Rusty Radiator Water

[cherrybomber]

I hate it when my radiator water gets rusty. I'm assuming this is not a good thing long term?

would switching to an aluminum radiator eliminate this problem?

 

[oldgrezmonke]

Correct , rusty engine coolant needs to be corrected . The radiator is neither the cause nor cure . You need to drain and flush the system , including the heater if present . Even in a warm climate a 50% engine coolant mixture is a good idea . This will prevent rust and even increase the cooling capacity of the system . At the very least I would use a water pump lube / anti-rust product such as this - http://www.autozone.com/autozone/access ... 48595_0_0_ .

 

[JackFish]

Yeah, the rust is in the head. It's tough to do a thorough job without removing it.

 

[rbohm]

8) teh copper/brass radiators dont rust, that comes from the block and head, and is the result of coolant that is not changed often enough which allows a condition known as electrolysis to occur. that is when the coolant acts as an electrolyte solution, and with the dissimilar metals of the engine and radiator, a small electrical charge is created, and that accelerates the rusting of the cast iron, as well as causing other issues. changing to an aluminum radiator will not stop this.

 

[cherrybomber]

looks like i found a can of worms along with the rusty water

thanks guys.

 

[The Plankster Prankster]

a bottle of radiator flush stuff should help a bit, follow its instructions, then rinse that out and fill with a strong (50-70%) antifreeze mix, repeat after a month if it looks rusty again, that should be all it takes to get looking decent again. look into your radiator, if you see chunks of scale, take it out and use your garden hose to back-flush it and dump out all those chunks.
i know thats a common thing, as my 87 diesel has chunks of scale sitting in the radiator where i can see them, waiting for me to clean it out.
even if you do replace the radiator, run a bottle or two of rad flush through it to clean out the block and head

 

[rocklord]

Once you've flushed the system, you may want to install a screen filter in the upper radiator hose to capture any large rust particles that come loose in the block and would plug the radiator. You can use something like this http://www.cal-mustang.com/GANO-COOLANT ... C1044.aspx

There is one filter kit http://www.tefba.com/ that has a cap you can take off and clean the screen out.

 

[JackFish]

Anyone ever use CLR in their system to clean it?

 

[ludwig]

Good idea. MIght go straight through the side of the block, depending on the condition of it. But that would be great for him to try and then report back.

 

[MPGmustang]

Good idea. MIght go straight through the side of the block, depending on the condition of it. But that would be great for him to try and then report back.

:rolflmao:
don't think it would do that much damage as it holds hot water temps... best thing to do it flush it with a running hose, let the hot water spill out and just keep it going, then flush it with distilled water, then flush it with radiator fluid, the CLR I wouldn't run for more than 2-3 days before hand.

 

[MPGmustang]

forget rusty radiator... here's a great pic... think it can be saved???

wonder if I can find that CLR at autozone or something... either way I'll need a coulple fushings...

 

[bubba22349]

Dose it still turn over (freely) and have some compression? If so than sure You can do it, take and dig out as much crude as you can reach and flush it out good so it doesn't plug up the radiator.

 

[MPGmustang]

I'm kinda hi-jacking this thread... lol

engine spins, PO said he got it running... I kinda believe...
that is only a 'shelf' of rust, it goes 2 inches deeper... maybe a vacuum will help... I was thinking after I dug all I could...

run engine, feed hose water forward/backwards until clear...
use old 2 core rad (leaks little) and run to temp a couple times with CLR, for a week
then hose flush agian.
then add more CLR for 2-3 weeks heating it to temp every day. then reflush...
use 2nd spare 2 core rad with old coolant for a few more weeks.
if bad looking, flush add CLR...
if good looking I'll flush it once more and plug in my mustangs spare copper 3 core rad... I have a few extra rads I don't mind seeing if they work lol...

I got a new water pump, but I'll use the old pump until I'm sure I won't hurt the new pump... gotta love liquid gasket.


now where can I get that locally...

 

[bubba22349]

You could put a nylon over rad opening to catch the crude. Do you have a Walmart or SAMs club near you they would have it also rite aid and hardware stores, home depot too.

 

[MPGmustang]

CLR is $80 at Home depot...

 

[ludwig]

How much are you planning to use?? That sounds like the industrial quantity price. Get a gallon at Ace or Safeway or OSH or WalMart of Costco or something.

 

[gb500]

my expoerience is that if you have a rusty block - will get rust flakes coming out for along time- even after a flush .

these will lodge in the rad cores and eventually block it .

so i allways run a top hose filter to stop it getting there

 

[MPGmustang]

hmmm... well I guess it's easier to find a running core from a mustang... (or something else...)

now where is one?

 

[Cool23]

Regular flushing would help fix this. Replace water with a decent coolant or decent water coolant mix. Also distilled water is better than tap water. Flushing as others have stated is the best prevention.

 

[thesameguy]

I know nothing about this stuff, but a guy I almost bought an old car once from said it's good....

http://www.rmi25.com/