[TR] Removing

[Brian Jones]

Think about  addressing this as three possible accumulations of gunk:  
radiator, block and heater core. I'd tackle each separately.

I had done as Randall suggests below, with the valve on the right side  
of the block, and got an eggcup full of green sparkly grit that may  
have been casting sand left in the block. My valve was seized, so with  
a replacement in hand I screwed out the old valve. Nothing came out of  
this approx 1" hole in the block. Not one drip! A poke around with a  
bit of coat hanger released the grit, and then a lot of old coolant.

My PO had installed a Prestone valve in the hose to the heater core.  
It controls the direction of flow when a hose is connected, so allows  
me to flush into the heater core or back-flush the block. You can  
obviously do the same thing removing either end of the heater hose,  
this just makes it simpler. When I flush one of the three, I isolate  
it from the others. I don't want to flush gunk from the heater into  
the block, for example.

The process I use for each of the three items is to flush, back-flush,  
then flush again until all water runs clear. For the radiator, I back- 
flush by duct-taping my garden hose to the bottom rad port to get a  
partial seal....enough water gets into the rad to flush it.

I change coolant/antifreeze annually and will maybe do a full flush  
every couple of years. This is more frequent coolant change than they  
recommend, but its worth ensuring fresh rust inhibitor every year, I  
feel.
I use flush solution from my FLAPS. I think Prestone still has a full  
range. I never knew enough to try the 'good' flushes.


Brian

On Jul 18, 2008, at 8:51 PM, triumphs-request at autox.team.net wrote:

> Message: 7
> Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:08:53 -0700
> From: "Randall" <tr3driver at ca.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [TR] removing rust in block
> To: <triumphs at autox.team.net>
> Message-ID: <6FF2C1FC950E4EFE83E45D63144DB21C at jdnet.deere.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>> Along the same lines, I have a GT6 that I believe is running hot. I
>> removed the thermostat & noticed a ton of garbage in the thermostat/ 
>> pump
>> housing. The passage over to the intake was nearly blocked with rusty
>> metal bits. This leads me to believe that there is other stuff in the
>> passages that needs to come out. I've flushed with water several
>> times...keeping the system going until no brown stuff came out, but  
>> more
>> brown stuff keeps showing up. My question is, do the chemical flushes
>> work?
>
> Apparently, the 'good' flushes have been taken off the market; at  
> least I
> can't find them on local shelves any more.  But my local radiator  
> shop has a
> process where they blow a mixture of water and air through the  
> engine, that
> seems to work well.
>
> The other thing you can try is removing the plug (or valve) on the  
> side of
> the block, and probing through the hole with a stiff wire.  Then  
> flush water
> out the hole until it runs clear.  Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.
>
> Randall