rusty sludge in engine water jackets

[1965cuda]

have a 1917 Continental  engine that I need to .get as much rust safely out of as possible.  Any one have some ideas.  thanks     Actually,    engine number is 7W 24548  dated  3-17-16.  the engine was supposed to be rebuilt by a previous owner.  we found problems so the head is off, pistons out.   Various little things are being corrected.  Now the water jacket needs cleaning.  With the advice you folks gave us,  I believe we will  use thermocure to clean it up.  Thank all of you very much

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3 by 1965cuda
added information and thank you's (see edit history)

[zdillinger]

Run pure, undiluted Evaporust as coolant for as long as you can depending on your area's winter. Picked up that tip from Ed Minnie here on the forum and it worked wonders in my 28 Pontiac. 

Edited August 1 by zdillinger (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Rusty Sludge? .....I have couple of his albums. Good garage music..............Bob

Edited August 1 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[Angelfish]

I don't know anything about the design of that engine, but I've been known to pull the water pump, open the drain valve(s) and spray a high pressure garden hose inside the block.   I made a long nozzle out of 1/4" steel tubing that could reach all the way to the back of the block.  That will get the worst of it, although probably not all of it.

 

 

Edited August 1 by Angelfish (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

Do these engines have water distribution tubes?

[Grimy]

@1965cuda it would be helpful to know which Continental engine you have.  I have a Cont 8A in my 1922 Paige (and that's by far the most common car it was used in, and 9A and 10A are minor improvements).  The water pump is side-mounted and driven by a long shaft attached to a timing gear (no chain).  There are two small core plugs on the left side of the block, which should be removed.  If head removal is possible, mechanically clean out the vertical water passages in the block and head.

 

I believe in Evaporust and Thermocure but caution you to use a stocking filter in the top tank of the radiator (inserted through the upper radiator neck) and remove, rinse, and reinstall it FREQUENTLY during the Evaporust process--lest all the debris turned loose from the block clog your radiator.  Search the forums for "stocking filter for radiators" for detailed info.

[Mark Shaw]

Larry Schramm wrote an article about how to do this.  

[JRHaelig]

Just an enhancement on Angelfish.....I stepped the garden hose down with a length of rubber fuel line.

 

I also Roto-Rootered with a length of garage door cable.  Alternate and repeat as desired. 

 

Then came the Evaporust.

 

The Gaino or panty hose filter for a while should save your radiator.

[R Walling]

 Remove the core plugs and fish around with a probe to loosen up the rust, then flush many times. Then repeat!   Leave the hose running in the radiator while probing for rust. Then if you desire, use the evaporust.

 

 I have a hemi that was so blocked up that when I removed the water pump it was solid rust in the block and the water pump.

 After disassembly, and core removal, I used a 1500lbs pressure washer, then had the block boiled, and when I re flushed it with the pressure washer much more rust came out. 

Ps, when I reinstalled the radiator 6 months later, the radiator still had water in it even though the hoses were off all the time.

 

 The core plugs must come out or you are just wasting your time!

Edited August 2 by R Walling (see edit history)

[1965cuda]

On 7/31/2024 at 10:57 PM, rocketraider said:

Do these engines have water distribution tubes?   don't see any

 

[28 Chrysler]

The sludge is part water pump grease that must be removed before any of the rust removers (rustbeeter / evaporust) will work.

I recommend a strong solution of simple green and near boiling water.

After you get the oils out you can attack the rust with the water the based products.

[Buick35]

I recently last spring used evap-o-rust and developed a bad leak in my water jacket on my 35 Buick.I removed the exhaust/intake manifold for access to the water jacket which resulted in a crack in my exhaust manifold after installation( I bought another one ). Finally after several attempts I got the leaks stopped. I read where someone mentioned using "no-rosion" and purified water in the cooling system so that's what I'm trying.

[60FlatTop]

Those openings are core plugs and the cavity inside the block was a carefully placed sand core molded to set the casting as designed. After pouring the sand cores were shaken and vibrated out with a aptly named shaker. This is a quiet one. Bigger and noisier ones for an engine block.

 

 

After many years of use, sitting, hard water, chemicals, and other attacks there is a lot of crud in the chambers. Each time the car was operated slit in suspension would settle out, in the hottest areas calcium and magnesium salts would adhere to the surface. I have worked on other systems where a build up of suspended particles and water borne salts have restricted heat transfer in my instance, some nearly impossible to access.

The first step is to begin thoroughly drying the silt. If you can get a dry airflow from one core plug to another you have a good start. Just leave the air flowing as long as you can. If you can route the airflow into a bucket you can watch your progress. The silt will come out in a fine powder.

As the drying becomes visible you can start reaching deeper with probes and wire, breaking the hard deposits and the scale from the surfaces. Keep the air flowing. As the drying process continues more silt duct will fill your bucket. Work at the packed stuff in the rear and around distribution tubes. Sometimes a stubborn tube will slide right out after drying.

Airflow will do wonders in my industrial applications I have increased flow and efficiency by more that 50%.

You might find that old scale and silt was hiding a pinhole or greater leak. That's a risk to address but to do the job well I would create the airflow and adjust the channeling of the air to thorough dry the water jackets.

[dodge28]

I would remove the thermostat and fill the rad  with vasol ,rotate the engine for about 5 minutes, drain then fill with Vaporust . Rotate  engine and let sit for a day, then  flush. repeat until  effluent comes out clean. Use air pressure to help push out liquid .