Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

1.new clean engine going in. what can I use to clean the rust out of the radiator? this is a fairly new core, I dont want to take the tanks off and there is no sonic type cleaners close.
2. assume I get the rad. clean, what can I put in the water to keep the rust under control and still be legal at the strip?
3. what can I use to stop the aluminum corrosion [combo of iron/alum]?
4. what kind of bottle water is best [mine is so hard it will stand up!]

any help/ideas?
thanks Rod in AZ

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

Use water only. I like the wetting agents that claim to increase cooling efficiency but I can't speak to how legal they are at your tracks.

You need distilled water only, not bottled drinking water. It's on the supermarket shelf in jugs. Distilled water has had all of the minerals that contribute to rust removed by boiling and condensing back to the liquid state. It's what my mother used to use in her steam iron before all this Teflon stuff.

Dale

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

Hi Rod,

I have seen Super CJ's with coolant, green in color (anti-freeze) in the surge tanks....

I have been told it's because of the intercooler, but it sounds like BS to me....

Maybe they have been given special dispensation by the NHRA to do whatever they want......

I know that coolant will protect the cooling system but also screw up the track if it spills......

It could also be the Golden Rule......Whoever has the Gold, makes the rules..

Bob

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

Hi,

Even with distilled water rust will form.....

Rust is Iron Oxide (fe2o3), all you need is water (h2o) or air and iron for rust to form....

Anti-freeze can help, but that's all......

Bob

PS:
The distilled water in the steam iron was to control the concentration of mineral deposits as the water was converted from liquid to steam and not rust...

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

I seem to remember reading on the forum that some of the late model Super Stock cars were allowed to use some sort of anti freeze due to factory requirements. Does not apply to older cars or poor folks in general.

PS. I thought the minerals in tap water promoted rust. Still use distilled in a race radiator.

Dale

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

I use what ever water comes out of the hose at the house or track. I never leave water in my engine overnight. I drain the engine each night and before I head back home. Just a bit of prevention against a leak and corrosion in the cylinders.

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

Wynn's quick cool or Red Line water wetter. We always use sodium silicate or better known as "Water Glass" works great with alum heads will not plug radiators cores either--- Fed 387

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

I just examined my 20 year old alum radiator....yuck! We started using distilled a few years ago.

Some recommend an anode (?)

One radiator supplier has a recomendation of a series of ground straps (Ron Davis I believe)

I'm interested in any other solutions, or if the above two help

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

Anode is an electrical term so I looked it up to see how it related to a radiator. Seems companies like Flex a Lite make these little zinc inserts that go in the radiator drain hole. The junk in the water will eat the zinc rather than the iron or aluminum in the system. Seems to be an old heavy equipment trick. Cheap.

Sample Link: http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...lite-anode.htm

Same thing at Summit: http://www.summitracing.com/search?S...&keyword=anode

Also try Radiator Anode on Amazon.

Dale

Re: Cleaning Radiator/?s
 

If there is rust and/or silicate formation in your radiator, there is nothing on the market that will completely and effectively remove these deposits from your radiator. I was involved in a study (at a major OEM) where we tried all kinds of over the counter solutions as well as solutions that were made up by our chemists. The problem was that you needed the solution to be very aggresive to remove a good portion of the rust/silicate deposits and when it did, the same solution damaged the radiator.
In our race car we run tap water (we have excellent tap water here in Detroit) with a RedLine corrosion inhibitor that has worked well for us.
If your current radiator has a fair amount of corrosion build up, I would bite the bullet and replace the radiator because it isn't cooling at peak efficiency and with a brand new engine, I wouldn't take any chances with an old radiator with potential restrictions.