The previous owner of my GTUs left a three page print-out about using block weld for coolant leaks... Since I'm going to have the motor rebuilt, I'm not going to do it, but I was thinking about applying part of the write up to my FB.

It talks about running "Purple Power" cleaner (or any heavy duty industrial cleaner) through the radiator/cooling system. I have no idea when/if the cooling system of my FB was ever flushed out, but you gotta figure that with 165,000 miles on it, it must have some crap in there... So, I'm thinking about doing that part of the write up to my motor.

Has anyone done anything like that? Is it worth doing? Any drawbacks?

I'm going to do the Seafoam treatment as well, just to see if I can get her running right. When my 13B gets back from being rebuilt, it's going into the FB anyway, but since that won't be until the end of the summer or early fall, I'd like to be able to drive around on the 12A until then.

 

my 12a is a 80 and has about 100k on it and the oil cooling lines are clean as a whistle i would not suggest using industrial strength cleaner, mainly because the thermostat tells the engine when to let the fluid in and it needs to be cooled at that temp not cleaned, have you considered cleaning it when you have it apart, that would be alot safer, but even than i would be afraid of leaving crap from cleaning it in thier and messing the whole dang thing up.

 

IIRC Purple Power is even harder on aluminum than Simple Green (if it's the same "purple power" I picked up to try and clean my engine bay last year)

You might want to check it on a small section of rotor housing exterior or something before running it throuth your coolant.

They make specific "radiator flush" chemicals you can use. Prestone has one. Takes like 1L, mix with enough water to fill your coolant system (up to I think 12L). Drain everything fill with that, run the car for 10 min or whatever the instructions say, drain, refill with 50/50.

As for stopping leaks in the block, I can't remember where I saw it (probably the archive) but there's a thread on using some sort of copper compound to seal that kind of leak.... I'll have to look it up later.

Jon

 

I thought you had to like distil or w/e the word is the purple power to tone it doan a lil to make it not eat away at the internals.

 

Dilute, and no, that's a bad idea.

Jon

 

I've used The Treatment on 3 cars and it worked fine for about a year and then you have to repeat, or else replace those fried ORings. Basic idea is to clean all the slippery stuff out with water rinses while engine running, followed by dilute solution of detergent, then flush with clear water until effluent is not slippery. I install a plastic prestone flush TEE in the lower heater hose near the radiator lower connection and supply enough tap water pressure to have a little brook coming out the opened radiator cap. Cool off engine, almost fill with clear tap water, add small bottle of colloidally suspended copper solution (from autostore - various brand names, clear liquid with coppery sediment at bottom - shake well before using). Let engine come up to operating temp at idle, without overrevving engine, let run at op temp for 15 minutes, cut engine and let it cool off. Drain enough water to add required coolant. Should be OK.

 

I don't think he needs to patch his FB's oil or coolant leaks... I think he just wanted to clean the system in a similar way to the tutorial on how to plug leaks in his boinger said.

Jon

 

Ok cool. I just couldnt remember that word for some reason.

 

I had a neat little sprayer that I could fill with degreaser and hook up to an air hose. Made spraying down an engine bay quick and easy. Beat the hell out of the typical window cleaner type pump sprayer. The last time I used it, I left full strength Purple Power in it. Next time I went to use it, the bottom of the container stuck to the shelf when I picked it up. The PP had eaten completely through and around the container, it was aluminum btw. I was pissed.

As far as flushing the cooling system, it would probably do an excellect job, for the brief time it is in the engine, it will dissolve aluminum over time. It took a couple of months to eat through my thin aluminum sprayer. The idea of flushing the cooling system is to clean the surface, this **** will do that. Just make sure it is completely rinsed out and neutralized.

 

soory dont mean to highjack and get off subject alil


[QUOTE=trochoid]I had a neat little sprayer that I could fill with degreaser and hook up to an air hose. Made spraying down an engine bay quick and easy. Beat the hell out of the typical window cleaner type pump sprayer. QUOTE]

i found that going to the DIY car wash and using the tire cleaner works pretty good too and its not as strong as the PP the only thing that it wont really get off is the oil that has been leaking out that baked on the block but other than that it works pretty good and im sure if you bring some PP and use the high presure and the tire cleaner you should be able to get it all clean. just me 2cents

charles