Flushing the cooling system

[White Pointer]

Gday,

Has anyone ever flushed the cooling system through the heater hoses by disconnecting them near the fire wall ? I need to flush the system this weekend and someone mentioned this way ?

Any thoughts or experiences ?

Cheers.

[Silver]

Not on a Patrol, but a mechanic mate of mine showed me that method on the Cleveland V8 in my old F100 (It was a transplant that replaced the Canadian straight 6).

It has been a really long time, but we used to put the garden hose into one heater hose, with radiator cap off, and the air compressor air duster into the other, to create bubbles and changes in pressure. This was intended to increase the amount of scale and crud loosened in the flush. Worked well, but as I have said, haven't done it on a Patrol.

He had another technique, which was a bit dodgy if one was at all tentative. I misapplied it one day, and ended up in the local hospital emergency department getting some of that lovely silver based cream applied to a scald on my arm. That technique was to cover the radiator so that the temp rose a bit - not too much, then apply a rag to the radiator cap. Fully loosen same, while holding it down onto the radiator. Then remove hand and self as rapidly as possible from the scene. The resultant gusher from the radiator certainly removed more scale than other 'in car' techniques did. It also put the radiator cap in interesting places, too, from time to time. The time I got the scald was not the first time I had used this method, but if it was not the last, it was close to it, and I certainly don't advocate it now, both for safety reasons and because I don't know how modern high tech engines etc would cope with it.

A final interesting technique that was shown to me by a friend and neighbour, Bob, who some of you met with Doreen at Landcruiser Mountain Park. That is to cut the foot off a stocking. Poke it into the top tank of the radiator, or side tank, via the top hose fitting. Fold the stocking cut end back over the radiator 'spout', then reinstall the top hose over the folded back stocking. the foot of the stocking dangled in the top or side tank, and traps a surprising amount of scale and other crud. It is left in there semi permanently, and replaced as needed. It was usually visible in the top tank of those old fashioned radiators that had the filler cap in the centre of the top tank, but not so in cross flows. There was a commercial version that became available a few years after Bob showed me. Again, I don't know if modern high tech engines are too clever for such a device :-)

[Robo]

Gday,

Has anyone ever flushed the cooling system through the heater hoses by disconnecting them near the fire wall ? I need to flush the system this weekend and someone mentioned this way ?

Any thoughts or experiences ?

Cheers.
Yes I have.
But only to give the cabin heater-core a up-close flush out with air assistance similar to Silvers idea.
I have an adaptor I knock up that simply accepts garden hose and modified blow gun for air injection.
I learned this from rad mech friend.

And rad clean product Fortron was recommended by him.
As the only product you can leave in system for say a week to clean system that won't damage anything.
Have done this and it works fine no damage and removed plenty of crap.
And flow direction for flushing is also done in reverse to help peel scale out of system.
Be careful as a rule, heater cores are a pain to replace and can be expensive.
Cheers