'73 Coupe Radiator Cleaning Question

[Jerry Britsch]

There appears to be a calcium deposit around each tube of the radiator. I drained the original radiator fluid and then flushed using Prestone's Radiator flush treatment but that still did not dissolve the deposits.

Has anyone ever tried something like CLR which is a household cleaning agent for removing calcium,lime,and rust? To the best of my knowledge, this is a copper tube radiator. Would using the CLR be a problem for the radiator?

Thanks.

[Dick W.]

Re: '73 Coupe Radiator Cleaning Question

What you are probably seeing is what is refered to as "solder bloom". It is a product of chemical reaction with some antifreezes of earlier era's. From my experience of owning a radiator shop years ago, the only thing that you can do to remove it is to remove the radiator and have it "cooked" out at a radiator shop. If the car is not running hot, or the radiator not leaking, I would just refill with a good conventional anti freeze (look on the label to see that it meets manufacturers specs) and add a pint of Pencool. It is a very good corrosion inhibitor additive for any copper/brass radiation. It is available from several sources. The Wix part number is 24056. NAPA and Carquest sell Wix filters under their own label. You can also get it at your favorite F..d dealership. It is their cooling system additive for the Power Stroke.

[Dick W.]

Re: '73 Coupe Radiator Cleaning Question

What you are probably seeing is what is refered to as "solder bloom". It is a product of chemical reaction with some antifreezes of earlier era's. From my experience of owning a radiator shop years ago, the only thing that you can do to remove it is to remove the radiator and have it "cooked" out at a radiator shop. If the car is not running hot, or the radiator not leaking, I would just refill with a good conventional anti freeze (look on the label to see that it meets manufacturers specs) and add a pint of Pencool. It is a very good corrosion inhibitor additive for any copper/brass radiation. It is available from several sources. The Wix part number is 24056. NAPA and Carquest sell Wix filters under their own label. You can also get it at your favorite F..d dealership. It is their cooling system additive for the Power Stroke.