rsabeebe

i remember reading that some people suggested a laundry or cleaning product - Shout comes to mind - to help 'flush' or clean the coolant passages when some oil has been introduced. can someone confirm this and tell me which product it was OR tell me this is a bad idea and to simply flush with new fluid. thanks.

VirginiaF1

I used Shout last year when changing oil cooler seals.
I followed Clarksgarage method..
Then added Waterwetter.
179F on 100F degree days..

jhowell371

I used Simple Green.

maint

The shop I worked in used Electrosol powdered dishwasher detergent. Probably any dishwasher detergent would work. Doesn't foam up and can be run for a while in the engine. It worked well for oil and sludge from neglected coolant.

curtisr

Why not use a rad flush product such as Gunk or Kleen-flo?

rsabeebe

i was curious about the 'cleanser method', as i had read it worked quite well and, who knows, some strange method always has the potential to out-perform a product specifically for a given task. you constantly hear about products made for a certain purpose that don't work for **** and then some product you would never consider actually does the job better. just open to different methods.

thanks for the product suggestions.

rsabeebe

can you tell me where in the clarks-garage manual i can find this write up? i didn't see it under the 'cooling system' section. thanks. would just like to read their procedure, as well.

FRporscheman

I wouldn't recommend simple green. That stuff corrodes aluminum so if there is even a trace left over after you flush it, it can be very bad for the engine, radiator, etc.

I've only dealt with oil in the coolant once, a long time ago, and I just filled with water. After a while of driving, the oil came up into the tank, and I basted it out.

snb13

Dawn Dish Soap

wingnut

Second on the "not Simple Green" advise. What you want to use instead is the "EXTREME Simple Green" which is safe for aluminum. That is what the aviation community is advised to use to clean airplanes (which I did a lot of as a pro aircraft detailer, way back when). These kind of products are designed for hydrocarbons, whereas the dish soaps are designed more for vegetable oils.

VirginiaF1

Different resource.. poor memory.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/5825835-post10.html

Worked a treat..

jhowell371

Thanks for the correction on bad advise. Glad I flushed that Simple Green very well. That was over 2 years ago and no traces of corrosion yet. Never heard simple green was bad for aluminum and I used to be an A&P. I have slathered it all over my motorcycles, car engines and on my plane. Guess rinsing well was the key. No more simple green in cooling systems for me from here on.

wingnut

Put a bit of scrap aluminum in some (regular) Simple Green and let it sit overnight and see what happens.

Rinsing well does help, but that does not fully get it out of the cracks, crevices and open lap joints - that is where the corrosion will happen and it gets hidden from view. If you have done much airframe repair you get to see these hidden places. I also have an A&P cert., but now am aero engineer with structural repair experience, and this hidden corrosion is a prime suspect.

For my past mechanic business, I used(still use on my airplane) another product spec'd for the aerospace industry called Carbon-X, made by the Arrow-Magnolia company, but it is usually available only thru aviation vendors like Sporty's or Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. Even better than the Extreme Green; very aggressive - undiluted it will get out most exhaust stains and strip oxidized paint, but should be diluted per directions for most other uses. And not used on the plastic info decals on cars, the printing will be dissolved away (unconfirmed, but I suspect the Extreme Green might do the same thing).