>
> My SV appears to be running a little on the toasty side. I pulled the
> thermostat and the temp does not go down at all. I determined from this
> and a visual inspection of the inerds of my radiator that my next step
> should be to clean out the cooling system. I purchased some radiator
> cleaner from NAPA that say it disolves rust and scale. You put it in the
> car, let it idle for 30 minutes, then flush. It has no acid in it. (It has
> TSP - trisodium phosphate, and something bisulphate). It only cost about 3
> bucks. If this does not do the job I am going to take it to the radiator
> shop and have it rotted (rodded?) out. I will post the results of this
> experiment after I perfrom the procedure. BUT If anyone knows a any reason
> why I should not do this, please speak now or forever hold your peace.
>
> Chris
TSP is a moderately strong alkaline. I've used it to strip paint from
small car parts in place of lye because it's easier to handle and works
just about as well. It's also used to clean walls of houses before
painting, because it's also a pretty good degreaser.
My guess is that this flush won't do much, but I don't think it will
hurt your radiator as long as you don't leave it in too long and rinse
thoroughly afterwards.
I recommend downloading Greg Fieldson's article for some insight into
what causes radiator problems. One area I hadn't even considered was
the role of solder oxidation in clogging radiators and reducing
cooling efficiency.
BTW, removing the thermostat is not a good idea.
Roland
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