how to clean out the IC system?

[Mephisto]

so i took off the intercooler today to try and figure out just why im intake temps are in the 130's... i pulled the hose off the back, and half of the opening was blocked by this white sandy rocky lookin sh1t... i hacked most of it off with a screwdriver and tried to flush it out as best as possible...

i dont know if that crap is all inside the IC, and the lower as well... is there any kinda cleaner that i can put in there to get it out? im almost possitive thats the reason for my high temps, since all that stuff is blocking the flow.

 

[sy112]

i've noticed that on mine as well, doesn't sound like near as much as yours though. I was contemplating hot tanking it at a machine shop, shouldn't hurt anything and will totally clean it out.

 

[Ty0279]

All the crap that's built up in there could be mineral deposits from using tap or hose water. Use distilled water to refill when you're done cleaning the system. To fill the IC system, I like 70% distilled water, 30% coolant, plus a bottle of Water Wetter.

 

[4C FED]

i've noticed that on mine as well, doesn't sound like near as much as yours though. I was contemplating hot tanking it at a machine shop, shouldn't hurt anything and will totally clean it out.

A "hot tank" will destroy it. The caustic solution used in the tank eats aluminum.
The best they can do is put it in a tank with a non-caustic solution. Usually filled with something similar to Berryman's.

Maybe you could use some of the CLR (Calcium Lime & Rust remover) stuff to remove the hard water deposits that have built up inside.

 

[Mephisto]

i was actually thinkin about using CLR... hmmm maybe ill give it a shot...

also where do you get water wetter? i was at pep boys today and the engineering genius behind the counter had no idea what i was talkin about.

thanks for the help guys!

 

[4C FED]

Go to the redline website.
They'll list dealer's/distributor's in your area.

 

[Ty0279]

i was actually thinkin about using CLR... hmmm maybe ill give it a shot...

also where do you get water wetter? i was at pep boys today and the engineering genius behind the counter had no idea what i was talkin about.

thanks for the help guys!

Some PepBoys have WaterWetter, some don't. Just look for it yourself; don't bother asking the morons behind the counter.

 

[Tooky]

You really oughta flush your whole cooling system if that's the case. Think of the ramifications. Your heads might have sh!t like that in the water jackets creating hot spots and preventing full heat removal from the combustion chambers. Your heater might work more efficiently, and your radiator could cool the engine better.

The way I do it is jack up the left front corner of the truck and put a small hose underneath the radiator spigot (gotta have the drivers wheel well out) and route it into a pan or a bucket. Then start to loosen the radiator faucet until you achieve proper flow. Watch out on my truck the faucet worked like a POS and didnt really flow until you pulled the plug and sticky damn antifreeze ran down every corner of my truck and made a collossal mess. Once you get the thing drained pull the upper radiator hose off the thermostat neck and start pouring in distilled water there a few times and let it come out the radiator. Distilled water costs $0.50/gal here so I buy as much as I can fit in a shopping cart (gets incredibly heavy, you won't be making any sudden turns trust me ) and pay like $5. Also you can run some distilled water thru the radiator fill cap (make sure to remove that before you start all this and do it with a cool engine so it doesnt burn you).

If you really are feeling adventerous I can tell you how I drained the block, I took some photos, the plugs are so difficult to access you'll either need special tools or removing the starter.

Finally FWIW the Redline Water Wetter seemed to be a total waste of $ on my vehicles, didn't notice any difference whatsoever, just created foam in my cooling system(s) and changed the green color to an ugly pinkish green.