Radiator cleaning...

[Mopar1973Man]

Well gang... I figure I better get the coolant change before winter. So I desided to pull the radiator and inspect it and was surprised to find the face plugged with mud and dirt... Not greasy grime like stock crankcase vents but just mud on the lower part... So I gave everything a good cleaning... Close up... The radiator... Flushing the block... Appearance of the block currently at 173K The intercooler face. Appearance of the block at 100K... Inside the radiator... Flushing...

[ISX]

I thought it was a honeycomb at first as dirty as it is. I always pop the hood and blast all the coolers with the power washer so nothing has bugs in it. Good for half of a third of a degree in my A/C vents.

[Mopar1973Man]

I do that also but with the intercooler and the A/C condenser and the fron bumper there is places you really can't clean too well...

[dobienut]

You just spray with the pressure of an ordinary water hose or do you use a pressure washer?

[white01]

what was your choice of coolant?

[guesswho512]

Good for half of a third of a degree in my A/C vents.

wouldn't that be a 1/6th of a degree(hopefully C) anyway i notice that mine was dirty(not blowby, just dust and dirt. i got i real close with my air hose and blew a lot of crap out with 90-100PSI. i also have flushed my coolant system recently(not quite 3 months yet). i didn't pull the radiator to save time. i used prestone antifreeze and used their flush in a bottle. my coolant temp used to set around 170, after changing that thermostat, it hangs out at 195

[Mopar1973Man]

You just spray with the pressure of an ordinary water hose or do you use a pressure washer?

Standard old garden hose sprayer... (70 PSI) Now if I turn the pelton generator off I could of had 118 PSI... (Idaho power washer)

what was your choice of coolant?

Good old cheap NAPA Green anti-freeze at about $6 bucks a gallon... As you can see there is absolutely no need for expensive coolants, additives, etc to keeping a cooling system clean and working. It all about doing the coolant change and flushing the system regularly. After 9 years and 173K miles and have a radiator that clean internally using CREEK water and cheap NAPA antifreeze... Yea that water comes from here...

[Prowelder]

Hey,

That's nothing, check this out:

Freaking poppy seeds!!

Oil....

More oil!!

It was so plugged it was getting warm on the dyno back in June!

So I cleaned it:

The a/c works much better now, plus I know it has to be cooling better too!!!

Later,

Winslow

[Mopar1973Man]

Yeah I've seen plenty of those nasty crankcase vent slobber pics... - But how's the inside of your radiator look?

[Prowelder]

Yeah I've seen plenty of those nasty crankcase vent slobber pics... -

But how's the inside of your radiator look?

Hey,

Well it was pretty clean really, but I wash it though dozens of time just to make sure! The truck has 228k on it now and I've had it since 207k so I don't know how it was treated before me. This is the only inside picture I have when I replaced the still good water pump:

Later,

Winslow

[KOYOTE]

a cummins radiator laying on the back of a perfect cummins canidate, that old rusty chevy is sweet:thumbup2:

[Prowelder]

a cummins radiator laying on the back of a perfect cummins canidate, that old rusty chevy is sweet:thumbup2:

Good eye there!! I call it the "42" b/c I don't know really what year it is, but that's what the guy I got it from called it so the name stuck. I've got the frame set-up for a straight axle off a '64 Ford truck but not sure how well that would work with the Cummins.... Of course I did that work before I got into Cummins so I might have to redo things before I build the project!!

[98whitelightnin]

Mike, your "creek" water looks alot better than the creeks in my neck of the woods.