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Best way to flush the Coolant System?


Guest perrymedik

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Guest perrymedik

I’m nearing the end of a long fix for my 49 P-18. After I get the Fuel System Primed, and the Oil gunk cleaned out it will be time to reinstall the Radiator. When I took it off it looked like heavy muddy water being poured out. Makes me think I need to flush the cooling system before I fill it back up.

What is the best way to do this?

Also, any considerations on selecting a coolant to refill the system with?

Thanks!

Cory

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It might pay to have the radiator top and bottom tanks removed to clean the core. If possible.

If the radiator has been left dry for a long time. Any dirt and crud could have dried rock hard. And might not dislodge with a general cooling flush.

You can buy some fairly strong cleaners. But it might just block it up more.

Ian

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post-35316-143142791151_thumb.jpgI recently purchased a 33 Plymouth that would boil over after just a few minutes of driving. Turns out the previous owner left the radiator cap off and the rodents moved in.

I flushed the radiator out by fattening up the end of a garden hose with duct tape and clamping it inside the bottom radiator hose while the upper hose was removed. Turned the water on full blast and out came acorns,peanuts,and seat padding. I also removed the freeze plugs and flushed the block too. She runs cool now. Here's some of what came out of the radiator and the duct taped garden hose.

post-35316-143142791178_thumb.jpg

Edited by Reg Evans (see edit history)
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Guest perrymedik

I may give the home made flush first to see how it does before paying someone to do it! Great idea!

Any way to flush the engine block myself?<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

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I may be wrong, but I thought that those engines had a replaceable coolant tube that would rust out. Consult with others or your shop manual and verify its condition. Otherwise, to reverse flush the block I would remove the thermostat and open the drain plugs, insert a garden hose in the thermostat cavity and let it run for a while.

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I may be wrong, but I thought that those engines had a replaceable coolant tube that would rust out. Consult with others or your shop manual and verify its condition. Otherwise, to reverse flush the block I would remove the thermostat and open the drain plugs, insert a garden hose in the thermostat cavity and let it run for a while.

Yes, you must check out the water distribution tube on the passenger side of the block under the water pump. They can disintegrate over time.

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Guest perrymedik

Will do! And I've already checked with Andy Bernbaum's to make sure they have a replacement on hand!! Thanks for the help!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
I may give the home made flush first to see how it does before paying someone to do it! Great idea!

Any way to flush the engine block myself?<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

Pop the freeze/core/welch/casting plugs and use a stiff wire to poke at things while you flush the sediment out. But based on your next post below, you have already figured that out.

It may seem like a silly question, but how do you remove the oil fill tube that sets right in front of the lower forward freeze plug?

My the picture in my parts manual is fuzzy, so I’m not real sure, but it looks like it screws in. I’ve taken a set of adjustable pliers to it right at the bottom and tried to unscrew it but it won’t budge! The only thing that happens is that a bit of the pipe shaves off in the teeth of the jaws. My next thought is to find a set of vice grips large enough to fit around it and really dig into it.

I have cleaned out the whole area and let it set with PB Blaster but I can’t get it to budge to unscrew.

I’ve seen some posts saying that the bottom is tapered leading me to thing it just sites in place due to friction, but I don’t have anything that I can think of that would sit under the flair at the bottom of the tube to give me upward leverage.

I’m just asking because I don’t want to start man handling it and end up breaking something.

Thanks!

Cory

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It is my understanding that the filler tube is simply a press fit into the block. Do you really need to get it off to access the plug on the block? You might be able to work around it (I don't remember the plugs on my earlier engine being a problem getting at and I know I did not remove the oil filler tube).

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Guest perrymedik

Ply33: Thanks for the reply. You posted faster then I could delete my post! LOL! I did get it out though.

As for needing to remove it, yes. It is dead center in front of the freeze plug with only about 1/2" or less of clearance.

But its off now, and now I can remove the freeze plugs!<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

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Guest perrymedik

Would anyone like to hear a story?

Excellent!!

It’s a story of a young man who was trying take freeze plugs out for the very first time in his life on a very old, cantankerous, unfriendly flat six.

The young man just wanted the flat six to be cool. Everyone wants to be cool right? So starting with the top forward plug out comes the drill to make a hole, then in goes the steel punch A few vigorous strikes with the mallet later the young man thinks that a little prying with the steel punch will pop that freeze plug right out!

Pressure applied . . . .

Pop!!!!!!

But not the freeze plug! Oh no, that would be much too easy! And if there is one thing this young man has learned is that nothing, NOTHING, is easy with this flat six.

Instead of the plug popping out, the tip of the punch snapped off and fell down into cooling chamber. OF COURSE!!!!!! I mean, why wouldn’t it?

Anyway, recomposed myself, and got the 5 plugs on the side out. Grabbed my little flex claw and tried to fish it down to see if luck would be on my side and let me retrieve it. Ummm, No. Luck hates me! J I was unable to get the claw down far enough.

This is what the rear bottom plug hole opening looked like.

134B551A-DC45-4428-B272-8DA543F9070F.jpg

So, thinking hard on what to do, I reached into the rear bottom hole and cleaned out as much as I could reach to the left towards where the tip of the punch was, then cut a side out of an old ATF bottle and fit it into the rear hole so that when I ran the hose in the top forward hole the water would flow down and the plastic piece would act as a diverter in hopes that it would catch the punch tip and I could retrieve it. And you know what? It worked!!! Huzzah! Luck mildly acknowledges me!!

After some flushing, and scraping in the chambers with a hanger I stuck my finger in the hole I had placed the diverted and could feel the punch tip! Stuck my magnet rod in there and pulled it out!

7A9D7D70-833B-4F5F-80F7-2044669296B4.jpg

Who knows what kind of damage that bad boy could have caused!

Any way after that I began flushing all the top holes with the hose and using the coat hanger to reach all corners of the cooling chambers by sending it down the Manifold Cover bolt holes and wiggling it around feeling out the sludge. I would keep this up in an area until the water would run clear again and then move on to the next hole. While am sure there is a little gunk hanging out somewhere, it is without question much better now then it was before.

Then I noticed that the towel I have covering the cylinders and valves was wet. What is this? Apparently I had bumped the hose and changed its angle upward and water was also flowing out the bolt holes and into the piston cylinders!!

Freak out #2!!

I shut off the water, soaked out all the water from the pistons, broke out the air hose and blew them out with a paper towel in front of the air to catch the water, then poured some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders and liberally wiped down each cylinder in hopes that it will displace the water and prevent them from rusting. Doh!!!!

Anyway, that wraps up the excitement for the night.

Now to find a place that sells the CORRECT Freeze plugs. NAPA, love ya, but you ain’t the place!

More to follow in the chronicles, I’m sure of it!!

Cory

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The way I took my freeze/welch/core/block plugs was with some self-drilling/self-tapping sheet metal screws. Run them down leaving the head of the screw proud of the plug by enough to get the claw of a carpenter's hammer on it then pull it out.

New plugs should be available at any of your better local auto supply stores. This is the one for my engine (I think the later engines used the same size but am not totally sure and don't see it listed in the later parts book): http://www.ply33.com/Parts/group18#117924

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Guest perrymedik

Ordered new plugs! They should be in tomorrow morning! Thank you for the sizes and part numbers!<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

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Guest perrymedik

Jack M: Yep. The good thing is that I had drained the oil before I started getting into the Valve Train because of all the gunk I uncovered when I took the Valve Covers off. It was fresh oil, so I saved it to re-use. Once I get done buttoning up the coolant system, and the valve train (removing everything and replacing the #1 exhaust valve and associated parts because of a broken spring), I am going to pull the Oil pan back off and clean it out (again) as well as give everything a thorough wipe down and lube (Camshaft, tappets, rods, bearing journals, etc.). I also have a new oil pan strainer on stand by and once I get the engine running I'll let it warm up to operating temperature and let it run for a while while I adjust the carb, timing, and valves. Once that is done, I'll drain the oil, pull the pan again, clean it, give everything a second inspection and reinstall the oil pan and refill with fresh oil and filter.

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