Rust in motor

[Bob56]

I have a 1958 corvette that I have been working on and finally got started after 18 years of sitting. I removed the heater and radiator hoses and found a lot of rust. Had the radiator repaired and am planning on a new water pump and thermostat. I soaked the thermostat housing in vinegar for 2 days and now no rust. Would I be able to put vinegar in the motor to clean the rust out of it? My radiator guy didn't seem to think it would be a problem but don't run it through the radiator. I still have the old water pump on the car.

[Guest Foggy norm]

Was it drained before you stored it? Did anti-freeze evaporate in it? Any acid is not good for copper or lead (solder). Anti-freeze is a petroleum product...oil/grease. Vinegar will not cut through any residue efficiently. Ideally...bypass the radiator if your gonna run the motor, rust flake's will clog it in no time!

[hchris]

I have a 1958 corvette that I have been working on and finally got started after 18 years of sitting. I removed the heater and radiator hoses and found a lot of rust. Had the radiator repaired and am planning on a new water pump and thermostat. I soaked the thermostat housing in vinegar for 2 days and now no rust. Would I be able to put vinegar in the motor to clean the rust out of it? My radiator guy didn't seem to think it would be a problem but don't run it through the radiator. I still have the old water pump on the car.

I have always found that one of her stockings, in the upper radiator hose, works a treat catching any of the muck thats circulating; vinegar I would be concerned about particularly coming into contact with alloys.

[Guest shadetree77]

I recently faced the same issue with my '52 Buick. That's the reason I clicked on this thread. I'll give you a run down of what I did based on some suggestions from fellow forum members and some internet research I did. Instead of vinegar, I used CLR(calcium, lime, rust remover). You can buy this stuff for around $5 at wal-mart and you'll need 2-3 bottles. Like you, I just had my radiator rodded and did not want to run the junk from the motor into the newly cleaned radiator. First, I drained ALL the coolant/water from the engine by taking the top and bottom radiator hoses loose. This includes opening any block drains you might have. After draining, close all of the drain cocks. Remove your thermostat(I think I read that you already did but I put this here in case anyone else reads this). Fill your engine block with a CLR/water solution. I poured in one bottle of CLR and topped off with water until it began to run out of the engine. I don't know how your rad. hoses are routed, but to keep the solution from running out my bottom hose, I loosened it from the engine, turned it upwards, and re-tightened the clamp. Start the engine, turn heater on high and rev it a few good times to thoroughly mix up the CLR and distribute it throughout the block. Shut off the engine and leave the CLR solution in there for about an hour. While it's doing it's job, attach a piece of hose to your top radiator hose with a hose clamp. I used a piece of 2" blue flat discharge hose. It sort of looks like a blue, rubber fire hose. You can get it at Home Depot on the tubing aisle next to the hot tub/spa tubing for $1.78/foot. Get a piece that is long enough to reach the ground when routed over the top of the radiator and across the front of the car. Then, hook up a water hose to your bottom radiator hose. I used a foot long piece of hot tub/spa tubing(again found at Home Depot $3.76/foot) inserted into the end of the rad. hose and duct taped the water hose to the end of it. Sounds hokey, but it works. When the hour is up, start your engine again with heater on high and turn the water hose on full blast. I recommend you put the outlet hose in a large bucket to begin with not only to keep the CLR from running out on the ground(just in case the EPA is listening:D) but so you can see just what kind of junk comes out of your motor. You will be shocked I assure you! After the CLR is out of the motor, you can just let it run out on the ground. It's just pure water at that point. Keep your engine running while flushing. Rev it a few times now and then and keep a close eye on the temp. gauge. She should run very cool with all that cold water flowing in. Flush as long as you want. I did mine for hours at a time. After this, I recommend doing the CLR flush at least once more if not twice. As I said, you will be surprised what kind of junk comes out. When you are finished, drain all the water out via the block drains and refill with antifreeze/distilled water solution. I also recommend putting a piece of panty hose on your top radiator hose to catch any remaining chunks that may come loose. You don't want that to get into your clean radiator! Just cut a piece, stretch it over the rad. nipple, and slide the hose over it. Be careful not to rip it. I used black pantyhose so it wasn't so conspicuous. Change out the pantyhose a few times over the next 100 miles or so. This process cured my overheating. Hope it works for you. Good Luck to you sir.

Edited July 7, 2012 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Bob56]

Thanks for the great advice