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Crazy Question - Treacle (Molasses)


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#1 sledgehammer

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 11:01 AM

hi

 

I have flushed my block , had it hot tanked (during rebuild) , pressure washed internals , used coke - non diet , white vinegar , 

 

car is on the road , tried unipart antifreeze , went rusty again - almost like sea water used

 

flushed thru , vineagared it again  , used OAT (red antifreeze) , still rusty

 

can I use treacle (molasses) & use the car for a week , then flush out (1/3 treacle / 2/3 distilled water)

then a good flush & antifreeze

 

have heard about treacle used on blocks (non running) - never heard it used in a running engine

 

what can possibly go wrong - will it eat head gasket or water pump seal , or heater matrix / rad ?

 

will it go sticky & block up internal water ways - will probably take thermostat out while doing this

 

what do you reckon ? - maybe less treacle as it's getting hotter ? - what mix ?

 

I should probably leave it rusty - but don't like the look of rusty water

 

 

 

 



#2 nicklouse

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 11:07 AM

http://www.theminifo...lr-alternative/

 works.



#3 Spider

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 11:45 AM

Molasses will eat anything alloy, so your water pump and thermostat housing won't last long enough to get a good 'go' with it as you'd need to leave it in for about 3 - 4 weeks to de-rust the block and I think your water pump would start leaking in about a week.

 

You can try the stuff Nick's suggested or I've had good success with CLR as have others here.

 

I've had really good success with Penrite Coolant, though it might be hard to track down in your parts.



#4 sledgehammer

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 02:05 PM

thanks for the suggestions

 

anyone like treacle ? - will donate to my mum - she will find some use for it

 

I'm now wondering if it will brighten ally , if it eats the surface a bit , or just blacken it like caustic soda

 

anyway thanks all , just drained it again - still quite dirty

 

just put a cable tie down some of the tubes in the rad & they come out clean

 

I think I am being too fussy


Edited by sledgehammer, 22 July 2018 - 02:07 PM.


#5 Spider

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 06:31 PM

I'm now wondering if it will brighten ally , if it eats the surface a bit , or just blacken it like caustic soda

 

 

It turns it in to jello !

 

Just one other tip I'll pass on. If you don't have an overflow or separate header tank, consider fitting one. It will make quite a difference not only in regards to keeping the rust at bay, but also the performance of the cooling system ;D



#6 phillrulz

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 06:52 PM

isnt a mini meant to take blue antifreeze?  And does anyone run waterless antifreeze? 



#7 nicklouse

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 07:03 PM

isnt a mini meant to take blue antifreeze?  And does anyone run waterless antifreeze? 

the coolant spec depends mainly on the Radiator. Rover changed the spec when they brought in the Alloy rad.

 

and a Mini is not suitable for use with waterless ****.



#8 phillrulz

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 07:07 PM

 

isnt a mini meant to take blue antifreeze?  And does anyone run waterless antifreeze? 

the coolant spec depends mainly on the Radiator. Rover changed the spec when they brought in the Alloy rad.

 

and a Mini is not suitable for use with waterless ****.

 

 

So off top of my head, soldered radiators blue , ali radiators red? 



#9 sledgehammer

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 07:34 PM

I tried unipart blue - that went rusty as **** , won't be using that again

 

quote moke ' Just one other tip I'll pass on. If you don't have an overflow or separate header tank, consider fitting one. It will make quite a difference not only in regards to keeping the rust at bay, but also the performance of the cooling system '

 

I want to do that - every mini ive had had an overflow tank in the end - the lovely brass ones from the MG , that were 2 a penny back in the day - now stupid money

 

also I haven't much room in the engine bay - overflow is better high up or low down ? - I forget , maybe room lower down

thanks for all the info
 



#10 gazza82

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 07:46 PM

It went rusty because the cooling system is full of rust not because it is blue coolant/antifreeze.

And no you can't put mollases in the system and use it on the road. The best way is on a stripped block ... and leaving it for a few days/weeks.

#11 nicklouse

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 08:18 PM

 

 

isnt a mini meant to take blue antifreeze?  And does anyone run waterless antifreeze? 

the coolant spec depends mainly on the Radiator. Rover changed the spec when they brought in the Alloy rad.

 

and a Mini is not suitable for use with waterless ****.

 

 

So off top of my head, soldered radiators blue , ali radiators red? 

 

can comment on colour as it is a very poor guide to what it actually does. but close.



#12 timmy850

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Posted 22 July 2018 - 11:27 PM

I tried unipart blue - that went rusty as **** , won't be using that again
 
quote moke ' Just one other tip I'll pass on. If you don't have an overflow or separate header tank, consider fitting one. It will make quite a difference not only in regards to keeping the rust at bay, but also the performance of the cooling system '
 
I want to do that - every mini ive had had an overflow tank in the end - the lovely brass ones from the MG , that were 2 a penny back in the day - now stupid money
 
also I haven't much room in the engine bay - overflow is better high up or low down ? - I forget , maybe room lower down

thanks for all the info

It depends on if you want an overflow/recovery tank or an expansion tank.
 
An expansion tank is under pressure and is essentially an extension of the radiator. The radiator uses a flat cap with no pressure valve in it and you need to have the tank above the radiator. As these are under pressure they need to be better quality, and are relatively expensive to buy.
 
An overflow or recovery tank uses an extra reservoir and a special recovery type radiator cap. When the coolant expands it pushes the excess to the tank, and when the car cools and the pressure drops it sucks the coolant back into the radiator. They can be mounted lower than the radiator fill point 

I put a recovery tank in mine - just change the rad cap, mount the tank and fill it up
38781427585_71e7ab2746_b.jpg
The recovery system needs a special cap
38781426635_47bf1897b8_b.jpg
There is an additional seal/valve in the centre of the cap that allows coolant to be sucked back into the radiator when the system cools down. 
38781422635_9363224f00_b.jpg


Edited by timmy850, 22 July 2018 - 11:34 PM.


#13 Spider

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Posted 23 July 2018 - 05:32 AM

also I haven't much room in the engine bay - overflow is better high up or low down ? - I forget , maybe room lower down
 

 

Timmy has one solution above.

 

Most of the time in a Mini, it ends up lower, but as long as you have good quality caps and if an overflow (ie, non-pressure) tank, it will need upper and lower seals as per the RH one in Timmy's photo ^.

 

Oddly, I think the Mini was the only car in the BMC / Leyland / Rover stable that for a very long time, didn't have such a tank. To me, they are just about as important as having a Radiator.






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