Became the new owner of a 57 Chevy with some cooling system issues last week. The issue, so far, appears mostly to be due to coolant sitting in the system unused for a long period of time. That condition has resulted in "goo" plugged radiator tubes. Along with that, the heater core has been bypassed with a short piece of hose between the intake manifold and the water pump. At this time, I'm correcting the radiator issues but not planning on dealing with the heater right now. Finally, my question: Is there any problem with simply installing a pipe plug where the heater bypass hose is currently connected (at the water pump and intake manifold)?? Second question: Is there a "trick" way to flush the cooling system (to remove any 'goo", from the old sedimentary coolant, that might be in the system so I don't end up depositing it into my new/cleaned out radiator?? I was thinking of a overnight soak in white vinegar. Your input is greatly appreciated, Ron
I've actually heard about running white vinegar in the cooling system as in driving with it for a while will help it out. Not sure exactly how much or for how long though. Might want to look into that here using the search.
Just buy some Rad Flush and follow the directions. And no harm will come from blocking off the heater hose outlets.
in the search you will also learn about putting a filter in the upper hose to catch the sludge before it gets to the rad.
after you use a radiator flush , take out the two 1/4" pipe plugs on the side of the block right above the oil pan. that is the lowest part of the cooling system in the block and crud will settle there. i have actually used a piece of wire or screw driver to open them up. keep flushing until clear
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