13 replies to this topic

[nlelefnia]

I recently felt my radiator while the car was running and only the top half was getting hot, however the bottom hose was still heating up. After using a rad flush the problem persisted, I decided to take the radiator out to further investigate. I tried running water through it in reverse and shaking it to clear it out but had not luck, so as a last resort I pried off the intake side and was quite surprised with what I discovered.

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My initial plan was to clean out the gunk and clear the channels, the bottom half was so blocked I thought a new radiator was my best bet. My concern now is that if I get a new radiator what's stopping this from happening again? or was this just caused by irregular coolant changes during its previous ownership. I also removed the water pump, from what I can see it's fit to go back on the car once cleaned up but let me know if you think otherwise.

 

The hoses are all slightly dyed now, I'm assuming due to the rusty water running around them but I don't really want to invest in new ones because they seem in pretty good condition. Let me know what you think. 

 

 Rusty-Coolant-System.jpg   54.96K   4 downloads  Rusty-Coolant-System (2).jpg   48.64K   3 downloads  Rusty-Coolant-System (3).jpg   29.03K   4 downloads

 

Finally, what coolant would you recommend once everythings back in the car?

 

Any help is appreciated, sorry for so many questions 

 

Thanks in advance!

[cal844]

I'd fit new hoses, and a new radiator, I'd just bin your current one as its probably going to be cheaper long term to replace it.

I'd also fit a new water pump and bypass hose(if fitted) whilst it's in bits

[Anthony30]

You could try flushing out with a hose, from the thermostat housing. You'll need to fit the old water pump back on to seal the hole. Maybe remove the heater matrix and flush that through at the same time. For the price it's also worth fitting a minispares 2 core radiator with new hoses, thermostat and water pump. 

[Ethel]

The engine actually doesn't look too bad, but there's plenty you can't really see. You're right it's neglecting to ensure it has the proper corrosion protection of antifreeze maintained. A good flushing won't hurt, use the heater hose connection on the head, it'll avoid the obstruction of the thermostat and will be easier to seal against  a garden hose.

[nlelefnia]

The engine actually doesn't look too bad, but there's plenty you can't really see. You're right it's neglecting to ensure it has the proper corrosion protection of antifreeze maintained. A good flushing won't hurt, use the heater hose connection on the head, it'll avoid the obstruction of the thermostat and will be easier to seal against  a garden hose.

 

 

You could try flushing out with a hose, from the thermostat housing. You'll need to fit the old water pump back on to seal the hole. Maybe remove the heater matrix and flush that through at the same time. For the price it's also worth fitting a minispares 2 core radiator with new hoses, thermostat and water pump. 

 

 

I'd fit new hoses, and a new radiator, I'd just bin your current one as its probably going to be cheaper long term to replace it.

I'd also fit a new water pump and bypass hose(if fitted) whilst it's in bits

 

Thank you guys, I really appreciate the advice. I actually flushed it with a hose from the thermostat housing when everything was intact and managed to get it to run clear (forgot to mention that). I'm yet to take the heater matrix out so I'll make that my next job. So currently I'm thinking a new radiator and water pump and probably a new heater matrix dependent on my findings. Still unsure about the hoses, they seem pretty good (Never leaked, no cracking etc..) but maybe I should just bite the bullet on that one now while I'm doing everything else.

 

I should probably also mention it's a 1999 MPi, thanks again all.

[Ethel]

The hose looks ok in the photo. Give it a squeeze and a twist to see if it springs back in to shape & hasn't gone hard. It might loosen some of the rust & scale, but it's not going to affect the cooling if it doesn't.

[nlelefnia]

Hi everyone. Took out the heater unit this morning, the heater matrix doesn't seem too bad at face value. I'm going to flush it out and check all the channels are heating correctly, if they are then with a new piece of foam I might be able to salvage it. The pipes seem like more of an issue, so I'll be ordering a new set of them.

 

 

https://imgur.com/a/mbQ7FkG

 

 

The hose looks ok in the photo. Give it a squeeze and a twist to see if it springs back in to shape & hasn't gone hard. It might loosen some of the rust & scale, but it's not going to affect the cooling if it doesn't.

 

Good idea, will give them all a good squeeze and twist to see how they cope. Thanks 

[johnR]

Has anyone thought of using central heating system cleaner in an engine? Not tried it myself but may help to flush it out?

[Ethel]

Don't see why it wouldn't work, you'll find all the same materials in both.

[Tornado99]

Might be good to run a long type of bottle brush or similar through some of the larger hoses to try to break up some of that clag before reusing. Wouldn't want that stuff coming loose and settling in the new radiator. 

[nlelefnia]

Good idea! thank you 

Might be good to run a long type of bottle brush or similar through some of the larger hoses to try to break up some of that clag before reusing. Wouldn't want that stuff coming loose and settling in the new radiator. 

[nlelefnia]

Hi everyone,

 

Quick question on my front panel repairs, as the rust is only on one corner I'm leaning towards getting a repair panel for it. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these? are they a good fit? seems a shame replacing the whole panel when only a small proportion is effected.

 

Thanks!

 

Just noticed I was meant to post this here.

Edited by nlelefnia, 11 July 2020 - 04:30 PM.

[Spider]

Has anyone thought of using central heating system cleaner in an engine? Not tried it myself but may help to flush it out?

 

I've had very good results with CLR, though I think your Block has huge amounts of build up in the bottom of the cooling jacket. If your block has a Drain Plug at the back, take that out and see what flows out. You'll likely need to poke around in there a fair bit with a drill bit (just in your fingers is usually enough) to get it clear enough to start to flow. You may even wish to have it professionally cleaned.

[Chris1275gt]

Has anyone thought of using central heating system cleaner in an engine? Not tried it myself but may help to flush it out?

central heating flushing cleaner I don't think would be suitable for the engine. In a heating system it's cleaning out sludge which is a product of a poorly installed systems that are not initially flushed properly when installed to remove the acidic flux residue . The sludge is basically the steel off the rads being stripped by electrolysis between the copper pipe work and the steel with the acidic water as the catalyst, it doesn't remove scale that requires a descaling acid, which is not a good idea as it would pit the steel and would cause it to scale twice as fast.