries.
i just flushed it out quite easily, according to bob at glen-ray. put the tee in the line on the return line from the heater hose, and took off the lower radiator hose. don't need to run the engine, just turn the water on. watched the old antifreeze and gunk come out, and after a bit, nice clean water.
probably isn't the most efficient flush, but good enough!
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