Is there anything that can/should be done to a 40+ year-old original aluminum radiator to optimize performance w/o replacement? Cleaning/testing/??? It is out of the car at the moment. -Karl
care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
Typically, 'cleaning' a used original aluminum radiator with this many years on it results in opening a myraid of pinholes. These have a useful life that's pretty much over with at this point in time.
Yes, there have been a handful who've used 'heroics' to salvage a properly dated original (E.g. injecting thermally doped epoxy to coat/plug the inside), but I've not really known anyone to have turned back the hands of time well with such approaches.
If she's leaking ANYWHERE, that's a barometer of the general condition of the interior tank/rod wall integrity and you're best off to bite the bullet with either a non-lookalike generic aluminum radiator or a DeWitts reproduction Harrison unit....- Top
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Don't clean!!!!!
I tried to "clean the inside of mine and ended up with 20 holes. The corrosion that is in the inside of your radiator is most likely holding back the leaks.
I bought a new Dewitts because I didn't have someone stop me before I cleaned.
The Dewitts is very nice and should give me piece of mind that its not going to spring a leak and spray fluid in my engine compartment.
KeithKeith Burmeister- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
Jack- Thanks for the reply. It doesn't leak. I was just thinking there was perhaps something more I should be doing beyond a cosmetic clean up. Maybe I'm a cheap-skate, but I can't see spending close to a thousand bucks just because it's old. -Karl- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
Karl-----
There is really little that can be done to clean the "innerds" of an aluminum radiator beyond more-or-less agressive flushing with water. Aluminum is a very reactive metal and most chemical cleaners will attack it. Of course, you could use one of the commercial cooling sysyem cleaners which specifies "safe for use on aluminum". The only problem with these cleaners is that they are unlikely to do very much with respect to cleaning. But, they won't hurt anything, either.
The thing that allows aluminum radiators, at least those which belong to a well-maintained cooling system, to last so long is the fact that a protective aluminum oxide coating forms on the inner bare aluminum surfaces. This coating protects the radiator from further oxidation and corrosive damage. When this coating is "compromised" the radiator can then be said to be suffering from a "terminal illness".
One of the asolute worst things that you can do with an old aluminum radiator is to let it "go dry" as this compromises the "delicate balance" which has allowed the radiator to last so long. When allowing one to set off the car, I recommend filling it with a fresh mixture of 60/40 coolant to water mix and capping the inlet/outlet with radiator plugs available from radiator shops.
And by the way, there's no reason to replace your old radiator now. However, I would not recommend any long trips from home. Or, even, any short trips from home. Your radiator will NOT likely be reliable.In Appreciation of John Hinckley- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
Thanks Joe: The "keep it wet" advice makes sense. Conservation vs. restoration I guess. I'm still having trouble prying my wallet open because the radiator hasn't been a problem. I guess I'll be the guy with the geiser by the side of the road. I'll give it some more thought - it's a long winter. -Karl- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
Karl-----
I TOTALLY agree that it is a very difficult decision to replace an original aluminum radiator when that radiator is leak-free and performing its cooling function adequately. However, if it leaves you stranded at some point, then it will be a VERY easy decision to replace it. That's EXACTLY the proticol that I like to use myself to make difficult decisions into easy decisions. I'm being 100% serious here, too.In Appreciation of John Hinckley- Top
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Correction
I'm ashamed of myself. The word "protocol" is spelled thusly, NOT "proticol". Please excuse this and other spelling errors. They're what often happens when I fail to proof read my posts (which is often).In Appreciation of John Hinckley- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
I'd recommend that you take it to a radiator shop and have them pressure test it at 30 psig. If it pops a leak, so be it, but it might already have some tiny, tiny pinholes that they will be able to spot if there are any bubbles in the leak tank - like finding a slow leak in a tire. It's been living on borrowed time for ten years, anyway, and you can get a perfect reproduction from DeWitts and drive it for another 30 to 40 years.
If it holds you can reinstall it and hope for the best. Maybe you'll set a record! My experience is that 316 radiators will begin to seep and leave telltale white trails from the salts in green antifreeze, but you may never see any liquid. I don't think it will "blow out" and leave you stranded, but when it starts to seep, it time to retire it.
Duke- Top
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Re: care & feeding of aluminum radiator ???
If you want to be a tightwad like me, back flush it with water, put it back in with some Barr's and drive on for maybe another 10 years or more (or less). After this amount of time, you have bragging rights to one of the longest living radiators in a Vette.- Top
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Re: Correction
Joe - your posts have to be some of the best for both content and spelling. Mine, on the other hand, frequently have many typos....not that I don't know how to spell, but I rarely preview and somehow I miss them in the key entry area....
I have a new DeWitts, ready to install on my 67, it's aging in the closet. No coolant yet, but I am assuming your "wet post" applies to units that have been used, not new ones. My old one is leak free, but, I am on the marginal side for cooling...and I want some peace of mind if I drive it anywhere...Craig- Top
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