dish-washer soap in cooling system

[sp53]

Does anybody remember a thread some time back that suggested putting dish-washer soap in the cooling system then driving around for awhile then flushing?
Sp53

 

[Cheapsnake]

Never heard of the dishwasher soap tip, but I can attest to the effectiveness of commercial flush. My TR8 ran consistently hot due to having sat idle for many years (corrosion build-up in the radiator). I flushed the whole cooling system with a commercial flush (sorry, don't recall the brand) and the heating problem completely disappeared. It's one of the few "miracles in a can" that actually worked for me. Could be the same chemistry as the DW soap, but I'd be very careful with itbecause it's a caustic material and could actually remove more than crud from your radiator.

 

[crj7driver]

Yeah, my mechanic told me about using a de-greaser combined with dishwasher detergent. Said to run it for a few a hours, it is what he uses at his shop....he ran the maintenance department at a Honda dealer before starting his own shop FWIW.

It is important to get it up to temp in order for the detergent to activate, or so he said. Obviously it is important to flush with water afterwards.

Good Luck

 

[Andrew Mace]

I can see how this MIGHT be ok if we're talking liquid for an automatic dishwasher (i.e., Cascade or Electrasol), but not a squirt or two of Dawn or Palmolive or Ivory Liquid as you would use in the sink! The latter would be far too bubbly, and I can't imagine that would be at all good for the cooling system if you're running the engine any length of time.

 

[Don Elliott]

A British friend living in Hong Kong has a TR4A and a TR6. He said he'd drive down to the ferry to get me in his TR6. "Just look for a red TR6", he told me on the phone. He was a bit late and I found out why as we drove back up the steep roads on Mount Victoria where he lived. That very day, he had taken his TR6 to have the rad and cooling system flushed out. The liguid was caustic and it ate holes in the core plugs. We had to stop about 3 times on the way up the mountain to refill the rad and to prevent damage to the overheating engine.

 

[Tomster]

I think that we've all heard my opinions on chemical flushing "watch for lots of leaks in your heater core and elsewhere afterwards"

 

[dklawson]

I've never heard of DW detergent for a radiator flush. I can't see how it would be effective. In the old days the good radiator flush chemicals were a caustic and you had to add a neutralizer to the system after flushing with clean water. As mentioned by Tomster, a good, effective chemical flush will probably open up pin holes in the radiator and heater core. This isn't because the chemical is terrible in itself, it's just that our old cooling system parts have thin and/or corroded spots that are plugged with the very debris the cleaners seek to remove.

On a side note: Be careful about using radiator-stop-leak chemicals. I've seen on some non-LBC vehicles where these produced some heavy coatings and deposits inside radiators that reduced their ability to cool.

 

[Andrew Mace]

[ QUOTE ]
On a side note: Be careful about using radiator-stop-leak chemicals. I've seen on some non-LBC vehicles where these produced some heavy coatings and deposits inside radiators that reduced their ability to cool.

[/ QUOTE ]Amen to that! I very nearly destroyed my Mayflower with one of those substances. I do not remember the name, but it looked a bit like tapioca in a maple syrup. For all I know, that's exactly what it was, since all it really did was terribly clog the system and cause severe overheating. The car still ran afterwards, but smoked terribly and never again had the power (relatively speaking) it had before. All for a foolish attempt to quell a very slow coolant leak and get to a club event! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif

 

[Tomster]

Wadda yah mean " Bar All" hope of further repair MAY not work?Not good stuff unless your a million miles from no where

 

[jayhawk]

I did the dishwasher flush as a result of the recommendation here before doing the commercial chemical flush. Problem was, I also changed the old thermostat which was coated with several areas of scale, possibly preventing full opening/closing. Hard to tell whether the flush or the thermostat improved the cooling.

 

[Harry_Ward]

I believe the topic concerning the soap was concerning wetter water or water wetter and how soap will reduce the surface tension of water. The soap is used to aide in the cooling process by reducing the molecular cohesion of the water molecules. Nice theory. With the radiator removed. I just steam cleaned the exterior and flushed the radiator several times with hot and cold water. At the time I remember balls and chunks of what seemed like lead solder coming out and it scared me a plenty. When the crud and the balls stopped coming out I stopped the flush. No $$$ for a new radiator so after paint and a prayer I plugged it back in and the only leak was a pinhole at the top of the radiator behind the neck which I was was able to get a little solder of my own on. Oh, and it's BARS LEAKS by Bars and if you have to use it, less is best. Read the jug carefully before using.

 

[TheAssociate]

These are all interesting tips, but I must say this is one department I don't like to play with.
I just took the radiator out of my '72 Spitfire, went staight down to a local radiator shop and had it dipped in a solution tank, stirpping everything. Holes were found around the bottom, fixed by braising, the top and bottom were removed, cleaned - and the radiator was painted black.
I found out that this radiator had been rebuilt before, and had industrial coring installed. The mechanic admired that, and said it would be superior to the original, which I was happy about - having an old '72 1500 with the small radiator.
This entire experience cost me $90.00. This is also in Canadian, so roughly $84.00 US.
Now I can relax when it's hot outside.

Adam H.
____________________________________________________________
1972 Triumph Spitfire