9 replies to this topic

[sledgehammer]

Did a rebuild 6 mths ago

the engine had a lot of rust in it - old owner just put water in - no antifreeze / corrosion inhibitor

I flushed engine , & put rad / block cleaner in it , got most of it out

then I stripped engine & pressure washed the block & back flushed / scrubbed the rad

all hoses new & heater matrix flushed / scrubbed

run a drill thru block & head holes (same size) to clean them up

bottle brush thru various holes - complete clean up

after rebuild put in 2 l of good antifreeze / inhibitor in

engine run fine - coolant clean - antifreeze visable

6 mths on - coolant is dark / rusty again

stripped head off - rust visible in block again

it's almost as if I am using sea water as coolant

I recon water jacket must have a lot more in it

what do you lot recon - run it / flush it / run it / flush it ?

car isn't going to be on the road for a few years

Edited by sledgehammer, 17 August 2012 - 01:47 PM.

[George929]

pretty sure its completely normal... all of the ones ive seen are like this..

[sledgehammer]

wondering about using red antifreeze (alloy type) - so I can't see the rust

[minimissionary]

wondering about using red antifreeze (alloy type) - so I can't see the rust

Very BAD idea. It'll eat your block. Something to do with the acid technology. Deal with the rust. If it bothers you that much, flush frequently and keep it filled with a decent ratio of antifreeze.

[donjarr]

If it's not going to be used for several years, then give it a good flushing out with the stuff you leave in for a few days, and if you're not driving it at the mo run it up to temp a few times then flush it and fill with 50/50 blue antifreeze and distilled water. The latter is vital if it's being left unused as it doesn't contain all the crap tap water does, and the system won't clog with limescale over time where it sits unused. My engine was built ten years ago now and is not used a huge amount, but my antifreeze is still the pretty blue colour and it hasn't been changed for some years now.

[leroy26]

old rad??

[minimissionary]

old rad??

More likely to be the block, which is made from cast iron.

[sledgehammer]

old rad??

More likely to be the block, which is made from cast iron.

Yep - the rad seems clear , been flushed , back flushed , bottle wash brushed , the whole rad gets warm - no cold spots

will see if I can get a long bar down into the block , see if I can feel any 'mud' - as I'm sure there must be some at the bottom

someone at work mentioned running the engine while connected to a hose on the heater pipe

run 20 mins then flush & again etc

would a zinc rod work as a sacrificial anode ?

used in some older radiators

[jaydee]

what do you lot recon - run it / flush it / run it / flush it ?

You answered the question yourself, wash rinse repeat a couple of times.
Use 50% glycol ethilene based coolant and 50% distillated water.
I wouldnt add any other specific anticorrosive, and dont use acid/organic coolant.

[yeti21586]

I'm glad I read this thread as I was about to fill with red antifreeze coolant stuff Doh! Glad I was lazy tonight lol


Will go and swap for some blue stuff


YetI