Prestone rad cleaner before block weld oring fix?
 

I've gotta do the famous block weld Oring fix on my beloved blue 83 which I bought new. So I saw that plastic Prestone rad flush kit at Kragens and wondered if I oughta run that gimmick a while before adding the de-greaser, etc. What do you think? Will it make it cleaner and easier?

B

Sounds reasonable to me.

Couldnt hurt.

I better do it this weekend: been adding almost a quart a day of distilled water only (figured that would be OK as the temps are moderate here - no freezing, and that helps flush the glycol).

My DD 85GSL has been down with a dragging clutch, and I either gotta fix it myself (ugh) or drive it 10 miles to the shop that replaced it 6 months ago. Good thing I learned to drive farm tractors when I was 12.

B

Pep Boys doen't have anything labeled "purple power cleaner" but they have something by Castrol, and another product by Greased Lightning, which they say is known as Purple...etc. I'll use that, even tho it comes in a spray bottle for tires, etc.

I also figure to flush it out with that Prestone plastic gadget.

B

Yeah,, purple power is good. try to find it though. one gallon !! for the block weld to work all/any trace of antifreeze must be gone, don't forget to turn the heater on full when flushing the system too.

greased lightning will dull aluminum, if its not already corroded.

I'm kinda unsure what this block welding is, i assum welding housings together? But every other housing is aluminum and you can't weld them together.

sorry i see now o-ring weld, i'm still unfamilar, someone fill me in

http://www.crcindustries.com/gallery...k&w/401016.jpg

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/o-ring_fix.html

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/coolantfix.html

Ive done it.. and it worked.. no expensive rebuild :)

that stuff actuall works. i had an audi....but thats a whole different story all together......

Oops! I thought we were supposed to use the CRC block weld stuff with copper suspended in it!

And I'm still confused about what the "Purple Power cleaner" is. Well, anyhow I got the CRC copper block weld and the purple degreaser at Pep Boys.

B

purple power is an evil but effective cleaner that strips aluminium of its finish and kills anything it touches, including grease!

yep, thats why it's used to clear any trace of antifreeze,
and yeah, the CRC is 'the ' stuff. two bottles of CRC, one gallon of purple power.

The purple stuff from Pep Boys is a 40 oz. spray bottle, so if that's the right stuff I need 3 bottles to makeup my gallon, right? Says 'greased lightning' on the label. Castrol also has a purple bottle of degreaser.

B

Whatever is in that purple bottle sure takes the oil off my driveway!

Soon as I'm sure my 85GSL is back on the road I do the Oring fix on the blue83. Then I get to do the ACV on the red83. While I was at Pep boys I bought a pair of 1/4" fast bleeders for $10 and put one on the 85 so I could bleed the balky clutch. It helped, but I still get broken clutch sounds when I depress the pedal, and that clutch went in 6 months ago, and I TOLD the guy to use OEM parts. Oh well, he gets it back monday.

So I got 3 FBs which are ordinarily AOK, except for the smog on the red83, and now they all have problems! When it rains it pours. My solution: buy another FB (or maybe a FC vert).

B

Ok, what exactly are people fixing with that blockweld crap? Is this a water leak fix, or the "leak of death" (12a little puddle) possible fix?

This is for the case where water leaks into the engine (usually after an overheat problem), usually thru the Orings that gasket the combustion chamber slices. Maybe, too, the Orings in the manifold. Car starts funny and splutters, emits lots of white smoke, and water level in radiator goes down every day.

B

OK, I gave it the wash and rinse cycles yesterday, put 16 oz. (a single bottle of 16 oz. vs. 2 bottles of 8 oz.) of that CRC copper-bearing Sodium Silicate solution in with tap H2O, and ran at idle for 30 minutes last night. I'm about to go out and run it at idle again for 30 minutes, per instructions.

It's not clear from the instructions when and if I drain out the solution and refill with coolant solution. Probably, it doesn't matter once the leak is fixed.

I used that Prestone plastic gadget (which amounts to a 5/8" tee in the heater hose), and I put the T in the heater hose line that goes down to the lower rad hose water pump area (tho this seems contrary to instructions, the introduced water should circulate throughout the system). I just pulled the hose off the steel pipe, attached the T, and attached another piece of 5/8 from the T to the pipe so I wouldn't have to cut the old hose and work in tight quarters.

That gadget makes it pretty easy to flush the radiator and engine, and I did it both without the engine running and with the engine running. During the rinse cycle I ended by flushing with the engine running, the temp gauge moving up to normal so the t'stat is open, and clear water coming out the tank neck (instead of opening the lower drain cock, which is a b*tch, or the engine drain which is ultra slow) for several minutes.

I had the interior temp control all the way open throughout, and made sure hot air came out when I wanted the engine hot.

I used about 20 oz. of that Pep Boys degreaser in each wash cycle, bringing the temp up to normal and running a few minutes at idle to get good circulation. Then I let it cool and drained and rinsed thoroughly. Then repeated the wash/rinse cycle 3 times. That intermediate rinse cycle is essential, I believe, to dilute the unwanted chemicals in the system.

Took about 6 hours elapsed time, about 2 hours actual work, and the rest waiting for the engine to cool.

So I'm about to go out and give it the morning warmup, and then, after letting it cool down I'll try a drive around town. Wish me luck.

B

Great thread bliffle! Please keep this thread updated with the results. I think this'll be a keeper for the FAQ.

I ran it about 30 mins at idle after letting it cool down overnight. It started with a little white smoke, which is alarming. So this is twice that I've run it at idle for 30 mins after adding the 16 oz. of CRC. I'm about to go out and run it around town a little to see how it runs.

The CRC bottle says to drain the system after cooling after the temp runup, and leave the system open to let air circulate. I don't see that mentioned in the RX-7 Club documents. But it makes sense, so I'll try it. Maybe I'll help air circulation by using my 12volt tire inflator to push some air thru the system after the water+CRC drains.

B

I started it last night (with the CRC still in the system) and drove it around town and on the freeway. Started without white smoke! That's the good news. But on the freeway I detected a very slight miss in the motor, which I notice because this is absolutely the smoothest running 7 I've ever driven. Like silk.Very very slight miss that no one else would ever notice.

So I'm going to wait until tonight and try it again. The CRC is still in the system. Maybe I'll drain it and air out the system tomorrow.

B

Yes it would be good to drain it out completely and rinse after the fix is complete, then refill with distilled water & coolant.
Ive done the CRC copper block sealer procedure twice for good measure and it worked.. but it also ruined the water pump both times.

Aha! I wondered if it would ruin something. But a water pump is nothing compared to any other fix.

In a few minutes I'm going to drive it a little. Wonder if I should drain the CRC and refill with coolant first? Think I'll wait if WP is the worst that will happen.

B

heres where i got my info.

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/o-ring_fix.html

what is up with this forum !! who's driving ?? why is my post not here ? wtf,,,over. carl, is that you ?

never mind . my bad.