| cresty | -- 03-13-2012 @ 1:37 PM |
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Hello All--- I'm contemplating cleaning my radiator on my low milage '51 Ford,----Is it all right to do it myself with the proper cleaners or take it to a shop and have it done?----If I do it myself what would be the right cleaners,etc. to use?----How do they usually do it in a shop? THANKS EVERYONE! "CRESTY"
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| trjford8 | -- 03-13-2012 @ 2:52 PM |
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You can try a variety of chemicals to do it yourself with very poor results. These chemicals mostly "clean" your wallet rather than the radiator. The only way to clean a radiator in my opinion is to take it to a radiator shop and have them "rod out" the radiator. They remove the tanks and run rods down through the tubes to remove all the accumulation of minerals, etc. This gets the tubes as clean as possible to increase water flow. If you have an original radiator there is the possibility that the radiator may be too fragile to be cleaned. In that event you may be looking at a new core for the radiator. Whether or not your car is low mileage the radiator is over 60 years old, so the need for a new core is a possibility.
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| bo8109b | -- 03-13-2012 @ 3:45 PM |
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Last year a radiator shop who I have used for many years quoted me a price to recore my '48 four row radiator of approximatly $600. Decided my radiator wasn't in that bad a shape.
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| supereal | -- 03-13-2012 @ 9:13 PM |
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Good advice from Tom. Radiator replacement will usually cost in the $500-600 range, about the same as recoring, if you can find someone that actually is able to do the work. When metal prices soared, radiators followed. That said, a lime coat inside a radiator no thicker than a coat of paint will reduce cooling efficiency by as much as half or more. That is why using demineralized water is so important in your cooling system. Usually, those with cooling problems try cleaning, but mostly end up replacing the unit to enhance reliability.
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| butchbov | -- 03-17-2012 @ 6:15 PM |
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I don't know where you live, but here in southern Indiana you can get a radiator rodded out for a h*ll of a lot less than the $500-$600 you're quoting. What exactly is your solution to his problem, radiator replacement?
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