Clag in cooling system.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
Likes: 3
From: Surrey
Clag in cooling system.
Hi,
Just curious about this. I took my manifold off & the 1st thing I found was a load of blueish white crystals in the t/stat housing. After getting the manifold off I found that both rear waterways in the heads were completely blocked with the same sort of stuff. This obviously won't help things, so I spent a happy afternoon cleaning it all out. What I'd like to know is what causes this?
TIA
Paul
Just curious about this. I took my manifold off & the 1st thing I found was a load of blueish white crystals in the t/stat housing. After getting the manifold off I found that both rear waterways in the heads were completely blocked with the same sort of stuff. This obviously won't help things, so I spent a happy afternoon cleaning it all out. What I'd like to know is what causes this?
TIA
Paul
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,183
Likes: 2
From: Des Moines Iowa
Re: Clag in cooling system. (UKPaul)
Don't know what the stuff you found is, but check your intake manifold, are you sure you have water passages through the intake where these rear water passages in the head are? I might be mis-remembering, but seems like some manifolds are that way.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 9,662
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From: Semper ubi, sub ubi
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Re: Clag in cooling system. (UKPaul)
Paul, my water passages were plugged also, but it was rusty mud looking mung! The crystal stuff sounds as if someone might have tried some sort of sealer at some time in the past.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
Likes: 3
From: Surrey
Re: Clag in cooling system. (paul79)
Thanks for the replies.
John: Yes, there are no waterways through the manifold at the rear. I should have been a bit more descriptive! What I'm wondering about is what is causing this stuff, as it isn't going to do any good if lumps fall off & start getting pumped through the rad.
Paul79 & Smokehouse: Excellent point! It could be RadWeld or something similar as I just had to have the rad re-cored, so the previous owner might have been dumping gallons of the stuff in for all I know. Don't think it's calcium deposits as, even though some bits are the right colour for calcium salts, it feels a bit to soft (it's just like the stuff that is found in the filter of a washing machine).
Paul: Maybe it's something that they're adding to our water :eek: (could be another crazy EU directive - they haven't been able to legislate or price old cars off of the roads, so maybe they're trying a different approach in clogging up the cooling systems)? Think I'll give up water & just drink beer (for medicinal purposes) :lol:
I'll flush the system out & check again for these strange crystals in a few months time.
Thanks
Paul
John: Yes, there are no waterways through the manifold at the rear. I should have been a bit more descriptive! What I'm wondering about is what is causing this stuff, as it isn't going to do any good if lumps fall off & start getting pumped through the rad.
Paul79 & Smokehouse: Excellent point! It could be RadWeld or something similar as I just had to have the rad re-cored, so the previous owner might have been dumping gallons of the stuff in for all I know. Don't think it's calcium deposits as, even though some bits are the right colour for calcium salts, it feels a bit to soft (it's just like the stuff that is found in the filter of a washing machine).
Paul: Maybe it's something that they're adding to our water :eek: (could be another crazy EU directive - they haven't been able to legislate or price old cars off of the roads, so maybe they're trying a different approach in clogging up the cooling systems)? Think I'll give up water & just drink beer (for medicinal purposes) :lol:
I'll flush the system out & check again for these strange crystals in a few months time.
Thanks
Paul
