27 replies to this topic

[whittlebot]

Guys, I have a Mini Mayfair and want to do a total rad flush/cooling system. I mean total. The local garage got some of the crap out at the annual service last August, but said that there was/is a lot of sludgy sediment in it.  I know it's an onerous task and will take some time. Not a problem. my question is, when the water from the garden hose runs clear. What do you guys recommend I refill the system with. Can I use pink antifreeze which I am told is better? Anyway, advice please,. I have had so much help in the past about various things. "Never be embarrassed to ask people who probably know more than you do! Never be embarrassed to ask for help".

Jonathan

[richmondclassicsnorthwales]

Hi Jonathan

 

If you are able to take off your radiator and flush this out at the top and bottom, then great, will help immensley

 

Put the hose pipe into the bottom hose and flush this through too. Additionally, take off your heater hoses, and flush through on both sides

 

Heater valve - in the open position, put you hose pipe on here as well, and flush

 

Then put all hoses back on and fit new hose clips as necessary, or grease / oil the screw / socket heads to preserve later life

 

All methods I have used over the years to get sludge and sediment out, and yes, when the water runs clear, job done.

 

Antifreezes - these are becoming increasingly plentiful, with a wide range on the market now, not like years ago when limited to just 2 or 3

 

You will have all sorts of answers for the Antifreeze question, I stayed with Bluecol for years and on all my Mini,s - never had any bother

 

This was my way of doing the job without any future  problems encountered

 

 

Bon Chance !!

[phillrulz]

Flushed mine out other weekend when i changed all my hoses, firstly i took the rad out as i had to change bottom hose but with it out i flushed it top to bottom with the hose pipe. Put it all back in then:

 

• Took thermostat out
• took radiator tophose off the thermostat
• put a long hose onto the thermostat to where ever you want to flush it 
• put a hose pipe into the radiator cap
• Start the engine
• Run for a few seconds (  water pump will spray all the radiators contents out )  
• Switch engine off as the water pump had a higher flowrate than my hose pipe. 
• Fill rad up again and repeat till clear water out of top hose. 
• Play with heater valve till again clean water. 
• Replace thermostat and gasket(s)  refill with coolant 

 

Downsides obviously your running the engine cold with thermostat permanently open ( only a few seconds), your running your engine cold for a few seconds, potentially if you turn the car off too slow aka run it dry you could airlock the heater .

[maccers]

Anyone used that radflush stuff that you pour in and leave for a week or so, then empty it out?

[cal844]

Anyone used that radflush stuff that you pour in and leave for a week or so, then empty it out?

CLR (Calcium, lime and rust) Is the stuff you need. Also the car can run without a thermostat (mine do year round)

[richmondclassicsnorthwales]

You are using a Thermostat Blanking Sleeve  (11G167) if you are running without a thermostat ?  Hopefully 

[CityEPete]

Be Careful with the heater matrix and the hose pressure, if it's already been full of crap I'd get a new matrix as it's dead easy to swap on your model and it will probably drip after you've flushed it, my windows used to mist up all the time, when i stripped the old matrix out the bottom of the heater box was full of damp crud so as soon as you turned it on it blew damp warm air up the screen.

[Spider]

I've never found any of the commercial flushes much good.

 

Check what the sludge is, if it's oil or oily based, then give a flush using dishwater machine soap but don't leave it in too long, you should be able to clean the jacket in about 1/2 - 1 hr with this stuff. Follow up with a long water flush.

 

If it's a scaly rust you have in the jacket, use CLR (you can get it from the hardware usually - google it). You can (and will need to) leave this in for a while, up to a week. If the system is Oily, do the dishwasher soap first.

 

Follow the great list that Phillrulz has put together, however also put the heater on to HOT to do a final flush with clean water.

[Dusky]

 

Anyone used that radflush stuff that you pour in and leave for a week or so, then empty it out?

CLR (Calcium, lime and rust) Is the stuff you need. Also the car can run without a thermostat (mine do year round)

 

Wich is such a stupid thing to do on a road car.
I don't care about people ruining their own cars, but please dont give BAD advice to other people on a forum that's probably read by thousands of people.

Why do we need a radiator? To reach proper operating temperature ASAP and then retain that temperature. Without a thermostat you'll see your coolant temp fluctuate A LOT. And we all know that the engine temperature and the mixture requirements are directly proportional. Without the thermostat you're only losing power.
 
There are NO gains by NOT running a thermostat. Removing the thermostat to 'cure' an overheating problem is just masking other problems, like cooling jacket rust or a plugged radiator. Why would manifacturers even use a thermostat if it's not needed? Why spend 1-2£ extra per car, when the use of a single extra washer requires hours of debating by design teams vs the budget manager?
 

[MiniMoe2008]

Guys, I have a Mini Mayfair and want to do a total rad flush/cooling system. I mean total. The local garage got some of the crap out at the annual service last August, but said that there was/is a lot of sludgy sediment in it.  I know it's an onerous task and will take some time. Not a problem. my question is, when the water from the garden hose runs clear. What do you guys recommend I refill the system with. Can I use pink antifreeze which I am told is better? Anyway, advice please,. I have had so much help in the past about various things. "Never be embarrassed to ask people who probably know more than you do! Never be embarrassed to ask for help".

Jonathan

This is weekly question on this forum and you'll get a million different answers. I asked the same thing a few months back. Attached is the link below. Also, when I flushed my engine years ago all I used plain white vinegar. I used a gallon's worth and ran it until the engine got hot. I let it sit there for another 30 mins afterwards to cool back down drained and all the rust and calcium build up came out. Also cleaned out my heater core. After that I flushed it with water again (plain) until warm. drained and then refilled with radiator fluid. I used plain green 50/50 and it worked fine.

 

http://www.theminifo...radiator-fluid/

[imack]

Once flushed I'd stick with blue or green anti freeze, pink is for use in modern cars that don't have brass radiators or heater matrix. Pink anti freeze supposedly attacks the solder in the brass radiators.I had a brass rad leak from a soldered joint about 5 months after rebuilding my engine, I'd used pink anti freeze, whether it was caused by the anti freeze or just the age of the rad I'll never know.
I think green anti freeze needs replacing every couple of years as its anti corrosive properties break down sooner than blue.

[whittlebot]

Thank you to everyone! Overwhelmed by the response!

Not related to my question. How will my baby cope with the snow down here on the south coast. (Emsworth near Chichester)

Jonathan

[Boycie]

How will it cope with the snow? Very well indeed in my experience (although I'm slightly embarrassed to say none of mine come out on salty roads nowadays).

Re the running temperature, I like all my engines to get up to temperature quickly and stay there. Running cool does a lot of damage, it's as bad as overheating in my opinion.

A good way of cleaning the cooling system is to break up a dishwasher tablet, put it in the rad and run the engine up to temp. Let it cool, drain all the fluid and refill with fresh coolant. Definitely an 'at your own risk' thing, but I've had good results and never done any damage.

[whittlebot]

Thank you to everyone!

Jonathan

[cal844]

You are using a Thermostat Blanking Sleeve  (11G167) if you are running without a thermostat ?  Hopefully 

Nope, the cars run perfectly fine without them, two cars done a 500 mile weekend trip with no overheating issues