Guys/gals - '59 Chevy, 6 cyl. I need to flush the cooling system. Gonna try method found here on the HAMB - Cascade dish powder. Problem - I have a new radiator ready to go in, but would rather flush the system with the old, leaking radiator that is currently in place. Anyone ever need to plug/slow a leak just long enough to do the deed? I'm thinking kids clay mushed into the small leaks in the core and hope it slows things down long enough to complete the process. Any other ideas? If it's absolutely not possible, I'll have to risk plugging my new radiator and then having it flushed by a pro, but maybe somebody can give me some ideas to use with the old one in place. Thanks
Household black pepper, or an egg, just crack it and drop it in. Will get you home till you can pull it appart.
i would think anything you put in to slow the leak would have a way of making it into your engine. i have always flushed engines without the radiator, just made a copper pipe that connects the upper and lower rad hoses with an inlet for fresh water and an outlet with a valve. that way i can run the engine and by restricting the outlet valve i can build some pressure if needed. i also have a one way flapper valve in between the inlet and outlet on the pipe but have been told it is unnecessary. good luck.
I'd probably throw pepper in mine and run with it but blt2go is probably right on this one. You could just leave the cap off the radiator. if its a slow leak it will just seep if not under pressure and should hold water long enough to clean out your water gallies.
Take a pair of needle nose pliers and pinch the leaking tubes ,you said it was just for cleaning out or I have shoved a potato into leak and got home,10 miles,but really blt2go has the best method,
Saw an egg used and it worked but only temporarily. Might last long enough to get the flushing done though.
Many moons we were on the road, 90 miles from home with a leaky radiator tube. It got hot in traffic, we pulled over and saw it *******. The remedy was, take the cap off, chew up lots of Bazooka gum, press it in place. Add water, put the cap back on loose and we ran for home. It held until we got home. Bob
I actually used window putty from a rest stop once on the top tank of an old merc. That also worked. But blt2go has the better solution of all that we have mentioned.
Make a bowl of stiff oatmeal and smush it onto the leak from the outside than run it with the cap loose.
I had a rock come through the grill on the Suburban and take out two tubes. I pinched off the tubes with my Leatherman to slow the leak until I got to the shop I was going to (20 miles on the highway, plus about 5 miles on Jimmy Carter Blvd and Buford Highway--heavy traffic). Once it cooled off, I took a vice grips and collapsed the tubes, then spackled that ****er up with JB Weld until I could get the 45 miles home. It worked without problem for better than a week before I finally swapped a new radiator in. I went back down to that shop twice, which is a 90-mile round trip, and did a bunch of around-town driving, too. If I were the OP and wanted to flush everything, I'd make a rig to put a garden hose fitting over the water pump inlet on the block, uncork the block drains at the pan rail one side at a time, and fish around in them with a coat hanger while the hose it turned on. -Brad
My wife's Cougar threw a fan blade through the radiator. You can imagine the wound it made. We bought every stick of chewing gum the gas station had, chewed it and stuffed it in the damaged area. It didn't stop the leak but it got us the 8 miles we had to go to get home. I think we shoved over 50 pieces in there.
Why would you want to put garbage in your engine jackets. Take the old radiator out, run the water in one hose, and out the other.
I did a repair on the road once when the fan shaft sheared off and put the fan thrugh the radiator on the side of the road. I cut open the bad tubes, opened them, shoved some JB weld into hem and pinched and folded over the bad tubes. Ran for 5 years without a leak. I am sure silicone would work, too. But if its just a slow leak, any radiator sealant you pour in would work.
Rowdy Roddy Piper from "They Live" ..."I'm here to kick *** and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of bubble gum"
I've been using "Bars LeaK" for 40 years ,,it'll lube your water pump while flushing out the motor and it'll seal up the leak in that old radiator so you can use it in sumthin' else later ,, In my Jaguar owners manual ,,it says to use "Bars Leak" every 40,000 miles ,,to lube the water pump ,,, werks great !!!
If you are just flushing the engine to put in the new radiator I would recommend just remove the t-stat and flush the block right through the rad hoses with the old rad removed. The flow you will get is much better than restricting your flush through a radiator. Might want to flush the heater core through the heater hoses removed from the engine. This can also help eliminate pushing any debris from the old radiator into the block. Throw in a new t-stat when you put it all back together.
The "Egg" method has been lost in 90 years of translation. Actually, it is 'liquid gl***', or 'water gl***'. (powdered egg whites and some other age-old ingredient) If you have a good druggist in your town, get it from him. Eggs in the radiator will make a stoppage, maybe seem to slow the leak... Black pepper is for sure.
Just what is it that you are trying to flush out of the system? How bad is old radiator leaking? Take off the heater hoses and flush the heater seperately.Then connect the heater inlet and outlet on your engine with a piece of hose. I would not even worry about flushing through the old radiator if you are just getting rid of it. Take out thermostat, insert hose, start engine, turn on water and let it run till it comes out clear This is in effect reverse flushing the thing. Should not get hot as long as the water flows. Putting any kind of "fix it in a can" is a bad idea.
BONDO will hold off a leak for many years, used it on a P.O.S. nova I had when I was kid. smear it on both sides of the radiator, push it thru real good.
Yep, don't need a radiator to flush the system. Block the bottom hose and hook up a water hose to it. Take the thermostat out, pour the flush in, fill with water,divert the out-flow with another garden hose attached after you put the flush chemical in and hang it over the fence. when the temp comes up, turn on the spigot to a slow trickle,
carnation evaporated milk, works! it will get you home and wont plug up your heater core, and every thing else...don't believe me, try it or don't I don't care!
Yep, i was skeptical of it, but it works. just expose the leaking areas, drain it, dry it, put the JB Weld on (plenty thick), let is sit 24 hours and the leak is gone. i was planning to do it just until i could get a new Radiator, but is is still good after a year. it was however leaking in just in one spot. Not pretty but for what you described it should do the job for a few bucks.
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