Holts radiator coolant/flush

[Esky]

I've heard about the Holts radiator coolant/flush (donno which one) that has some sorta fine solid particle inside that's meant to gently scrub away the mineral/rust buildup... anyone has any info on it? And price? Thanks, bro! And sis!

[Turbobrick]

Introducing friction materials into the cooling system.....don't sound safe

Edited October 9, 2003 by Turbobrick

[Esky]

Maybe it's just a flush... something for 15 mins use only?

[Turbobrick]

I'm sure it's a flush that you don't leave in the cooling system but still, introducing friction on purpose

[Esky]

Well.. what to do? Wanna avoid replacing with a new unit!

[Genie47]

The simplest radiator flush you can use is vinegar. Just get white vinegar. Make a 50/50 solution with water. Fill the radiator and run your engine. Drain.

 

The rationale is this. Ever heard of calcified kettles and heaters? Same principle. You remove deposits with acid by boiling the kettle with acidfied water.

 

Why vinegar? Vinegar is acetic acid. It is a volatile acid. After you drain it off, the engine is still kinda warm, right? It will vaporize off. If you want to be safe, just flush with RO water after that and then proceed to fill with your normal radiator coolant/water mix.

 

You can get litres of white vinegar from Phoon Huat.

[Genie47]

Unfortunately, I just replaced my radiator unit. Radiator, pump, and fan. 18.5yo car, what do you expect. Another bunch of cash donated into the car. Stopping for twice on the E'way to the workshop just to let the car cool a little before continuing.

 

At first I wanted to do a complete system flush with the new radiator but I thought better of it. Radiator flushes are too harsh. Anyway, it is new radiator. The engine block would still have some deposits but it will be diluted down with the new coolant/water mix. In the next servicing (oil and filter change), I will be prepared with lots of diluted vinegar.

Edited October 11, 2003 by Genie47

[Esky]

Hey, great idea! White vinegar... the clear type used for cooking? Does it do any harm, since it's acidic?

Edited October 12, 2003 by Esky

[Genie47]

It is an acid. A weak acid and at 50/50 with water, it is OK. The principle behind the kettle fur removal method is that you change the deposits into acetate salts. Acetate salts are more soluble in water. They go into solution and get flushed off. Any residual acid left will be boiled off since acetic acid is volatile.

[Ace_t]

that is true if the water used in the kettle is 'soft' water....(correct me if I'm wrong)

 

and s'pore is using hard water, so the chance of having having it calcified is quite low....

 

 

 

but yr idea of using vinegar is good.

 

I suppose after flushing it, u would need some additive to prevent it from rusting. Or maybe an alkalic solution to balance the pH level.

 

 

 

...just my 2 p worth.

 

The rationale is this. Ever heard of calcified kettles and heaters? Same principle. You remove deposits with acid by boiling the kettle with acidfied water.

Edited October 13, 2003 by Ace_t

[Genie47]

Anti-freeze products like Prestone and Mercedes-Benze engine coolants are alkaline by nature. No need to balance. Just flush with water and fill her up with your regular coolant and water.

 

In SG, you don't get that kind of kettle fur. It is a black kind of deposit from the metal parts reacting with the acidic chlorine and flouride if I'm not wrong. You still got to remove them.

[Esky]

So, add in the water-vinegar mix and let the engine run for 15 mins, then flush?

[Genie47]

Just like a kettle. Boil the 50/50 mix, empty. Add water to flush out. Then add your regular engine coolant (Mercedes-Benz or Prestone 5/150, yada yada) + water.

[AsyieCivic92]

hey guys, am new here in this forum but from what i see this forums gives lots of tips and hints and even the best workshop in town. newae i got an old civic esi'92 which due to scrap in about 1 1/2 year time,but my coolant seems to have some rusty in it,so any idea what should i do with it?

[Ghostami]

Why not just use waterwetter??? Water wetter can clean out the rust , as for deposit removal, that I am not very certain to how much it can do, but definately a safer bet. And also its quite cheap, only $16 per bottle and you can fill the rest with water.

[5936]

If you have acces to tap that will be just as good to DIY.

Make sure radiator is cool to touch.

open radiator cap

Locate drain nut and lossen.

As old coolant drains, fresher water is added in will clean water seen.

Stop fresh water.

Tighten drain nut when all water drained out.

Add premixed clean coolant/water.

 

This method may not flush out all the total capacity of your cooling system, some still trapped within the engine and parts after the thermostate. Unless your cooling system has bypass line at the thermostate housing which almost all cars do not have.

 

Another way to clean is to connect cooling system to machine that flushes cooling system. It uses high pressure pump to circulate and flush your cooling system.

Autoba_cs have this svc.

Not expensive, or you can do it in JB if you regularly go for svc there.

 

If I do the flush myself, I will use distilled water instead of normal tap water.

Edited August 9, 2010 by 5936

[Mini-itx]

If you have acces to tap that will be just as good to DIY.

Make sure radiator is cool to touch.

open radiator cap

Locate drain nut and lossen.

As old coolant drains, fresher water is added in will clean water seen.

Stop fresh water.

Tighten drain nut when all water drained out.

Add premixed clean coolant/water.

 

This method may not flush out all the total capacity of your cooling system, some still trapped within the engine and parts after the thermostate. Unless your cooling system has bypass line at the thermostate housing which almost all cars do not have.

 

Another way to clean is to connect cooling system to machine that flushes cooling system. It uses high pressure pump to circulate and flush your cooling system.

Autoba_cs have this svc.

Not expensive, or you can do it in JB if you regularly go for svc there.

 

If I do the flush myself, I will use distilled water instead of normal tap water.

 

Talking about DIY flushing, I also want to highlight why there is no point buying expensive coolant or even distilled water.

 

After you finish flushing and drain out every drop of water in your radiator, there is still lots of water in the engine and its all tap water. Thus whats the point of pouring distilled water into your radiator and mix with the tap water in the engine? Unless you have access to a massive tank of distilled water just for flushing purpose (I don't think any workshop uses distilled water for flushing).

 

Thats why I just stick with tap water and use water wetter.

 

 

[Mini-itx]

I also use holts coolant flush once in a while. But its just so so. Not 100%. If you really want it to be more effective in your flushing, remove your thermostat. Then you dont' need to wait for temp to hit 80C for it to open. Easiest way is just go for a drive after adding the flushing liquid. Don't worry, engine won't overheat.