Yeah...

 

The first thing that I did with the new radiator was see how water from my garden hose flows through it. It can flow probably ten times more than my hose puts out. So I took the inlet tank off my old radiator to see wtf clogged it. It looks like rust with talc mixed into it. The stuff in the tubes looks like mud. It will weigh more when I scrap it, anyway.

I should have changed the radiator when I changed the transmission last fall to guarantee that the trans cooler didn't have debris, as Pat and others warned me.

Considering how cheap radiators are these days (I got an AC Delco from Rock Auto, $159.79 + shipping),I think I will start changing them as preventive maintenance every twenty years.

 

Now let's see if the steam from my exhaust was imaginary or not.

 

Hope this sorts out your issue.

 

You need to use distilled water. Not water from a garden hose. This is why you have rust and you can see the mineral debris that have clogged the fins.

 

^^^ this. I go to the store and get a dozen gallons when I do it, which like 50 cents each is nothing. Drain it then flush with most of the distilled, just save about a gallon or two for mix with coolant.

 

Are you saying that I have issues? 😜

 

I got my new lower hose, drained it and filled it with distilled water and antifreeze. I'm on board with using distilled water to limit the amount of added minerals, but there really should not be any difference in the amount of rust produced by distilled or tap water. It's probably the fact that I have often drained the system for repairs of one thing or another, and not adding antifreeze until the fall if I did the work in the summer. Iron will dissolve into water but antifreeze slows the process. In straight water, it's the amount of oxygen in the water that determines if this dissolved iron stays black or rusts. Repeatedly changing the water adds new oxygen to the system. In a hydronic heating system not using glycol, if you drain a sample from the boiler and it comes out black, that's good. If it comes out rusty, that means there is a leak in the system and make up water is being added.
I'm sure that if I followed correct procedure for filling a cooling system, none of this would have happened.

 

Yes.

Because you just tried to give us a lesson in the ionization of water, and then proceeded to tell us how it was supposed to be done all the while at the same time admitting you did it wrong.

 

Exactly!!! You do realize that Distillation removes all minerals from water? It's essential pure water

Tap water contains lots of minerals. Especially in rural and farm area's where it typically comes from a well. I have traveled all over the US and tested water in various cities. You would be surprised How bad it is. In my case I am testing it for use in Equipment and not specific purity for Personal Consumption.


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